Se marier
Lucy & Chris
After a civil ceremony in their native UK, Lucy and Chris travelled to Cognac, France for a ceremony in their "happy place." Read on for Lucy's story of her chateau celebration, made even more special for the shoes she wore all night long.
Photography by Jeremy Boyer and Olivia Cartwright
"As a yoga teacher, I love to feel comfortable and free in my clothes, and I knew I wanted something I could move naturally in on the day. The Own Studio’s dresses are all stunning. I had such a hard time choosing which dress to go for that I had to go back four times before I finally Style 017. It felt the most “me” — I could dance, I could breathe, and I just adored wearing it. I love the chic details of the tie at the back and the fluid train. Timeless, understated glamour.
"It’s also important to me that I can wear my dress again in the future. My plan is to have it hemmed and dyed, both of which are services that The Own Studio can help with after your big day."
"As soon as I saw the Malia heel I just knew it was the shoe to complete my bridal look. I adore the curved shape of the heel, and the blush colour of the satin is simply divine! Again, comfort and style are important to me in equal measure, and the Malia heel was the perfect height for feeling at once glamorous and stable — I kept them on until 1AM, after a full night on the dance floor. It was perfect.
"And, an added bonus is that I took them to the dry cleaners after the wedding and they’ve come back looking almost as good as new. I can’t wait to wear them again at the next special occasion."
"My mum is an interior designer and a particular fan of French restoration projects. She had been following Chateau No.3 for a while, and when Chris and I first got engaged she sent it to me as a ‘wouldn’t this be lovely’ idea, as it really is the most stunning venue.
"Chris and I have spent a lot of time skiing in France — it’s our happy place — so it was the natural choice when it came time to look for locations. Cognac is such a beautiful part of the world, and it came together better than we could have ever dreamed!"
"As we were already legally married in the UK before we got to France, our ceremony was completely curated by Chris, me, and my gorgeous sister who was our celebrant on the day. We had so much fun creating the ceremony with her and it was incredibly special.
"From having both my Mum and Dad walk me down the aisle, to my sister sharing our love story with all our loved ones, to our dear friend reading a personal poem about us that she’d written just for the day, to an acoustic version of Blink 182's 'All the Small Things' whilst our guests wrote down the 'small things' they wanted to share with us, to a sing-along with golden tambourines & maracas — it was all so special and we felt so much love.
"The sign on the entrance said 'Come for the Love, Stay for the Party' — so once the ceremony was over we went into celebration mode! The rest of the day was just so much fun. We had cocktail hour by the pool, dinner overlooking the Cognac vineyards, and the most fun dance floor ever — we highly recommend our music man Andy Usher. He and his team were amazing."
"The whole weekend was special from start to finish — we felt completely wrapped up in love."
"Chris and I loved designing the day together. I think there is often the misconception that it’s only the girls who care about their wedding, but I can safely say that it was so much more special because we created it in collaboration
"We started by having lots of conversations on our dog walks about how we wanted the day to feel: relaxed, fun, easy — a big family holiday, And we went from there.
"Once we were set on the feeling and let that intention guide our decisions the rest felt really natural. That’s my top tip for any future brides. That, AND get yourself an amazing wedding planner who can then bring your vision to life! We worked with Josh Tully from Josh Tully Management and every single person on the day commented on how amazing he was. Our weekend was completely stress free and magical and a big part of that was thanks to Josh."
"There are so many moments that come to mind. The whole weekend was special from start to finish — we felt completely wrapped up in love. But I’ll list a few of my favourites…
1. The morning with my girls and Mum.
2. Seeing Chris at the end of the aisle.
3. Opening my speech with a mini meditation and a butterfly landing on me as I spoke.
4. How proud he was of me after my speech.
5. Golden hour moments with just my husband.
6. His speech.
7. Taking a moment at dinner underneath the fairy lights to just sit back and observe everyone having a lovely time.
8. Our first dance.
9. Dancing the night away with the most fun friends and family ever.
10. Basking in the sun the next day, feeling full of love and gratitude."
