Inside: A Storybook Chateau Wedding In The South Of France

From a dream proposal in Zanzibar to their wedding in the South of France, step inside this Storybook Chateau Wedding.

The story so far

We met in London, I had moved here from Canada a year prior, and he had moved from the Netherlands 6 months prior. Both looking for something more in life, a big city like London made sense – except it was quite lonely and we both discovered pretty soon that London didn’t really feel like home until we met each other. Our first date was 7 hours long, we had so much to talk about that we jumped from one bar to another, eventually he walked me home and we both knew this was the start of something special.

A year later we were on holiday in Zanzibar when he popped the question – I was completely shocked. He planned it all so perfectly, we were taking photos in the old town and went to a dune out in the ocean (only accessible a few hours a day), when I turned around he was on one knee, feet in the ocean, asking if I would marry him. The rest feels like a blur – it was one of the most beautiful days in our life.

Venue

With such an international guest list, we had a lot of criteria – first, good weather, which led us to look at Southern Europe. Next, near a major airport, which narrowed it down further. Then, we wanted there to be a vibe or buzz in the city, but also something small enough where people would bump into each other while having dinner, or could easily walk to see each other across town. That is what we found in Arles. It was the perfect French charm, had a historic city centre with even an ancient roman colosseum, had the amazing weather and food of Provence, and was surrounded by lavender fields and wineries – the place had our hearts and we were set on it since the start.

Walking through town felt like a scene from Mamma Mia, the shops, the restaurants and bakeries all knew it was that Persian-Dutch wedding in town. They would congratulate us and you could feel how genuine and sweet each person in town was. It was so special!

The venue was a Chateau that had been modernised by a British couple, who felt it was bringing all our worlds together and was just outside the city we had fallen in love with. We planned to do three events, a welcome party in the front of the Chateau, in the theme of an English Garden Party, followed by the wedding the next day, where the ceremony was in the back gardens of the chateau, the cocktail hour nearby, the dinner in the front facing the chateau and the party inside (until 5am). The following day would be our pool party, at the pool on site. It was all so magical to have so many different elements to the venue.

Fashion

My dress was my absolute dream dress, the Galaxy dress by Vivienne Westwood. Paired with a long cape and Jimmy Choo Bing heels (with the ultimate sparkle), I kept the rest of my accessories light. Untraditionally, I chose not to have a veil, I loved my hair too much, and the cape had the same long regal element. It also felt nice to do things with my own modern twist – that’s the fun part of a wedding, you can do whatever you want!

My two Maid of Honours, my mom, my sisters in law and my mother in law were my ‘something blue’ – they all wore various shades of blue that gave a cohesive look without trying too hard. I wanted everyone to feel comfortable and pick the dress that spoke to them without many restrictions.

Tablescape

I dreamed of one long, romantic dinner filled with a candlelit table, outside under the stars and that’s exactly what we got.

We wanted each person at our wedding to feel a personal touch from us, and so we wrote handwritten cards which were at each person’s seat. It was so magical seeing people take in the beautiful dinner table and read their card, many even came up and thanked us. It was a small gesture to show how much each and every person there meant to us.

Food & drinks

We were also lucky to have found the two best bartenders (on earth?) – both working at some of the best cocktail bars in London (Amaro & Publique) who created a custom 8-cocktail menu for us, with fusions of Dutch and Persian ingredients, with a touch of French flair. Examples include a Persian Cosmo, with pomegranate as the main ingredient, to a Dutch sour, made with Heineken beer syrup, to a Stroopwafel Old Fashioned, garnished with the famous Dutch treat on top.

Our chef recreated our favourite meal in London, from a seasonal menu at Kitchen W8, steak with a pomme purée and grilled dates.

Entertainment

From a live illustration artist, to a magician, to a bellydancer to a Dutch carnival performer – we kept the guests entertained throughout the night and sprinkled in our culture along the way. It was really special to have guests arrive and have their personalised illustration drawn by the amazing team @wooillustrations, while a harpist played in the background and everyone settled into a very touching ceremony, with amazing speeches and so much love from our family and friends. During the cocktail hour, a magician showed up, surprising guests with tricks and getting them into the party spirit. Our DJ was amazing (he DJ’s Persian-fusion nightclub events across Europe) and could just feel the atmosphere, and he actually moved away from our cocktail hour music to play more upbeat and 70s hits – which got all the Persians dancing for the entire cocktail hour. It even led to a limbo with my wedding cape, which nearly everyone went through! Then just as everyone went around the castle to sit for dinner, we had a bellydancer come out and perform not only for the guests, but with them! Our guests got off their seats and came and joined a huge dance party, where everyone in our life, from all backgrounds got to embrace the middle eastern culture and dance. It was a surreal moment to look out at all our loved ones who were waving their napkins in the air, shaking their hips, and even standing on chairs dancing.

Beauty regime & wellness

I had been religiously getting microneedling facials and peels for months in London, and when I told my facialist my wedding was abroad she made me a 12 step routine to do the night before the wedding and it worked! My skin was so glowy.

My hair stylist absolutely nailed my dream hair style, super slicked back half up half down style, with bug flowy curls. I couldn’t find an inspiration photo that exactly captured it but lucky for me she didn’t need one. She also kept me so relaxed the morning and had a really calm energy.

Favourite Wedding Gifts

We got married in Arles — the same town where Van Gogh spent some of the most transformative years of his life, creating some of his most iconic pieces. His paintings of sunflower fields, starry night skies over the Rhône, and golden-lit cafés were all inspired by the very streets and scenes of Arles. And with Van Gogh being Dutch, just like my husband, it felt like the perfect symbol of our two worlds coming together. One of our most meaningful gifts was a Van Gogh painting of the yellow café (which still stands in Arles today) — every time we look at it, it’s a reminder of a place that holds so much beauty, inspiration, and love in our story.

My husband and I love experiences over material things, and our friends and family knew exactly what to get us that would help us share those special experiences after all the wedding excitement was over. Our best friends got us a weekend getaway at The Pig (the most quintessential British countryside Manor homes, with amazing food and historic pubs), our parents got us a trip anywhere in Italy, siblings gifted a weekend getaway to Nutchel cosy cabins in Belgium, and even parachuting. That one I’m more nervous for!

Honeymoon

We spent 3 nights in the beautiful Hôtel Ultimate Provence in the outskirts of St Tropez. It was everything we needed, a quiet boutique hotel and spa, a big pool surrounded by lush mountains and acres of vineyards and plenty of fabulous french wine and cuisine. Such a dream to relax and take in all the memories, while we plan a big honeymoon at the end of the year – probably to a few countries in Southeast Asia!

Advice

You will spend so much time thinking about the wedding, but in the same way an athlete prepares for a big event, the best thing you can do is enjoy it. You guests will feel your energy and you will be so glad you could take it all in. Find little moments with your husband/bride to soak it all in together, and if that means you get a few less posed photos so be it – our favourite pictures are of us dancing! We didn’t want to leave the dancefloor to do photos and I think that shows how much fun we were having.