My heart does a little leap when I see a wedding come in from Mademoiselle Fiona - she sends some of the most classically elegant and timeless beauties. So I shouldn’t be surprised that this French fête, held in a gorgeous chateau, is making my heart dance pretty waltzes this morning. From the romantic feel of each photo to the gorgeous sapphire touches (how amazing is her ring?!), it just doesn’t get any prettier than this! Click here for even more!

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From the Bride…James is Australian and I am French. We met three and a half years ago in Sydney, and we now live in New York. He proposed to me during a romantic weekend getaway in Aruba. While discussing our wedding plans, James told me he wanted to get married in France. He thought a wedding in a French chateau would be a fantastic experience for his friends and family from Australia, and so much more fun and original than the beach wedding that is so common in Sydney.

We picked a beautiful old castle near Paris. James was crazy about the idea of a castle with a moat, and I was just worried that one of the Aussies would fall in the moat! Planning a destination wedding forces you to make practical, fast decisions. Since you live far away from where you’re getting married, you have to trust your local vendors and sometimes let go, even just a little. We added a few details to make our wedding feel more personal. Our invitations, designed by James’ sister, showed a frog (for me, the Frenchie) and a kangaroo (for my Australian groom).We wanted to have a travel-theme reception that would reflect our international backgrounds and travels. Each table had the name of a place that is dear to us: Sydney, Paris, NYC, Aruba, Stradbroke Island, etc.. The menus were vintage postcards, with the same blue line from our invitations and place cards.

Cocktail hour had an Australian touch: flip flops as wedding favors, Australian beer, kangaroo-meat on a skewer, oyster bar… The sit-down dinner in the castle was delicious French cuisine. I didn’t want flower centerpieces, just a beautiful candlelit dinner. For our photobooth, we mixed (stereo)typical French and Australian props. If I had to do it all again… I would do it just the same! The day was full of happiness, it was magnificent, fun and just perfect all the way! 

Wedding Photography: Mademoiselle Fiona – Wedding Photography / Reception Location: Château de Lésigny / Wedding Dress: Alita Graham via Kleinfeld Bridal / Men’s Suits: Les 2 Oursons / Invitations + Paper Goods: Emma Patterson (Groom’s sister) / DJ: Isa Music / Hair Stylist: Guillaume Viat for Coiffirst / Make-up: MakeUp Forever