7 Château Wedding Venues in Provence
DESTINATION WEDDING
Yoleine Chainon
Congratulations, you're engaged
Now comes the first real task, finding the place
You've decided France is where it's going to happen. That's the biggest decision already made, and it's a beautiful one.
Provence has more châteaux than any couple could reasonably visit, and on a screen they all start to look alike, the golden light, the cypress trees, the long table under the plane trees.
So here are seven I know well, from the Alpilles to the Luberon, and what each one makes possible. Scroll down and see which one sounds like your wedding.
Looking for a planner who knows these estates? Let's chat
Château Martinay sits at the foot of Mont Ventoux, near Carpentras, in a 35-hectare park. A cypress alley for the ceremony, an orangery under a three-hundred-year-old oak for the brunch, and comfortable room for well over 120 guests at dinner. Imagine walking down that alley of cypress trees towards the person you are marrying, and waking up the next morning for brunch under a tree that has been standing there for three hundred years.
Your closest family sleeps at the château, which keeps the morning of the wedding calm and private. The villages around it are some of the most beautiful in the Vaucluse, that's where I place everyone else, and I take care of the rest.
I have others like this one in Provence. Get in touch
Château Martinay
Credits Aude LUCAS
Château La Tour Vaucros is twelve kilometres from Avignon, in Sorgues, near Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a 17th-century private estate in a 2.5-hectare park, with two pools, a spa and a tennis court, privatised in full. The day after your wedding: your friends are still by the pool at noon, no one in a hurry to leave, the celebration naturally unfolding over three days instead of one.
Around 49 guests sleep on site across the guest houses, which makes a celebration over several days easy to build, a welcome dinner, the wedding itself, a long lunch by the pool the day after. Weekday weddings work beautifully here too.
I love this one for a celebration over several days. Let's talk about yours
Airelles Gordes, La Bastide is a 16th-century bastide built into the ramparts of Gordes, with hanging gardens looking straight down the Luberon valley. Forty rooms and suites, plus a private villa, a spa and several restaurants. Picture your ceremony on the terrace at the end of the afternoon, the whole Luberon valley opening up below you, and your closest people staying on for three days.
The whole celebration can stay on site, from the welcome dinner to the farewell brunch. Or it can spill down into Gordes itself, where a small village restaurant makes a lovely evening the night before.
Château de Sannes is thirty-five minutes from Aix-en-Provence, in the Luberon, a 17th-century estate over 73 hectares of vines and olive groves, with a 300 m² moveable orangery that seats up to 200 with the mountains behind it. Imagine your dinner in front of the château’s majestic façade, by candlelight, as the soft evening light settles over the vineyards and your guests linger at the table.
Catering here is by Roland Paix, three generations of Provençal cooking and genuinely excellent. One fewer decision for you, and a kitchen that already knows every corner of the estate.
Curious what a full weekend at Sannes looks like? Get in touch
Airelles Gordes, La Bastide
Château de Sannes
Château La Tour Vaucros
Credits: Airelles Gordes, La Bastide
Château de Tourreau is an 18th-century château at Sarrians, with formal French gardens, an infinity pool and Mont Ventoux on the horizon. Private, contained, and photogenic from almost every angle. Imagine yourself getting stunning and timeless pictures during your ceremony in the gardens, with an incredible view over the fountain and its jets of water.
I've written about Tourreau in more detail, read the full story here
Château d'Estoublon
Château de la Gaude is ten minutes from the centre of Aix-en-Provence, an 18th-century bastide with listed French gardens, contemporary art through the grounds, a Michelin-starred kitchen, and Sainte-Victoire in the distance. Your dream, saying your vows in these French gardens, sculptures around you, Cézanne's mountain on the horizon and your guests seated on the lawn behind you.
The celebration moves indoors at 11pm: the gardens for the ceremony and dinner, then the salons for the party. Handled well, that shift becomes one of the best moments of the night.
If this sounds like your kind of place, let me know
Château d'Estoublon is in the Alpilles, minutes from Les Baux-de-Provence and Saint-Rémy. An olive estate since 1489, several hundred hectares of vines and olive trees, now part of the Airelles collection and available for full privatisation. Imagine yourself at a welcome dinner among the olive trees the evening before, your family arriving from all over the world and meeting each other for the first time under the branches.
Avignon TGV station is fifteen minutes away and Marseille airport around fifty, which makes arrivals straightforward for guests flying in from abroad.
The Alpilles are some of the most beautiful landscapes in Provence, let me know
Château de la Gaude
Château de Tourreau
Credits: Aude LUCAS
Choosing the château that's right for you
I have more to share with you, and some of them aren't available online. Let's chat
The château matters less than finding the one that truly fits your vision. Your guest count and the number of nights you'd like everyone to stay together will quickly narrow it down to two or three options.
That's the conversation I have with every couple, before we even look at a single photograph.
Planning a château wedding in Provence and looking for your destination wedding planner? Let's chat
Email me at hello@yoleinechainon.com or use the contact form, and let me take care of every detail so you can step away from the logistics and fully enjoy your wedding experience in France.
I take on just seven weddings a year, in Paris and Provence.