Twelve Years and One Valentine's Day Lunch: Elena & Claude's Alpilles Wedding at Château d'Estoublon

Love Story

Twelve years is a long time to circle someone before finally arriving. Elena and Claude first met in their Provence hometown through mutual friends — and then life moved on, as it does, and years passed before their paths crossed again. When they did, something had shifted. They started dating four years ago, and in the summer of 2024, they welcomed a daughter.
The proposal came from the other side of the world. Claude organized a private picnic on Wategos Beach in Byron Bay, Australia, arranged through their hotel — the iconic Raes on Wategos. A simple, intimate evening on the beach, and finally, the question. "I must say that I was expecting it during our holiday as there were some signs," Elena admits, "but I really thought he would do it on New Year's Eve in Sydney, which he did not, luckily."
They work in the building industry and real estate, and travel sits at the top of both their lists. A couple who move through the world together — and now, permanently, toward each other.

About Your Wedding

The irony is not lost on Elena. "It was everything we didn't want at the start — a castle and a Provence wedding!" And yet, six months later, there they were: 190 guests, a château in the Alpilles, and a celebration that looked exactly like them.
The credit goes partly to their wedding planner, Savina. "Classic but with an effortless touch of chic, glamour, and multicultural party vibe" — that was the brief, and that was what was delivered. The approach to decor was deliberately restrained: "We didn't want a 'too much' vibe going on. We felt like the location was enough and that the decor would just add a little something extra to it." Natural colors — white, sage green, a touch of yellow. The château did the heavy lifting. Everything else simply added warmth.
Their watercolor invitations were tailor-made and handcrafted by Claire, in keeping with the day's tone. Wedding rings came from Bucherer. And Elena wore a piece of vintage jewelry that had belonged to her mother — carried quietly through the day, close to her.

Morning Details

The château held them both that morning, each in their own world, each counting down to the same moment. Elena got ready in the main lounge room at the top of the château's front stairs — a space that managed to feel both grand and intimate at once. Claude, meanwhile, was by the pool with his closest men, entirely at ease, until one hour before the ceremony.

Bride Getting Ready

Three dresses, three moments, one woman who knew exactly who she was at each one. For the town hall, Dior. For the wedding day, Rime Arodaky was discovered through friends, chosen at her Paris workshop. For the after party, Clio Peppiatt, found online. Each dress is a different chapter of the same day.
Her accessories were equally considered: Dior earrings, several pairs of shoes from Dior, Repetto, and Jimmy Choo, and a veil by Rime Arodaky. Both she and Claude wore Imagination by Louis Vuitton — a shared scent for a shared day. The bouquet was all white, designed by Le.fleuriste: lots of white, a chic, minimalist design that needed nothing added. Bridesmaids were given a color palette — sage green — and the freedom to choose their own styles.

Groom Getting Ready

Claude chose Dior for his tuxedo — "because it felt most classical and intemporal to him." And then, in the most Claude way possible, he spent the morning completely relaxed by the pool with his best men, joining the rest of the day exactly one hour before it began. Sometimes the most elegant thing a groom can do is simply arrive — unhurried, present, ready.

Ceremony

There was no first look. Elena and Claude had decided to see each other for the first time as she walked down the aisle, with both her mother and her father on either side of her, their one-year-old daughter serving as the flower girl.
"That moment, when you see all guests stand up and him looking at you with that much emotion, was indescribable and unforgettable," Elena says. Claude's nephew and goddaughter carried the rings.
The ceremony took place at the Saint-Pierre-en-Lens church in Fontvieille, five minutes from the château. Elena is Orthodox; Claude is Catholic — and their faith mattered. "We are quite attached to our traditions and the church's fundamental values. We really loved the wedding preparations we had with the church community and other couples during the past months, and hope that we will embrace every piece of advice we had the chance to be given for our whole life together."
They stood facing the priest, backs to their guests. "We felt like we were just us two, connected to this instant moment and our vows, but we really felt all this love and energy right behind us." The procession walked into Chapel of Love by The Dixie Cups. Elena entered "Home” by Edith Whiskers.

Photoshoot After The Ceremony

After the ceremony, they drove through the Alpilles for portraits — the landscape doing what the Alpilles does: make everything feel more cinematic than it has any right to. Then back to Estoublon for family photographs in the gardens, drinks, and the slow reunion with guests. And then they waited.
"We waited for the golden hour and had some of the best photos of us two at that time." There is a specific quality of light in Provence at that hour that photographers travel specifically to capture — and Elena and Claude, standing in the château gardens as it fell, understood exactly why.

Wedding Venue & Decor

It began, of all places, over lunch. "At the beginning, we thought we wanted a natural winter style wedding in Crans Montana, but after a Valentine's Day lunch at La Table d'Estoublon, we fell in love with this location and the Alpilles surroundings."
The château became everything. White and sage green ran through the decor like a quiet thread — present everywhere, overwhelming nowhere. Custom linen, statement chandeliers, considered chairs, and art de table that let the building speak first, and the styling simply agrees. The florals, all white and deliberately minimal, completed a palette that needed nothing more.

Real Wedding Couple's Advice

"The single most important advice we would give is to make sure you have a well-confirmed wedding planner who is comfortable with the venue — someone who can put into action the wedding scenario as you imagined it, but also manage last-minute plans with the staff onsite.
One other thing to keep in mind: Estoublon has a great guest capacity, but in case of bad weather, not so much. Having a Plan B scenario is a must."

About Cocktail hour

Reception

Their entrance to dinner was marked by Svadba — a traditional Macedonian and Serbian song — as they walked in with their daughter, a moment that brought both cultures into the room at once. The menu followed the same logic: a revisited Salade Shopska from North Macedonia to start, Simmenthal rib of beef cut to order with chimichurri and béarnaise sauce to follow. The wedding cake was a giant pavlova with red berries and fresh figs — Elena's nod to her Australian heritage, served with champagne at the table.
The first dance was to “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez. "We must admit the dance and the dress didn't go to pair," Elena laughs. "It was still lovely though."
For the vendors, the feeling was clear: "Lucky for us, Savina understood the assignment, listened, and delivered. We were able to enjoy every bit of our wedding weekend, meet an amazing video and photo team for the win, and always without thinking or worrying about any organizational details."
"Having all our loved ones be there from around the world, assembled just for us two, was a unique amount of love and feelings to feel in one day."
By every measure, it was.