A French Chateau Wedding
Domaine les Gaillardoux, Toulouse, France | Mel & Pete
Mel and Pete celebrated their chateau wedding near Toulouse at Domaine les Gaillardoux in June last year. Nestled in a wooded park amongst the beautiful Mediterranean landscape, this gorgeous French wedding venue gave such a lovely feeling of natural beauty and tranquillity. Aside from the fact that I absolutely love the French country chateau aesthetic, Mel and Pete were such a fun couple to photograph. Their half French, half English guest list made for a pretty cool dynamic too – read on for more.
The Preparations at Domaine les Gaillardoux
We started the day in an authentic French farmhouse style gîte. As a documentary style wedding photographer, the preparations are all about doing justice to the morning anticipation and excitement. For more about my approach as a documentary wedding photographer Devon, click here.
A Civil Ceremony for a French Chateau Wedding near Toulouse
Following the preparations at Domaine les Gaillardoux, we moved outside for the outdoor ceremony. I was pretty happy when I found out that Mel and Pete had planned an outdoor ceremony for their chateau wedding near Toulouse – as hot as the Mediterranean sun can be, there’s something pretty special about standing under its warm light with a historic French chateau in the background.
The ceremony took place in both French and English. While I’m an English speaking wedding photographer in Toulouse, I also speak French (see more about my journey as a South West wedding photographer and photography training in France, here). This French knowledge was definitely helpful when navigating the timings of the ceremony!
From there, Mel & Pete celebrated their drinks reception in the French countryside style gardens surrounding the chateau (if you’re picturing tall trees, rolling hills and lavender then you’re spot on – it was just as glorious as it sounds).
The ceremony took place in both French and English. While I’m an English speaking wedding photographer in Toulouse, I also speak French (see more about my journey as a South West wedding photographer and photography training in France, here). This French knowledge was definitely helpful when navigating the timings of the ceremony!
From there, Mel & Pete celebrated their drinks reception in the French countryside style gardens surrounding the chateau (if you’re picturing tall trees, rolling hills and lavender then you’re spot on – it was just as glorious as it sounds).
An outdoor wedding reception for a French countryside wedding
Much like I adore an outdoor ceremony, I also love the idea of an al fresco reception meal (maybe it’s about the novelty of it all since the English weather isn’t the most conducive to such things). Set against a backdrop of balmy, golden light and a warm breeze, this outdoor reception absolutely did not disappoint – a very striking Mediterranean aesthetic.
A note on timings – I find it quite interesting how wedding day timings can differ between different countries. In France for instance, the wedding reception tends to take place in the early evening, which is quite a few hours later than in England. Interestingly, when working as a destination wedding photographer in New Zealand, I also learnt that Australasian countries generally follow the European timings of the day too.
One last thing that I have to mention – the evening dancing. Having a mix of French and English guests meant that quite a few times in the night, a song would come on and half the room would go CRAZY to it, whilst the other half retained composure, waiting patiently for a song in their language. I have to say that this was a pretty memorable experience to watch!
See the full gallery below…
A note on timings – I find it quite interesting how wedding day timings can differ between different countries. In France for instance, the wedding reception tends to take place in the early evening, which is quite a few hours later than in England. Interestingly, when working as a destination wedding photographer in New Zealand, I also learnt that Australasian countries generally follow the European timings of the day too.
One last thing that I have to mention – the evening dancing. Having a mix of French and English guests meant that quite a few times in the night, a song would come on and half the room would go CRAZY to it, whilst the other half retained composure, waiting patiently for a song in their language. I have to say that this was a pretty memorable experience to watch!
See the full gallery below…
The History of Domaine les Gaillardoux venue for Chateau Wedding Venue near Toulouse
Nestled in a wooded park amongst the beautiful Mediterranean landscape of Toulouse, Domaine les Gaillardoux is a peaceful French chateau wedding venue in the heart of nature. With an authentic and refined indoor area and large courtyard sheltered by shady trees, this beautiful French wedding venue is quite a lovely haven, away from the busyness of every day life. Take a few steps away from the chateau and you’ll arrive in some barley fields – a beautiful backdrop for some candid evening moments and documentary style wedding photography shots too. Plus, Domaine les Gaillardoux is just a stone’s throw from Cahors, a city of art and incredible history. For more on this authentic wedding venue in the south of France, see their website here.
UK & Destination wedding photographer at Domaine les Gaillardoux
Whether you’re planning a chateau wedding near Toulouse or something a little different, I always love the excuse to travel abroad as a UK & destination wedding photographer and I’d love to hear more about your wedding plans. Just pop me over a message here, I’d love to chat.
