There is so much I could say about Alina & Alex’s incredible Chateau Soulac wedding. Its difficult to know where to start! Maybe a good place is with the review Alex and Alina posted on Google…
“Aaron and Tina did an incredible job at capturing our wedding day, both with pictures and the additional film. Aaron was always communicative, collaborative and open to our ideas. But most importantly the photos just look incredible. And isn’t that what matters most? Snap him up if you can – after seeing our photos, it sounds like a lot of our friends will be competing with you.”
Chateau Soulac is located in the Southwest of France close to Bordeaux and with wonderful views of the Dordogne river and valley. It really is the perfect setting for a French wedding.
When Tina and I did our reccy visit to Chateau Soulac the day before the wedding it became very clear that this venue is very magical indeed. It has everything you could ask for in a wedding venue. The venue offers the option to have ceremonies outside making the most of the stunning gardens or they can take place in the old whitewashed barn. Similarly the wedding breakfast can also take place either outside or within the main barn of the chateau.
The team at Chateau Soulac, planner Louise of Handmade Events and venue manager Amanda, worked tirelessly on the day to ensure that everything ran smoothly and every little detail was taken care of.
Scroll through the photos below and you’ll also see more information about the day. Are you planning your own wedding at Chateau Soulac? If so and you’re interested in us capturing your wedding day then head here!
The weather on the day of Alina and Alex’s wedding was extremely changeable. The plan was always to have the ceremony in the whitewashed barn with a wonderful backdrop of the vineyards beyond. It was however hoped that the wedding breakfast and speeches would take place outside on the lawn in front of the main chateau. Sadly the wind was just too strong for this to happen and therefore the meal and speeches took place in the main barn. Thankfully, despite a little bit of rain as guests arrived, we had some beautiful weather for drinks the reception where guests could look out on dramatic views of the valley below.
Chateau Soulac is really so beautiful in its own right that it needs very little in the way of dressing. Despite this, the florals created by florist Our Fabulous Things stepped things up to the next level. The bridal bouquets were simply beautiful and the flowers in the ceremony barn were absolutely breath-taking. Be sure to scroll down to see how colourful and creative the flowers were.
The ceremony was expertly conducted by Gaynor McKernan of Ceremonies in France. I had previously worked with Gaynor at Stevie & Chris’s wedding a few years ago and it was so lovely to catch up. The bridal party made their entrance into the barn whilst a friend of the bride and groom played piano – a lovely rendition of Matilda by one of my favourite bands Alt-J. With contributions from Alex’s mum and a reading by one of Alina’s bridesmaids the ceremony was full of lovely personal moments.
Immediately after the ceremony guests lined up in front of the main entrance at Chateau Soulac to shower the bride and groom with confetti. This part of the day always gives me some of my favourite photos from a wedding day and Alina & Alex’s confetti photos are no exception. So much colour, great expressions, and wonderful energy in that 10 second walk in between two lines of friends all cheering and throwing flower petals.
Following the confetti guests were invited through to the drinks reception at the back of the chateau where the best views of the Dordogne river can be seen. During the drinks reception guests had time enjoy the scenery and catch up with friends over a glass or two of wine. For the formal family group photos we were not short of backdrops. Every corner of Chateau Soulac can make the perfect backdrop for photos.
It was during the wedding breakfast that we were able to have a short amount of time with Alina & Alex to capture just the two of them. Our approach to capturing those all important portraits is to simply let the couple have time together to reflect on the day so far. We’ll look for some great spots that will show of the venue and make the best of the available light. As you’ll see from the photos we used the Chateau as a backdrop to photos along with the vineyards and the views of the Dordogne.
Once the speeches were all completed it was straight into the evening party with live music courtesy of the band Pryzm. We finished up the day of coverage with the lighting (and cutting) of the croquembouche. Alina & Alex chose to have a croquembouche instead of a traditional wedding cake. Well why wouldn’t you? When in France have a croquembouche!
I hope you’ve enjoyed looking through photos from Alina & Alex’s Chateau Soulac wedding. If you’re planning your own wedding at Chateau Soulac, or any other wonderful venue in the Dordogne, then get in touch. You can find out more information about weddings abroad here.
