Today on the blog we have a wedding that really puts the destination into destination wedding. Part of the magic of a destination wedding is the travel, the journey to some spectacular location, and in this case it's our wonderful Castle in France. So without further ado let's introduce you to the very beautiful love story of Yami and Janelle.
Yami and Janelle met on an airplane, sitting across the aisle from one another. They sparked up a conversation during the short flight, and it wasn't long before they exchanged phone numbers on that fateful Friday afternoon…the rest as they say is history.
Almost like a fairytale, these two strangers shared but one glance that created an instant bond, materializing in marriage just four months later.
They decided they wanted to celebrate the anniversary of their marriage with a vow renewal in a big way. When searching for venues across the continental US no singular location really offered them the "wow" factor they felt truly represented their love. Leaving a disappointing trip of venue searching in Miami Yami jokingly told Janelle, "At this rate we might as well try and find a castle in France." Janelle took it quite literally, and two hours later they were Face Timing in the airport with, unbeknownst to them, their future wedding planner, Cynthia.
That December Yami and Janelle took an exhausting 6 day trip to France thoroughly looking at venues across the country. But one venue stood head and shoulders above the rest… Chateau Challain.
Chateau Challain offered them all that they were looking for, a place to host all friends and family comfortably, multiple areas to hold different themed events, flexibility of arrangements and food, and most importantly a venue fit for their one-of-a-kind love story.
Throughout the planning stages Janelle and Yami saw their vision brought to life by Cynthia and her team. Drawing on their ideas and inspirations, Cynthia helped them paint the perfect picture of their dream destination wedding in France.
This wedding had it all, a Cuban night, a masquerade party, and a wedding aisle complete with luggage bags and seat-side windows. Chateau Challain was the venue that took their love story to new heights.
Yami and Janelle spoiled their guests to 4 nights here at the Chateau, and we planned plenty of activities to ensure everybody had the time of their lives! So let's take a closer look at this magical destination wedding in France.
Day 1
The first night, they decided on a "Cuban Night" themed party. They had this out on the lawn under a beautiful tent with the Chateau for a backdrop.
Throughout the night the guests were serenaded by a Cuban band, and indulged in some freshly hand rolled cigars by our expert Torcedor (that's cigar roller to the rest of us!)
The food for this themed night was nothing short of spectacular and incorporated plenty of old family recipes. Our Chef Alex roasted a pig (with plantains of course!) And you can bet there was rice and beans for that authentic Cuban vibe. They all ate, drank, and had their cigars while dancing the night away under a Cuban flag.
Day 2
With so much to see and do in the local area the group decided to explore a little bit, so we arranged for them to visit the beautiful nearby town of Angers where you can find lots of little unique shops and plenty of fine French cuisine. After they shopped till they dropped, they decided that nothing would be better than doing a little wine tasting at a local vineyard on their way back to the castle.
Day 3
This was a day packed with so much fun. They did something a little different and opted to have cooking classes! We set this up in the Coach House ballroom. For other guests who did not do the classes, we had horse back riding! We have the perfect path around the property that goes in a full circle through the woods and with some beautiful views of the Chateau.
That night they had their rehearsal dinner. They wanted to have another theme party to spice it up, so they went with a classic Masquerade Ball. We had a jazz band playing downstairs in the hallway where they enjoyed cocktails before the big dinner. Upstairs hard at work, Cynthia was setting up yet another one of her amazing ideas of having floating chairs in the main foyer where dinner would be served. The next day was going to be big…
Day 4
WEDDING DAY! Now that you are aware of their love story and how they met, we were able to incorporate little things that meant a lot. We set up their wedding chairs just like that of airplane seats. With hanging branches to act as the windows, and they had one of their friends dress up as a stewardess to hand out pretzels to all of the guests just as you would on a plane. They had boarding passes handed out to their guests with the date and time of the wedding. We even had luggage lining the aisle. They exchanged their vows under the trees in a unique spot by the secret garden in the Chateau grounds. It was nothing short of magical, a touchingly emotional experience shared with family and friends.
They then had their cocktail hour, followed by a sumptuous dinner in our grand salon with plenty of dancing and celebrating with the ones they hold dearest.
We were so happy that we checked all of their boxes and delivered their dream wedding here at Chateau Challain. We hold all of our couples dear to our hearts and want them to have the fairytale wedding they deserve.
Love is love, and our goal is nothing less than to help you write the first chapter in your book by marrying your best friend and living happily ever after. So get in touch, and let us help you make your dreams come true.
Yami and Janelle Vendors list:
Photography:
Anne Bequette
@annebequettephotographer (insta)
In-house Chateau Challain Chef:
Alex Dupré
@lessaveurs_dupre (insta)
Wedding designer:
CiCi Events
@cicievents_cynthia (insta)
Cocktail artist:
esprit cocktail
@esprit.cocktail (insta)
Florals:
Mister Brett Events
https://www.misterbrettevents.com
@misterbrettevents (insta)
Jazz Singer:
Lu Chase
@luchaselive (insta)
Cake Design:
Dea Childe
@dealiciousgateaux (insta)
