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Chateau de Garde - A Bordeaux Vineyard Dream
As a destination wedding photographer, I also love a venue that provides that perfect combination of natural beauty, historic charm, and modern luxury to create an unforgettable backdrop for couples' celebrations. Chateau de Garde, nestled among the lush vineyards just outside Bordeaux, checks every single one of those boxes and more.
From the moment you turn down the long drive leading to the chateau's regal entrance, you can feel the old-world grandeur and romance of the place washing over you. The elegant 19th century manor house, with its French baroque architecture and manicured gardens, looks like it was plucked straight from the pages of a magazine.
Chateau de Garde provides an incredible array of picturesque settings for all the highlights of a wedding day. I particularly loved the prospect of an outdoor ceremony on the impeccably manicured lawns, framed by the exquisitely landscaped vineyard rows stretching out into Bordeaux's legendary countryside. Add in lush florals and decor by the talented team from Best Events Co, and you have a downright dreamlike scene for couples to exchange vows.
After those emotional vows are exchanged, the celebrations can seamlessly transition to the exotic palm tree-lined interior courtyard for a lavish cocktail hour and reception dinner party under twinkling lights and star-filled skies. I absolutely loved the Marrakech-inspired lounge vibe created by plush Moroccan rugs and cosy seating areas.
As the sun begins its descent, the estate's working vineyards provide an absolutely magical backdrop for capturing newly-married couples amidst Bordeaux's world-famous terroir. The warm golden light filtering through the vines makes for some of my all-time favourite portrait opportunities.
From the reception to the dance floor festivities, Chateau de Garde strikes that perfect balance of historic French refinement and relaxed countryside celebration. The grand salons and reception halls drip with old-world elegance, while still allowing for personalised setups tailored to each couple's tastes - whether they envision a formal plated dinner, stations, or lounge areas for guests to mix, mingle and dance the night away.
Simply put, Chateau de Garde delivers a wine country fairytale setting that transports you and your guests into the heart of France's most famous appellation. It's venue overflowing with romance, European sophistication, and hospitality that allows couples and their loved ones to truly immerse themselves in the joie de vivre celebrated within Bordeaux's vineyard-dotted landscapes. I can't recommend it enough to those seeking an iconic destination...
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Our wedding at Chateau de Garde was nothing short of spectacular! We found Chateau de Garde after walking away from a different wedding venue in the region in a complete panic. Celine answered my distraught phone call, and within 12 hours we were at the chateau for a tour. From that moment forward, our entire experience was exceptional. The chateau itself is exquisitely decorated, impeccably clean and well kept, and has all of the amenities perfectly suited to host a wedding and also allow guests to feel at home during their stay. We also noted that the grounds here at Chateau de Garde far surpassed other chateaus we toured - grass green, flowers abundant, and all well manicured. The chateau perfectly balances historic charm with modern touches and conveniences needed to host events.
The chateau and grounds were stunning, but the staff were above-and-beyond and made us feel so special. In-house wedding planner, Lea, was fabulous to work with and made our day magical. She was an angel, always with a smile on her face, answering hundreds of calls/emails/texts/crazy requests over months and months and made all of our requests come to life. Coordination of everything was seamless between Lea and the other staff at the Chateau, namely Muriel who keeps everything running smoothly onsite (and prepared a 5-star breakfast for 45 guests on wedding morning!). The owners of the chateau were also incredibly kind (even immediately helping one of our wedding guests find their lost phone at a far-away bus depot the morning after the wedding) and you can tell how much love and attention they pour into their work.
I highly recommend Chateau de Garde to anyone looking to make their French chateau wedding dreams come true - we looked at so many options, and this one far exceeded the rest. We left the chateau in literal tears because the chateau and the staff were so special and left such an impression...
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We had our destination wedding here and it was wonderful! We had only seen pictures of it since we weren’t able to visit it during the pandemic.
It was magical in person and had everything we could want. Our entire guest list was able to stay on site and there was accommodation nearby for our vendors.
Our guests enjoyed the pool and the air conditioning in the reception room.
The vineyards made a beautiful backdrop and the whole plane was peaceful and beautiful!
The owners went above and beyond for us when the bus canceled on us last minute. They were able to find transportation for all our guests and most of them still made their train connections.
The only small thing that could have been better is that we had to take all of our trash and recycling down the hill. They also wanted us to take all the glass bottles (wine and beer) to the stadium in town but generously offered to do that for us. We also had to sweep out the reception room the morning after our wedding. We would have gladly paid for a service to clean so that we didn’t have to do it the morning after our wedding.
Other than that, it was the perfect location for a perfect day and the owners were very accommodating...
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