Magical Autumn Château Elopement in France

I was over the moon to receive these stunning captures of Kay and Jon’s wedding by Maru Photography (thanks so much for sharing these amazing images with us!).

Kay and Jon actually won their wedding in a contest hosted by their venue Château de la Ruche in France, how amazing is that?! They had 6 weeks to plan their nuptials, which were held on the 13th Oct 2019. It turned out to be a beautifully blustery day which suited them both perfectly. Firstly they held their ceremony outdoors in a tree lined avenue with a stunning flower arch and magical lighting. What followed was an intimate reception for two, complete with a romantic set up with divine florals and a striking cake. Oh my.

I really think you are going to fall head over heels for this dreamy Autumn wedding.

The Proposal

We got engaged many years ago now, it was already a special evening because we were celebrating the anniversary of when we first met. We made a cosy, romantic evening at home, and cooked a three-course meal together, with candles and champagne. Then Jon had an extra surprise for me. He got down on one knee and popped the question with a beautiful diamond ring.

The Vision

Our vision was always to have a small intimate wedding with just a few close friends and family. But we wanted to have a very special setting that was in a stunning location.

The Planning Process

We had wanted to get married for many years, but lots of life issues kept getting in the way. We have been together for 13 years but finances and poor health had put a stop to our dreams of ever getting married. During those 13 years we have had two beautiful boys and just about managed to keep a roof over our heads during some really tough times.

Recently though, our luck seemed to have changed for the better. We’ve created our own business and it’s slowly growing and life feels more positive. On a whim I entered a competition on Instagram to win an elopement at Chateau de la Ruche in France, after following the renovations on Instagram from the beginning. I didn’t think I had any chance of winning. Then I received the best email I’ve ever had from Rebecca, Château owner, to say that I had, in fact, won and that we could have our wedding at their stunning château.

I was so excited that I went running out into the garden to tell Jon, who was working in our garden office, and slipped on the garden path! When I finally got the words out It didn’t take us long to decide that yes, it was finally out time to do this and get married. So, we booked our flights, told our family and arranged our whole wedding in six weeks!

We decided that we wanted to elope to France, take the time to have our ceremony and few days away just the two of us – like a honeymoon in reverse – then have a party with our family and friends when we got back.

Our prize included the ceremony, a night at the château in one of their beautiful bedrooms, a luxurious breakfast, a home-cooked romantic wedding meal for just the two of us, local wine and bubbles, beautiful flowers, fine art photography and even a wedding cake. Rebecca and her team took care of everything – all we had to do was book our flights, find our outfits and get ourselves there.

The Readings & Music

We wrote our own vows, which we said to each other as the wind whipped around us through the avenue of trees at the back of the château where we had our ceremony. Rebecca wrote us a beautifully personal wedding ceremony after finding out all about our love story and our dreams for married life. She also carried out the ceremony for us, so that we could keep it really small and simple.

The Venue

Château de la Ruche

The Cake

The stunning cake was made by the very lovely Molly Wilkinson, who trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. It was a beautiful lemon cake with buttercream icing, which is my favourite.

The Flowers

The flowers were beautifully created and designed by the very talented Polina Babina. Polina foraged in the château grounds for some of the foliage and flowers to create a beautiful, seasonal backdrop for our ceremony. We loved it.

The Details & Décor

Rebecca and Polina styled our wedding ceremony and the table for our romantic wedding meal. They used vintage china and glassware from the château’s own collections and added in flowers and foliage from around the grounds. The aisle, in the avenue of lime trees, was lined with candles and lanterns, with festoon lights strung in the branches. Polina created a beautiful rustic archway at the top of the aisle and we stood in front of it to say our vows. Inside the château there were flowers and candles everywhere – everything was just so romantic and we had the whole place to ourselves to relax and unwind.

Beauty

I did my own hair and make-up for the wedding, I trained as a make-up artist and I really just wanted to look like me and to feel calm and relaxed in the run up to the ceremony.

Your Photographer

Our wonderful photographer was Kim, she was fantastic, she not only created these stunning pictures, but was a truly lovely lady, helping me to feel at ease when she knew was I feeling self-conscious.

Memorable Moments

The weather really wanted to join the party and the clouds rolled in and the wind got up as the ceremony time ticked closer. It was perfect for us because we love stormy weather. It was so dramatic and memorable with the wind and autumn leaves sweeping around us as we stood in the avenue of trees with the château behind us. The dark skies meant that the candles and festoon lights came into their own and everything felt really magical and secret.

Advice For Other Couples

Do what makes you as a couple happy – make your wedding for you.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Does it get any more romantic? And how stunning did Kay and Jon look? Wow.

Thanks so much to Kay and Jon for sharing their very special elopement story with us xo Lou