A château wedding sets the tone for a whole day before the first guest arrives. The setting is not a backdrop for photos: it is a park, stone, a light that changes the mood of a ceremony. At the Château de la Huberdière, in Touraine, we host weddings of 30 to 150 guests, on a fourteen-hectare estate given over to you alone.

Here is how we plan a château wedding, and what it changes in practice for the couple.

Why get married in a château?

Getting married in a château means booking a whole place for yourselves, living it over two days, letting the party run on with no neighbours and no imposed curfew. The difference with a room hired by the hour is there from the moment you arrive: the estate is yours, not shared.

At La Huberdière, you have the château and its enclosed grounds to yourselves. No other wedding, no other group the same day. A civil ceremony under the trees, drinks on the terrace, dinner in the drawing rooms or under a marquee in the park: the space follows your programme, not the other way round. A château wedding plays out over two days rather than one compressed evening: Friday to set up, welcome the first arrivals and catch your breath, Saturday for the celebration, Sunday for a brunch with no forced early start. No two weddings are ever alike, and that is what we love about this work. The details of exclusive use, capacity and services are on the wedding page.

A château wedding 2 hrs 20 from Paris

A château wedding 2 hrs 20 from Paris is possible in Touraine, in Nazelles-Négron, where the estate stands. You stay in a Loire Valley setting without forcing an expedition on your guests, 30 minutes from Tours and its Saint-Pierre-des-Corps TGV station.

That matters more than you might think when you are welcoming loved ones from the Paris region or further afield. Guests arrive on the Friday, enjoy the Saturday and leave on the Sunday, with no road weariness and no improvised hotel night halfway there. A wedding near Paris that runs over a real weekend is time saved for everyone, starting with the couple.

Where do the ceremony and the reception take place?

The spaces for a château wedding ceremony and reception spread across the park, the terrace, the drawing rooms and the Orangery, to combine with your programme and the weather. Each moment of the day finds its setting without the guests ever leaving the estate.

Ceremony aisle set up in the grounds, rows of chairs and flower-topped columns
The ceremony takes place in the grounds. If it rains, it moves into the château's drawing rooms.
  • The age-old park for a civil ceremony under the centuries-old trees
  • The terrace for drinks as the late-afternoon light comes down on the stone
  • The great vaulted hall and the drawing rooms for dinner
  • The Orangery or a marquee in the park for the dance floor
  • The pool and the paths for the next day's photos

When the weather turns fickle, the indoor spaces take over without breaking the day's momentum. We always prepare two scenarios with the couple: one for fine weather, one as a fallback, decided in advance so nothing has to be improvised on the day.

How many guests can you host, and for what budget?

The château seats up to 150 people for a wedding meal, and adapts to more intimate formats from around thirty guests. Capacity is almost always the couple's first question, even before budget.

The budget for a château wedding depends on the season, the number of guests and the services chosen. As a guide, exclusive use of the whole estate for a weekend, from Friday to Sunday, including the 21 beds, ranges from 4,000 € to 8,000 € depending on the season. The reception tables and chairs are available for a supplement. Rather than a fixed rate, we build a bespoke proposal once we understand your plans, with no hidden costs.

One detail couples appreciate: we charge no corkage. You bring your own wines, champagnes and spirits, and you keep control of this often heavy line of the budget. Across a hundred or so guests, the saving is far from trivial.

Can your loved ones stay on site?

Housing your loved ones on site on the wedding night comes down to the estate's ten suites and their 21 beds, which keep family at the heart of the celebration with no late-night drive. It is one of the real luxuries of a château wedding: nobody is watching for the last taxi.

Large room under exposed roof timbers, two beds and armchairs beneath the windows
The top-floor rooms sleep four comfortably. They usually go to families with children.

The couple and their loved ones gather at dawn in the courtyard, coffee in hand, the party barely cooled, carrying on from the night before with no break. For larger guest lists, we keep a list of partner cottages and hotels less than ten minutes away. The same private-estate logic also serves family gatherings and large tables: the place is made for bringing people together.

Who handles the caterer and the suppliers?

For the suppliers, caterer and coordination of a château wedding, we put you in touch with trusted professionals from the region according to the spirit you are after. Caterers, florists, musicians: you remain free to bring your own if you prefer.

A single point of contact follows you from the first meeting to the day after the party. Lodovica brings the warmth of her Italian roots, I look after the logistics and the welcome. We know the estate in detail, the spots where the wind turns, the exact place the sun drops at drinks time, which helps place a ceremony or a marquee with no nasty surprise. This continuity avoids last-minute hitches and lets you enjoy your day instead of managing it.

Which season should you choose for a château wedding?

You can marry at the château in any season, and each has its own light. Summer stays the couples' favourite, but spring offers a park in bloom, autumn warm colours over the Vouvray vines nearby, winter the intimacy of the drawing rooms and the log fire.

The couple in front of the château's red door, framed by climbing vines
The courtyard facade is where photographers gather, in any season.

Marrying outside the busiest months also leaves more choice of dates and suppliers, often at a better rate. Weekends in May and September go early, sometimes more than a year ahead; those from October to March stay more open and give photos that summer cannot, morning mist over the park and low light on the stone. A winter wedding by the fire does not try to imitate a summer ceremony in the park, it plays a different tune, and works just as well.

Planning your château wedding

Planning your château wedding starts with choosing the date, then organising the two days and coordinating with suppliers, without haste. We guide every couple step by step, at their own pace.

If you extend your stay in the region, our guide to visiting the châteaux of the Loire will help your guests make the most of Touraine before or after the celebration. To check our availability and receive a bespoke proposal, visit the wedding page or write to us. We reply within 24 hours.