Ooh la la! Our real wedding couple Michelle and Louie certainly had a wedding with a dash of magical je ne sais quoi. The couple tied the knot in a uber-elegant wedding in the South of France in June 2022. They wanted their wedding day to feel romantic and the 18th-century Chateau Lacanaud proved to be the most enchanting place to celebrate their love. They were joined by 40 of their nearest and dearest for a four-day wedding extravaganza. Sounds pretty dreamy, doesn't it? Well, just wait until you see the stunning images by Awardweddings.
But first, let's learn more about how Michelle and Louie's happily ever after began. They say love knows no boundaries. Well that's certainly the case for this real wedding couple. While they are from completely different sides of the world, Michelle is from Southern California and Louie is from Melbourne in Australia, fate had different plans and their paths crossed. They actually met during a fun-filled weekend in Las Vegas while Michelle was on a girls' trip and Louie was in town for a stag.
The couple call Melbourne home today but they lived in Hong Kong previously for three years. It will forever hold a special place in their hearts. When the time came to pop the question, Louie picked a sweet and significant spot to get down on bended knee. He asked Michelle to be his wife in front of their favourite street art on Hong Kong Island.
While it was their special day, the couple wanted their guests to have the time of their lives at their wedding. "We wanted them to eat well, drink well and dance their feet off," Michelle shares. They kicked the festivities off with a welcome dinner at the Michelin Guide restaurant L’Atelier. The rustic, cosy restaurant is picturesquely located at the gates of the medieval town of Issigeac. The next day the ladies went wine tasting while the men played golf. Then, it was time for the all-important main event.
The couple tied the knot on the third day. For Michelle and Louie, their wedding day was made all-the-more unforgettable because of who they got to share it with. They were joined by family and friends from all over the world, with guests jetting in from Australia, US, Hong Kong and the UK.
Michelle wore a wedding gown worthy of a fairytale from Raffaele Ciuca Bridal. The romantic dress was adorned with glistening leaf embroidery and it had pearl straps. She added a floor-skimming sheer veil to finish her magical ensemble. Louie looked so dapper wearing a grey suit with a crisp white shirt, black tie and black shoes.
Michelle and Louie called off the wedding venue search as soon as they saw Chateau Lacanaud. It was the infinity pool overlooking the lake that sealed the deal for them. In fact, it proved to be the inspiration for their wedding day styling.
"The venue was stunning so we really didn’t need to do much. We wanted the space to feel romantic and elegant. We used soft tones, lots of flowers and delicate lighting," Michelle explains.
The bride had a special surprise up her sleeve for her husband at the reception. They made an epic entrance with their reception song which was the theme tune of the Australian Football League team, the Richmond Tigers. "It was a surprise for Louie, he’s a die-hard AFL fan," Michelle says.
Travel lovers and wanderlust chasers will no doubt swoon over their table name idea. Each table had an illustration of a country in Asia they travelled to with family and friends: Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
We were curious to know what tips they had for couples planning their wedding. They tell us: "Enjoy the process. Not everything will go to plan on your wedding day, it rained on ours, but it will turn out exactly how it’s meant to." They finished off their epic wedding with a BBQ and pool party on the fourth day.
For their first dance as husband and wife they chose a truly romantic tune: Friday I’m in Love by The Cure.
We want to say a massive thank you to our real wedding couple Michelle and Louie for sharing their wedding with One Fab Day and to Awardweddings for the stunning imagery. In fact, why not check out another dreamy French chateau wedding lensed by the same photographer?
Want more inspiration? Check out these dreamy destination weddings. Be warned you may feel compelled to book flights immediately.
We also have a list of the Best Luxury Wedding Venues in France as well as Where to Honeymoon in the Southwest!
