Getting married in a Loire Valley château is a dream, but one question always comes first: what does it really cost. The answer depends on the region, the season and what you mean by "château". Here are the real figures, item by item, and our rate at La Huberdière, in Touraine near Amboise, 2 hrs 20 from Paris.

This guide separates the cost of hiring the venue from the overall budget of the day. The two are often confused in searches, when in fact they have nothing to do with each other.

How much does it cost to hire a château for a wedding

Hiring a château for a wedding usually costs between 4,000 and 15,000 € in France, and the gap is mostly down to the region. Around Paris, the most sought-after estates exceed 10,000 €, sometimes 15,000 € for a weekend. In the provinces, and notably in the Loire Valley, you find places with character from 4,000 to 6,000 €.

This price covers exclusive use of the spaces: the château, its reception rooms, the park, often the night on site. It varies with three simple factors. The season first, a Saturday in June or September costs more than a Friday in October. The length next, a single day or a full weekend. The level of service last, from a bare venue you furnish to a fully equipped estate.

The overall wedding budget, item by item

The total budget of a wedding of 100 people in France runs from 12,000 to 20,000 €, and the venue hire is only a part of it. Here is the breakdown we see most often among the couples we host.

  • The caterer: 80 to 180 € per guest, the heaviest item for a hundred guests
  • The château hire: 4,000 to 8,000 € in the Loire Valley for exclusive use
  • The drinks: 15 to 40 € per person, lighter if you bring your own cellar
  • Decoration and flowers: 1,500 to 4,000 € depending on the mood
  • Music, DJ or band: 800 to 2,500 €
  • Photographer and videographer: 1,500 to 4,000 €
  • The dress, the suit and the outfits: 1,500 to 5,000 €

Furniture deserves a line of its own. Some venues count it as an extra. At La Huberdière, we offer it at 15 € per person, tables and chairs included, to avoid outside hire that quickly inflates the bill.

Loire Valley or Paris region: the price gap

For the same service, a wedding château in the Loire Valley often costs 30 to 50 % less than its equivalent in the Paris region. Demand around Paris is such that the most popular estates charge 10,000 to 15,000 € for exclusive use, when a château with character in Touraine stays within a range of 4,000 to 8,000 €.

This gap is not paid for in quality, quite the opposite. The Loire Valley holds the finest heritage in France, lived-in homes, designed parks, an old art of hospitality. The Paris premium comes from proximity and the scarcity of slots, not from the cachet of the places. For guests coming from the capital, 2 hrs 20 by road or an hour by high-speed train to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps turns the journey into the start of a weekend, and weighs little against the thousands of euros saved on the hire.

What costs the most in a château wedding

The caterer is almost always the first item of spending, far ahead of the venue hire. For 100 guests at 120 € a cover, the meal alone exceeds 12,000 €. This is where most of your budget is decided, far more than in the choice of château.

Then comes the venue, then a group of mid-range items: flowers, music, images, outfits. The good news is that a château's reception hall often replaces the marquee, its decoration and its furniture. A fine park and fine stone carry part of the décor, which lightens the decoration line by as much.

Our exclusive-use rate at La Huberdière

At La Huberdière, exclusive use of the estate for a wedding ranges from 4,000 to 8,000 € depending on the season, and you book the place for yourselves alone. No other group, no event alongside: the château, its four drawing rooms, the fourteen-hectare park and the pool are yours and your guests'.

Exclusive use includes the reception spaces, indoors and out, and use of the park for the civil ceremony as well as the cocktail. We are open all year, which leaves the door open to autumn and winter weddings, cheaper and just as beautiful under the great trees.

Two options often make the difference on the final budget. The furniture at 15 € per person, which avoids outside hire. And corkage, which lets you bring your own wines and champagnes rather than pay the caterer's price. For the detail of the packages and a visit, head to our dedicated page to organise your château wedding.

Housing your guests on site

Housing some of your guests at the château avoids the shuttles and extends the party, and it is an item many couples forget in their budget. La Huberdière has 10 rooms, that is 21 beds, spread through the house. Your most awaited loved ones sleep on site, the rest of the guests find rooms in Amboise and Nazelles-Négron, a few minutes away.

This accommodation is booked as part of the weekend's exclusive use. To give your guests something to do the next day, our guide to visiting the châteaux of the Loire opens up the region, and our charming rooms extend the stay in peace. If you are mainly gathering close family and friends, our article on renting a château with friends and family rounds out the thinking.

How to keep your château wedding budget under control

You can hold a fine château wedding without blowing your budget by playing on three levers: the date, the number of guests and free-choice suppliers. A Friday or a Sunday costs less than a Saturday in high season. An autumn in the Loire Valley offers the same setting for a gentler exclusive-use rate.

The number of guests stays the real dial: each guest weighs on the caterer, the drinks and the stationery. An intimate wedding of 40 to 60 people falls clearly below the national averages, and the château lends itself to it particularly well. Finally, a venue that lets you choose your caterer and bring your own cellar, as we do, hands you back control of the two heaviest items. To go further on the planning beyond the budget, our guide to organising a château wedding gathers the rest of the questions to ask.

Tell us your date, the number of guests and the spirit of your wedding: we will send you a costed proposal within 24 hours.