Annie & Derek

Château Allure du Lac wedding, Loire Valley

The ceremony on the lawn of Château Allure du Lac, guests seated in rows

The tea ceremony

The day started in red. Annie wore red and gold with flowers in her hair, Derek a red jacket embroidered with dragons, and we made a few portraits by the lake first. Tea was served at long tables in front of the house, with speeches, red envelopes and small custard tarts.

A gold-rimmed porcelain teacup waiting on a white tablecloth before the tea ceremony

A flowered teapot between single red roses tied with red ribbons on the tea table

Red rose centrepieces among porcelain cups and saucers laid out for the tea ceremony

A small wrapped favour on a blue and yellow rimmed plate beside a porcelain teacup

Annie’s gold embroidered shoes on a velvet chair beside an ornate gilded mirror

Annie in a red and gold dress holding an embroidered fan in front of her face

Annie and Derek sitting side by side on a window seat in their red outfits

Annie and Derek smiling at each other on the window seat, his hand in hers

Annie in her red qipao at the foot of a wooden staircase under a crystal chandelier

Derek in his red dragon-embroidered jacket on a tree-lined avenue in the château grounds

Annie standing alone at the edge of the lake under overhanging trees in her red dress

Annie and Derek in red traditional outfits by the lake, Derek’s jacket embroidered with gold dragons

Close portrait of Annie touching the gold ornaments in her hair, in red and gold

Annie and Derek holding hands on a wooden footbridge among the trees

Derek leaning in to touch noses with Annie under the trees

Derek hugging Annie from behind under tall trees, her red fan in her hand

Derek kissing Annie’s forehead as she rests her cheek against his embroidered sleeve

Gold-framed sign for the tea ceremony on an easel by the château wall

Annie and Derek in red standing on the gravel courtyard beside the château’s hedges

Annie and Derek seated with guests at the tea table, red roses in front of them

A guest reading a speech from a small booklet during the tea ceremony

Derek pouring tea for guests at a long table with red flowers and white parasols

A cup of amber tea in a blue-flowered porcelain cup on a white tablecloth

Derek and Annie serving tea to guests at the table under a white parasol

Annie smiling with a porcelain teapot in her hands on the lawn

Small custard tarts in front of a flowered teapot and red roses

Guests seated at the long tea tables under white parasols beside the château

A three-tier stand of golden pastries on the tea ceremony table

A guest holding a red envelope over the tea table

Guests at the tea ceremony tables under white parasols in front of the château, seen from above

Annie’s lace wedding shoes and earrings resting on a cream silk cushion

The wedding rings and a pair of earrings on a fold of cream damask

Getting ready

Afterwards Annie changed into white in a bedroom with pale yellow walls and a crystal chandelier. Her friends laced the corset, she put on her own earrings, and the long veil came last, followed by a few quiet minutes on the old sofa.

Annie’s lace shoes, a red invitation and her veil laid out on a cream cushion

Annie smiling in a gilded mirror as a friend fixes her hair

Annie’s strapless lace bodice hanging on the bedroom wall below a crystal sconce

The wedding dress spread across the floor of the pale yellow bedroom under the chandelier

A friend pinning Annie’s dark hair while she looks at her phone by the window

Annie laughing at the camera as a make-up brush touches her cheek

A friend bending to fasten the skirt of Annie’s wedding dress at her waist

Annie in her wedding dress seen from behind, the long train across the bedroom carpet

Annie in her wedding dress glimpsed through a half-open door under the chandelier

Hands lacing the corset of Annie’s wedding dress

A friend holding up a gilded hand mirror for Annie in the bedroom

Annie putting on her earrings in the pale yellow bedroom

A friend kneeling to help Annie into her wedding shoes beside the tall window

Annie under her long veil on a cream armchair

Annie under her veil seated by a tall window, in black and white

Annie drawing the edge of her veil across her face beside the window

Annie resting her head on her arms on a patterned sofa in her wedding dress

Annie on the sofa with her lace choker and a hand at her brow, in black and white

Annie seated on a damask sofa in the salon, her red bouquet across her dress

Annie fastening the strap of her shoe on a gilded chair in the pale salon

Annie peeking round a carved white door, holding her red bouquet

Annie on the château’s outer stone staircase, her veil trailing over the steps

Annie lifting her veil above her head on the terrace outside the château

Annie leaning on a carved stone balustrade as her veil blows out behind her

A man in black tie standing in the wood-panelled study beneath an old oil portrait

Derek’s friends straightening each other’s ties in the wood-panelled study

Across the house

Derek dressed in the wood-panelled study, in a white dinner jacket and black bow tie. His friends poured a round of drinks, they raised a toast together, and then everyone sat down on the white staircase for one photograph before the first look.

Derek in a white shirt pulling on his shoes in the wood-panelled study

Derek smiling in his white shirt and black bow tie by the study window

Derek grinning in his dress shirt in front of the damask wallpaper of the study

Derek sitting on a gilded armchair in the study in his shirt and bow tie

Black and white portrait of Derek tying his bow tie

Derek in his white dinner jacket fastening his cufflinks

Derek in his white dinner jacket smiling in the doorway of the study

Derek with a drink, laughing with his friends in dark suits

Derek and his friends raising their glasses in a toast in the study, in black and white

Derek clinking glasses with friends, one in a patterned jacket, in black and white

Derek and his friends drinking their toast by the bookshelves, in black and white

Black and white photograph of Derek and his friends sitting on the white staircase

Derek standing at the foot of the staircase with his friends seated on the steps behind

Annie and Derek side by side in the yellow salon, her red bouquet in hand

First look

They saw each other for the first time in the yellow salon, under the chandelier, Annie holding her red bouquet with its long ribbons. Then we stepped outside and walked the gravel drive and the lawns, where the towers and grey slate roofs of the château fill every frame.

Annie walking towards Derek in the yellow salon under the crystal chandelier

Annie and Derek embracing beside the cream sofas in the yellow salon

Annie and Derek kissing under the chandelier as the red ribbons of her bouquet trail

Derek dipping Annie for a kiss beside the sofa, her red bouquet swinging

Annie and Derek laughing together on the cream sofa under the chandelier

Derek kissing Annie’s cheek as she holds her red bouquet with long ribbons

Derek seated on a damask sofa by the window as Annie stands beside him

Annie smiling over her shoulder in Derek’s arms in the pale salon

Annie and Derek embracing, seen through the blurred crystals of a chandelier

Annie and Derek kissing on the gravel drive with the château behind them

Annie and Derek facing each other on the gravel drive, the château towers behind

Derek holding Annie from behind on the lawn, her bouquet trailing red ribbons

Annie and Derek small on the drive below the château’s grey slate roofs

Derek smiling with the red bouquet as Annie peeks out from behind him

The ceremony

The ceremony was outside, in front of the château, with deep red flowers around the stone fountain and red ribbons on every chair. Derek read his vows from a card, Annie cried through hers, and they walked back up the aisle to their friends cheering.

Red roses and dahlias in an arrangement at the end of the ceremony aisle

A harpist playing on the lawn in front of the château before the ceremony

Derek waiting at the front of the ceremony beside the harpist and the first guests

Annie arriving at the ceremony between the bridesmaids as Derek waits

A tearful hug at the front of the ceremony as Derek smiles just behind

What couples say

“Dina was everything we could’ve hoped for and more - calm, intuitive, and so deeply attuned to the emotion of our day that it felt like she was preserving not just moments, but the entire soul of our wedding.”

Annie and Derek, wedding at Château Allure du Lac, Loire ValleySee wedding

Bridesmaids spreading Annie’s train as she reaches Derek at the front of the ceremony

Derek reading his vows from a card as Annie listens

Annie reading her vows to Derek, seen past the red flowers

Annie wiping away a tear during the vows

Annie sliding the ring onto Derek’s finger above the red flowers

Guests in the front rows wiping their eyes during the vows

Derek bending to kiss Annie at the end of the ceremony beside the red flowers

Annie and Derek walking back up the aisle as their friends cheer

Cocktail hour

Cocktail hour was on the lawn, looking towards the lake, with champagne, wine and a whole ham carved at the table. The bridesmaids, each in a different colour, lifted Annie’s skirt for a dance on the grass, and her friends helped her touch up before dinner.

Canapés of smoked salmon and mozzarella on a white platter

Derek laughing with friends at a high table, the château tower behind

A gloved chef carving a whole ham at the cocktail hour

A guest in black tie laughing with friends during the cocktail hour

A guest in a backless gold sequin dress chatting on the lawn at cocktail hour

Derek chatting with two guests on the lawn, a glass of white wine in hand

Bridesmaids gathered around Annie on the grass as she smiles at a friend

A guest taking a selfie among the cocktail tables and parasols on the lawn

Thin slices of cured ham on a brass plate at the cocktail hour

Bridesmaids in different colours lifting Annie’s skirt as they dance on the lawn

Bridesmaids crouching to gather up Annie’s skirt on the lawn below the château

A bridesmaid holding up a compact mirror as Annie checks her lipstick

Annie smiling as her friends help her touch up her make-up outside

Annie twirling her wedding dress on the lawn with the château behind her

Annie holding her bouquet of red roses, anthuriums and amaranthus against her dress

Guests relaxing on white chairs under the parasols at the cocktail hour

Two guests laughing beside a friend holding a red bouquet on the terrace

Dinner in the ballroom

As the sun went down we moved into the antique ballroom: pale panelled walls, crystal candelabras and single red roses on every table. The speeches had everyone laughing, Annie most of all, and after the croquembouche we talked and danced late into the evening.

The antique ballroom set for dinner with round tables and crystal candelabras

Red roses and candles at the foot of a crystal candelabra by a tall window

Single red roses with red ribbons on a dinner table in the ballroom

A folded napkin and a handwritten place card on a dinner plate in the ballroom

Red rose petals scattered across a white tablecloth in the ballroom

Black and white photograph of Annie laughing with her bridesmaids at the top table

Annie throwing her head back with laughter during a speech

Guests at a candlelit table with red flowers listening to the speeches

Annie standing to speak among the crystal candelabras, in black and white

The ballroom full of guests at dinner beneath swagged curtains and candelabras

Annie’s red-soled lace shoes peeking out from her dress on the parquet and rug

Guests raising their glasses at the long table in the ballroom

Annie laughing behind her hand at the top table during the speeches

Annie and Derek speaking behind a croquembouche in the ballroom

Annie and Derek standing beside the croquembouche between banks of red flowers

A guest laughing at a dinner table set with red flowers and crystal candelabras

Photographing at Château Allure du Lac

The white stone façade and slate towers of Château Allure du Lac behind the lawn

The estate.

A 19th-century château about 20 minutes from Angers, with a private lake, old trees and a wooden footbridge by the water. The courtyard, the lawns and the house sit close together, so the day moves easily from one to the next.

Ceremonies.

Outdoors, in front of the château, as Annie and Derek chose, with the towers behind the aisle. There is also a small island on the lake that can hold a ceremony.

The light.

The trees along the lake and the pale stone of the house keep the light soft. That is where I take couples for portraits, in traditional dress or in white.

The ballroom.

An antique ballroom with panelled walls, tall windows and crystal candelabras, with room for dinner, speeches and dancing under one roof.

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Questions

Have you photographed at Château Allure du Lac before?

Yes: Annie and Derek’s wedding on this page, and Davin and Amy’s. I know the paths by the lake, the salon for a first look and how the ballroom looks by candlelight.

How far ahead should we book?

Most couples book six to eighteen months ahead. Summer Saturdays go first.

Do you charge for travel to the Loire Valley?

No. Travel within France is included in every package.

I’m excited to go wherever your love story is taking me and looking forward to hearing from you!