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Set on the grounds of a French chateau, Mari & Rowan’s wildly romantic wedding was a celebration that fused nostalgic romance with modern Scandinavian touches.
Whimsical wildflower installations framed their garden ceremony, finished with simple wooden chairs – a scene that felt beautifully organic in the enchanted surrounds. At dusk, a magical reception unfolded within the chateau’s courtyard enclosed by ancient stone walls. Round tables were scattered throughout the space, draped in crisp linens, modern place settings contrasted with muted wildflowers. As night fell, guests dined under a blanket of festoon lights and glistening stars.
After the wedding day, Mari & Rowan invited guests to a dinner amongst the lavender fields at their family home. An infinity table stretched throughout country gardens, for a beautifully languid night of celebrations.
Photography by Pinewood Weddings.
Our Story
Names / Mari & Rowan
Wedding Date / 29th June 2019
Guest Numbers / 110
Budget / $75,000 USD
How We Met
Rowan and I met online, for our first date he invited me to his house for dinner. I was a little dubious but decided to accept. It was right before the summer holidays, Rowan, who happens to be a chef, made a delicious seafood meal on the BBQ and we stayed up all night talking in the garden overlooking the sea and Oslo’s city centre in the distance. After that evening I was very intrigued and we continued to spend time together, hanging out in the garden all summer, he even accompanied me to Paris for my sister’s wedding just 10 dates in. By the end of the summer we were very much in love, so much so that we moved in together.
Our Engagement Story
Around two and a half years after we met, we took our then nine months old son Atticus for a family holiday to Tulum, Mexico. We stayed in a lovely bungalow right on the beach. Because of jet lag we woke up early, and one morning Rowan suggested we would take a walk on the beach to watch the sunrise. It was a beautiful morning and we had the beach to ourselves, he carried Atticus in the baby carrier and during our walk he got down on one knee. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful moment. Unbeknown to me, Rowan had been planning it for several months before, working with a Corinne Hamak, a jeweller in London to find a very unique stone. Corinne designed it with Rowan’s input to create a clean, simple yet unique setting that showed the stone off beautifully.
Marriage to us means…
Love – family – adventure. These are the words written in our wedding rings and my engagement ring and captures what we stand for as a couple. We both love to travel and are always looking for inspiration and excitement everywhere we go, we believe that family life doesn’t need to change that – it’s something we want our children to grow up with to share the delights of adventure with them.
The Details
Wedding Location
We wanted an outdoor wedding in a grand, beautiful, yet authentic location. Rowan’s mother lives in the South of France, near Montpellier where we have spent many holidays exploring the beautiful villages, traditional markets, vineyards and stunning nature, forging a deep connection with the area – so it only seemed right to get married there as a destination wedding. After much searching we found the beautiful Chateau de la Mogeré built in 1706, which was exactly what we had been hoping for. It had the perfect balance of being extremely beautiful, authentic to the South of France, yet not overly polished or flashy. The chateau is the home of Clothilde and her family, and has remained in her family for seven generations. It still felt true to its original form – understated, grand and yet welcoming. It was perfect.
The layout of the location also lent itself so perfectly to an outdoor wedding, there was an area for every aspect of the event – the front of the house had the vista and grandeur perfect for the entrance of the guests and a champagne reception, hidden behind the trees was the are we chose to have the ceremony, where the stunning fountain created the most beautiful backdrop. Our guests sat in the shade of the ancient trees providing welcome relief from the mid-summer heat (our wedding weekend was the hottest weekend on record in France!). After the ceremony guests moved to a musical performance in front of the house with a champagne toast, then were lead to another unseen area… each time a new reveal, this time to the courtyard, which enabled us to have an open-air dinner that still felt intimate. After dinner this transformed to a party with the DJ booth set up under the clock tower.
Event Aesthetic & Inspiration
We wanted something that reflected both our own aesthetics, which was in keeping with the beautiful location we had chosen. The incredible backdrop of Chateau de la Mogeré inspired the theme for our wedding, and together with our wedding planner Romain’s vision and exquisite taste we found a style that was a mix between Scandinavian modern, romantic, ethereal and authentic French. The colours, textures and details came together so beautifully – drawing on the fading grandeur of the chateau, its gardens and the surrounding nature.
Photography & Videography
Early in the process we found Pinewood Weddings on Instagram, a lovely Hungarian couple who travel the world shooting weddings. She takes photos and he creates films. Their photos are so modern and different from a lot of other photographers, so when we learnt that they also often work with our wedding planner we knew had to book them.
As part of our package we had a couple shoot at the beach in Montpellier two days before the wedding, they attended our welcome dinner on the Friday, obviously followed us all day on Saturday and even joined our lavender field dinner at Rowan’s mum’s house the day after the wedding. Eni and Levi behind Pinewood Weddings were so easy to work with, they always stayed in the background but managed to get the most beautiful photos, we are still in awe of them. The couple’s love for each other makes them a pleasure to work with, and they brought this romance and love to the beautiful work they do.
