Mary & Virgile’s exquisite Château de Champlâtreux wedding has us feeling nothing but amour! The grande venue and its acres of lush greenland, located just an hour from Paris, created an enchanting backdrop, which was embellished by the aesthetic eye of Anne Laure Weddings. Uses of deep burgundy and jewel tone accents popped against muted blush and cream hues – a perfect balance of bold and beautiful, seen in everything from the stunning tablescape to Floraison Paris’ blooms. Every moment of their indoor reception looked like a scene straight out of a Regency-era romance. See why French château weddings never fail to capture our hearts in the full gallery, captured by Elias Kordelakos!
From the bride & Groom… Virgile and Mary met on the fencing team at the University of Notre Dame, where they were both students at the same time for only one year. Mary graduated but Virgile remained at school for the next two years. Upon Virgile’s graduation, the couple moved to NYC. However, Virgile did not receive his visa to remain in the states and thus had to move back to France (his home country). In the summer of 2018, he moved to Paris along with Mary. Although not knowing a single word of French, Mary left her life in the US behind and booked a one-way ticket to be with Virgile. Shortly after arriving in Paris, Mary and Virgile got engaged on a bateau mouche. The ring was Virgile’s late grandmother’s, a beautiful sapphire sourced directly from Ceylon. They decided to have a legal ceremony in May 2019 in Paris, at the 4th arrondissement town hall (where the couple lived at the time – in “le Marais” district of Paris). In France, the civil and religious ceremony are always separate. The couple decided to make the civil ceremony small and intimate, with only Virgile’s family (parents, brother and sister) and Mary’s parents in attendance. They decided that their friends and larger families would be invited to their religious celebration to be held sometime in the fall of 2020.
Mary and Virgile found Anne-Laure of Anne Laure Weddings to help them create their magical French fairytale wedding. Mary had always dreamed of getting married in a French chateau, which is why they travelled the country to find the perfect venue. The couple decided on Château de Champlâtreux both for its beauty and its proximity to Paris – only 45 minutes by car. Paris would be the host city for the 3-day celebration. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the wedding that was originally scheduled for September 2020 was postponed to May 2021 and then shortly thereafter to December 2021. The couple had finalized every detail to have the Christmas fairytale wedding of their dreams, when less than 3 weeks before their wedding they had to postpone again due to the Omicron surge. Incredibly disappointed, the couple rescheduled and chose May 6, a date very close to their 3-year legal wedding anniversary (May 18th). Luckily, this 4th date ended up being the final! The details of the wedding changed drastically from September to December to May, as they were totally different seasons. However, the vendors and Anne-Laure did an amazing job making each design perfect, and ultimately May 6th ended up being the most perfect and magical day. The inspiration for the décor was largely driven from the venue itself – romantic, refined, and elegant. The church in town where the couple got married was filled with candles and flowers (done by the amazingly talented Floraison). The tablescape was straight out of a Bridgeton ball, with the candelabras, flowers, and place settings creating a beautiful and intimate environment. Mary and Virgile really loved the old car that they used to drive to and from the castle and church.
Making the 80 guests in attendance all feel included and incredibly special was the most important thing to Mary and Virgile, who were so appreciate of everyone who finally was able to attend their wedding after almost 4 years of planning it. This began by creating welcome bags filled with Mary and Virgile’s favorite things from Paris – like Puyricard chocolate, champagne, saucisson, etc. The welcome night celebration was held at one of Mary and Virgile’s favorite cocktail bars in Paris (the entire place was privatized for the whole evening). The wedding was truly a blend of French and American culture. As Mary’s family is American and does not speak French, the couple asked their close friend to translate Mary’s father and maid of honor’s (her sister) speeches. Virgile’s brother and father were able to do their speeches in both languages. We also made sure that translations were available throughout the wedding planning process – from the invitations to the wedding programs.
While the day itself was a complete dream (and one the couple will never forget!) their favorite moment of the weekend was the day after at the brunch. The couple had privatized a pétanque-bar (an official French pastime and game that is local to Virgile’s home in Provence). All the guests – both the French and American – were completely mixed, with some even making plans to meet up at later dates. The true blending of their families was what was most important to Virgile and Mary, and this would not have happened had the weekend not been as magical and perfectly planned as it was. Mary and Virgile are so appreciate of Anne-Laure and all their vendors who made this happen!
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Photography: Elias Kordelakos | Cinematography: Matthias Guerin | Coordination: Amoro Events | Event Design: Anne Laure Weddings | Event Planning: Anne Laure Weddings | Floral Design: Floraison | Reception Venue: Château de Champlâtreux | Catering: Grand chemin | Beauty: Sanni Sorma Makeup & Hair | Papery: Michaela McBride Calligraphy | Rentals: Joli Bazaar