Intimate wedding in Angers at Château Allure du Lac – Shannon + Mickael
CONTENTS
Intimate wedding in Angers
at the Château Allure du Lac
Shannon and Mickael live in the United States. Their meeting on the legendary Sunset Boulevard was the beginning of an unwavering love story. When the marriage proposal arrives, the evidence of a spring wedding abroad is essential. A break designed as an exceptional stay. It is in France, in the Loire Valley, that they fell in love with the Château Allure du Lac. Surrounded by their 21 guests, they took off for a week out of time, immersed in the intimacy and magic of this place.
With images from their photographer Elise Rimelin Photographer, the newlyweds testify…
The initial meeting
We met at a gas station on Sunset Boulevard in LA. We were meeting friends for a night out, and we were immediately attracted to each other.
The marriage proposal
My sister is an interior designer and had just finished a project on a beautiful home in New Jersey and was planning to throw a gala there. We flew out to support her. Little did I know that Michael had also brought my entire family and planned to propose at this beautiful venue. It was a very special and intimate moment. The moment I said yes, my entire family showed up and congratulated us. We ended the evening surrounded by family.
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac
I always knew I wanted to get married abroad. I had never traveled to Europe before so I figured if I was going to spend a lot of money I might as well have it somewhere we could also vacation. We found the website oliverstravels.com where castles, villas, for large groups are offered for rent. As soon as we laid eyes on this castle we knew it would be our place.
Wedding planning
We got engaged in May 2023 and we knew we didn't want to wait more than a year to get married. May is a great month to visit Europe, we knew we had to plan this wedding before the peak tourist season.
It was not easy to organize everything from the United States, especially when you don't speak French and you don't have the assistance of a wedding planner. That's why I thank all the service providers who were very helpful.
I wanted to organize a week-long trip for my guests rather than a one-day celebration. With only 21 guests, we were able to rent the castle for the week and enjoy delicious food from the caterer, the tennis court, the pool, the board games and simply admire the castle.
Wedding decoration
Regarding the color, we opted for a spring palette: lemon, orange, yellow, green, blue and lilac. We didn't have much to do with the decoration because the castle is self-sufficient. We preferred to keep it simple and let the flowers be the only decoration. Our florist, Solenne, prepared beautiful flower arrangements for us. She completely understood our vision.
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
The bride's outfits
For a very long time, I had in mind a wedding dress that had been in my family for decades. It was worn by 6 women in my family and I dreamed of being the seventh. The only problem was that the dress was not kept in optimal conditions, it was in a small box in poor condition. I turned to one of my best friends who is a costume designer. He is a real magician who transformed it into the dress of my dreams by taking the fabrics of the dress that many women in my family had worn.
The dress took longer than expected to be restored and we were getting dangerously close to our departure date for France. Two weeks before we left, my mom decided to take me to a dress store to find a backup dress in case the dress wasn't ready in time. I hesitated and once there I tried on the most beautiful dress and I knew I had to wear it on the big day.
A week before we left, the dress was ready and so I had two dresses to take to France.
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Their most moving memory
We opted for a first look before the ceremony, which allowed us to share a moment in complete privacy and to breathe a little. It was also the moment to exchange our vows in a natural and private setting. The beautiful surroundings made this moment even more incredible and unforgettable. In hindsight, it was the best decision of the day.
Their best choice in wedding planning
We know it's controversial but a wedding abroad was the perfect choice. We never wanted a big wedding so having it abroad was the best decision. It was cheaper and most importantly it allowed us to spend a full week with our friends and family rather than spending the whole budget on one day. We agree that it's better to spend that much time planning a whole week than just one day.
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
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- Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Intimate wedding in Angers at the Château Allure du Lac © Elise Rimelin Photographer
Advice from the newlyweds
Two things come to mind. First, invest in a small camcorder that can be passed from guest to guest all day. It's not a big investment but it makes for some fun memories, the guests each recorded videos with messages while being natural. The film is great and a pleasure to watch.
Secondly, get a wedding planner. Even though everything went well for us without it, it allows you to enjoy the day without worrying about coordination, especially in a foreign country.
Intimate wedding in Angers
at the Château Allure du Lac
Wedding budget in Angers
Based on 21 guests-
About $900 per person for room and board. That's why we only invited 21 people.
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Wedding Suppliers
at the Château Allure du Lac
Location + Caterer • Lake Allure Castle @chateauallure
Wedding dresses • A family dress for 7 generations of women
and the Cordell model from watts @watters
Groom's suit • Oliver Wicks @oliverwicks
Photographer • Elise Rimelin Photographer @eliserimelin_wedding
Flowers • Hydrangea and Daisy @hortensia_et_marguerite
See more...
Congratulations to the happy couple for this beautiful sharing. We wish them a lifetime of happiness!
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Destination wedding in France in Uzès — Valerie & Frazer
Wedding in the Balearic Islands in Ciutadella de Menorca – Mila & Ignacio
EDITORIAL CONTENT
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