What do you mean by "Exclusive Use"?
The 800-year old Château has been home to just 2 families throughout its history. It remains the family home of the current les Chatelains and as such, there are certain rooms which are out of bounds on the day. This accounts for approximately 30% of the building space. All outdoor space is available exclusively to guests. In addition, a number of refurbished rooms are made available specifically to host wedding parties, these include a Bridal Suite, comprising a bedroom, bridal preparation/dressing room and en-suite bathroom. The Orangery has been converted to a space suitable for indoor ceremonies, wedding receptions and dance hall.
When is the Château available?
The Château is available for hire between the months of April and October.How many people can you cater for?
The Château can cater for up to 200 guests.
The venue has numerous spaces available for both indoor and outdoor ceremonies and reception meals;
Where is the Château located?
The Château is located near to the town of Bourg-en-Bresse which has many hotels, a good-sized shopping centre, numerous hair & make-up stylists, florists, restaurants and tourist attractions including an ancient Monastery in the nearby area of Brou. The train station is located in the town centre and there are trains running to and from the Gare de Lyon in Paris, with a journey time of around 2 hours.
Can we have a formal tour of the Château during the wedding celebrations?
Of course, les Chatelains will take guests on a guided tour of some of the most important buildings and historical artifacts of the venue. This will include the "Salle des Fresques", Renaissance wall paintings in the house, the fresco decorating the coach entrance in the courtyard and the grange. These tours will be built-in to the days schedule. This might be nice for your guests to do whilst you have some stylised photos taken in/around the ground with our photographers.
Is the Alfa Romeo Spyder car available for photographs with the Bride & Groom?
Yes - the car will be available for bridal photographs in the Courtyard during the afternoon. Whilst the guests are taken on a historical tour of the property & grounds by les Chatelains, our photographers will take stylised photographs of the couple, including some in the car.
What happens if the weather is poor and we cannot hold the ceremony or reception outdoors?
Les Chatelains has completely refurbished the Orangery so that it can be used for indoor ceremonies, wedding breakfasts/reception dinners (up to 70 people) and evening dance hall. This can be decorated in line with your colour theme. The Winery is able to seat up to 150 people for a sit down meal and the Grange can cater for 90 people seated.
What time would the ceremony normally take place?
We would normally recommend holding the ceremony around 3-4pm as the weather in this region, during the period April to October, is very good. It is typically sunny and hot and so the most comfortable time for outdoor celebrations is in the late afternoon. You can of course hold the ceremony at whatever time you wish, we would just recommend that you think of your guests standing in bright, hot sunshine during the ceremony!
Where can we hold the formal Ceremony?
There are two key locations for holding the formal ceremony: the formal, lawned garden and the woodland area. The lawned garden is a fully open space facing the Château and so is perfect for events where the weather is not too hot and sunny. The woodlands is a perfect location for a shaded ceremony and provides wonderful views for the guests. The weather in this region is very warm, dry and sunny throughout the late Spring and Summer seasons. However, if for any reason the weather is too poor to hold the ceremony/reception outside, the Orangery can easily cater for up to 70 people indoors. For a larger event, the Grange can cater for up to 150 people.
Where can we hold the Reception Drinks/Aperitif?
There are a number of options to hold the post-ceremony drinks celebration:
Where can we hold the Wedding Breakfast/Reception Dinner?
There are a number of locations where you can hold the formal wedding breakfast/reception dinner:
All of these locations are spacious and can cater for up to 200 people at a sit down meal.
Where can we hold the evening dance entertainment?
The evening dance/music entertainment can be held indoors in the Orangery or outdoors in the Courtyard, South Terrace or Formal lawns. Music is permitted until 12pm midnight.
What & where is the Bridal Suite?
In 2012, Les Chatelains fully-refurbished three rooms in the main house to be used specifically by the bridal party. This comprises of a bedroom for the wedding night, fully-fitted en-suite bathroom, and a bridal preparation room. The purpose of this suite is that it provides the bridal party with a location to get ready for the wedding ceremony with: a large dressing room to hang the wedding dress, set out shoes and accessories etc, to have hair and make-up done and space for bridesmaids etc to get dressed. The bedroom is for the Bride & Groom to spend their first night of marriage in a French Château.
How will our guests get to the venue?
Our full-time wedding planner, will make all the arrangements for guests to travel to the venue, in plenty of time for the ceremony. This is usually organised by a coach, collecting guests at a pre-defined location and to then return them to where they are staying once the celebrations end.
Are there any other Guest Bedrooms available?
Yes we have 4 guest bedrooms in La Residence which comprises of 3 x Triple Rooms and 1 x Twin room. These are only available to book via the Bride & Groom once they have confirmed the wedding event at the Château. These guest rooms are not available for general bookings.
