WEDDING BLOG

Ashley and Remy found their wedding venue the same way some find a place to stay on vacation: on Airbnb. Except their rental was a blush pink, 250-year-old château in the South of France, complete with sprawling lawns, olive trees, a wisteria-covered pergola, weathered stone walls, and a pool. They booked the château for three nights and brought in little more than a picnic blanket and flowers they picked up in nearby Fréjus.

Their French chateau elopement had only two vendors, no guests, and almost no decor. The couple arranged the flowers together on the morning of the wedding, exchanged handwritten vows beneath an olive tree, and ate a private French picnic on the lawn. After their photographer and chef left for the evening, they stayed by the fire drinking champagne. Can it get more romantic than that?

What We Love About This French Chateau Elopement:

• A 250-year-old blush pink château they found on Airbnb
• Flowers the couple bought in town and arranged together that morning
• Handwritten vows exchanged beneath an olive tree
• A private French picnic inspired by their very first date
• Just two vendors: their photographer and a private chef

Featured Vendor:

Taylor Dawning Photography

Choosing an Elopement and Turning It Into a Trip Through France and Italy

Ashley and Remy met on a camping trip with mutual friends in 2019. There was dancing under the stars, plenty of what Ashley describes as “tomfoolery,” and an immediate connection. On their first date, Remy arrived with flowers and plans for a sushi picnic after Ashley had mentioned that she loved plants and flowers.

The years that followed included exploring western Canada while Remy, who is Australian, was there on a working holiday visa. They also got through some difficult stretches early in their relationship, including Ashley’s surgery a few months after they met and then the pandemic. 

When they eventually started thinking about a wedding, the planning itself was telling them something. “Remy & I always knew we wanted to elope because every time we thought about planning a wedding, we just felt so stressed and overwhelmed!” Ashley says. “We just wanted to focus on our love and making beautiful memories together.”

They planned the elopement themselves from Canada alongside a honeymoon through France and Italy. France had been on their minds from the beginning. Remy’s father is French, so getting married there also gave them an opportunity to visit family.

Finding a 250-Year-Old Château on Airbnb

In 2024, an Airbnb search led them to Château de Vaucouleurs, an 18th-century estate in Provence near Fréjus. The château sits among two hectares of Mediterranean gardens, with olive trees, wisteria, vineyards, and plenty of room to wander.

Ashley and Remy booked the entire property for three nights. Once they had the venue, much of their original planning became unnecessary. “We didn’t feel the need to add a theme or design elements,” Ashley says. “We wanted the castle and the grounds to be the focal point.”

That meant no rented decor or elaborate installation. Aside from a picnic blanket, the existing lawns, gardens, pergola, pool, and old stone walls provided what they needed for their French chateau elopement.

It also gave them something equally important: time. They could wake up at the château on their wedding morning, spend the day there without watching the clock, and go to sleep in the same place as newlyweds. “It was a blast frolicking around and living like royals for a few days,” Ashley says.

Exchanging Handwritten Vows Beneath an Olive Tree

There was no audience waiting when Ashley and Remy walked outside for their ceremony. They stood beneath an olive tree beside the château and read vows they had spent weeks writing. Sometimes they had worked on them while sitting next to each other on the couch, each carefully preventing the other from sneaking a look.

“It felt surreal to finally be standing in the exact spot we had been daydreaming about for months, under the olive tree beside the château, and finally hearing the words the other had been keeping in secret,” Ashley says.

Without guests watching, neither worried about holding anything back. They laughed through the ceremony and took their time. “We loved that there was no reason to be shy or hold back because it was just the two of us,” she says. “We would not have done anything differently.”

Planning the Entire Elopement From Canada With Just Two Vendors

With no guest list to manage, Ashley and Remy’s vendor list was unusually short. They hired Junebug vendor Taylor Dawning and private French chef Paul, then handled everything else themselves.

They found Taylor through Instagram and connected with the emotion and whimsy in her photography. Their first Zoom call sealed the decision. Along with helping them plan photos, Taylor suggested movies they could watch for inspiration as Ashley and Remy leaned into the château’s old-world setting.

Paul came through Airbnb Experiences. The couple had been picturing a picnic on the château lawn that looked almost like an old French countryside oil painting. His Grande Buffets, arranged with fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables, matched what they had in mind. “We are so happy we found him because he really made our day unforgettable,” Ashley says. “We still daydream about his Pissaladière!”

Making Their Own Bouquet on the Morning of the Wedding

The day before the elopement, Ashley and Remy wandered through Fréjus buying flowers for her bouquet. The next morning, they woke up early and arranged the flowers together at the château before slowly getting ready.

Ashley also did her own hair and makeup, but that part of the DIY plan had been a year in the making. She practiced both in the months leading up to the trip and even booked a lesson with a local makeup artist before leaving Canada. “It was honestly a fun journey,” she says.

She wore her hair down in long, loose curls and kept her makeup recognizable to how she normally looks. Doing it herself also fit naturally into a morning that had no wedding party arrivals, beauty schedule, or strict ceremony call time.

Choosing Wedding Fashion Made for Running Around a Château

Ashley had one practical test for her wedding dress: she needed to be able to move in it. She chose a full-length Essense of Australia gown with a basque waist, structured corset bodice, and layers of flowing organza. When she tried it on at the bridal boutique, she ran up and down the hallway to see how the fabric moved. “I was looking for a dress that was flowy and would look epic frolicking around the castle,” she says.

Finding the right veil took longer. Ashley wanted something with a vintage shape and some height at the crown, so she eventually had one made locally by Clara Couture Bridal in Vancouver. A lace-and-pearl Watters choker completed the wedding look. Even her getting-ready outfit followed the same direction: a vintage gold-label Victoria’s Secret slip with a flowing basque waist.

Remy wore a black tuxedo and bow tie. His pocket square accidentally got left behind, so his most memorable accessory ended up being a cigar for portraits.

Revisiting Their First Date With a Picnic on the Château Lawn

The picnic they had planned with their chef wasn’t simply an idea that suited the setting. It had been part of Ashley and Remy’s relationship since the beginning. Their first date had been a sushi picnic. More picnics followed over the years until, as Ashley puts it, they became “kind of our thing.”

So they spread out their picnic blanket at the château and ate the French meal Paul had prepared for them, surrounded by the gardens they had spent months imagining from Canada. They also FaceTimed their parents during the meal. It was one of the few ways anyone else joined their French chateau elopement, and then the day went back to being just theirs.

Staying at the Château After the Wedding Was Part of the Plan

Booking the château for three nights meant the wedding didn’t end when the photographer packed up. Once Taylor and Paul left for the evening, Ashley and Remy stayed by the fire drinking champagne. There was nowhere else they needed to be and no reception timeline left to follow.

The following day was still theirs, too. They relaxed by the pool and wandered around the property, getting the kind of time at their venue that would have been difficult with a single-day rental. For Ashley, that space around the wedding was one of the best parts of the decision. “The most special touch was creating time and space to breathe and soak it all in together,” she says.

Their Advice for Couples Planning a Wedding

Ashley and Remy’s French chateau elopement didn’t follow many of the usual wedding conventions, and that’s exactly the point they hope other couples take from it.

“It’s okay to do things your way!” Ashley says. “Who cares if it’s not traditional or ‘trending’?!” Their advice is simple: “It’s your day, it’s your marriage, follow your heart and give yourself time to soak it all in.”