A Dreamy Provence Wedding at Château de Sannes

Historic charm, whimsical details, and Mediterranean beauty created an unforgettable celebration against the backdrop of Château de Sannes.

Photography by La Dichosa.

A luminous celebration steeped in history and artistry, Caroline and Jackson’s wedding unfolded within the storied walls of Château de Sannes, a Provençal estate surrounded by lavender fields and olive groves.

Dreamed up as an intimate escape, the weekend felt like a meandering journey through the Mediterranean — beginning with a vibrant welcome party awash in citrus tones, hand-printed linens, and playful maximalism. By contrast, the ceremony embraced the natural beauty of the Luberon Mountains, where wild blooms lined an unstructured aisle and guests gathered in a semicircle, parasols in hand.

The reception, held beneath spilling greenery and softly glowing chandeliers, was reminiscent of an intimate countryside dinner party. Long banquet tables danced across the chateau’s grounds, dressed in soft tapestry-patterned linens, vintage glassware, and floral arrangements intertwined with figs, grapes, and glimmering aubergines.

Photography by La Dichosa

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Our Story

Names / Caroline Rose & Jackson Armstrong

Location / Sannes, South of France

Wedding Date / July 6, 2024

Guest Numbers / 110

How We Met

We met in our last year of university — Jack was finishing his education at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Caroline was at American University in Washington, D.C. While we vaguely knew each other through competing in collegiate Model United Nations, it wasn’t until a dear friend set us up, when Jack was passing through Washington, D.C., that we truly connected. We went out with a group of friends at midnight to admire the national monuments at night. By the time we made it from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial — talking about what felt like everything — it was “game over” for us.

Our Engagement Story

Jack surprised Caroline by taking her back to where their love story began: the Lincoln Memorial. He proposed on the quieter side of the memorial facing the Potomac River. Afterwards, they gathered their closest friends and family for a private dinner at Imperfecto and drinks at Caroline’s favorite bar in town, Off The Record.

What we love most about each other…

We both love each other’s ability to turn even the most mundane tasks into pure fun. With Caroline’s spontaneity and unpredictability, paired with Jack’s love for obscure facts, puns, and games, we never have a boring day.

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The Setting

Wedding Location

Upon our engagement, we wanted to plan a wedding that felt like a big family vacation, celebrating our union with those we loved most. We searched for a venue that captured the organic, quiet beauty, cuisine, and atmosphere of the Mediterranean, while offering something new for most guests. Chateau de Sannes was the perfect fit.

The property offered a casual and intimate environment, housing around 30 of our closest family members over an extended weekend, with diverse grounds perfect for a welcome party, ceremony, reception, and farewell brunch. As history lovers, we appreciated the site’s rich past dating back to 1602, reflected in the chateau’s furnishings, architecture, and even its doorways. We fell in love, and the property now holds a very precious place in our hearts.

Aesthetic

We wanted the weekend to feel organic and natural, seamlessly fitting into the setting of Chateau de Sannes without detracting from it. We leaned into the local environment, opting for stylistic choices that evoked a sense of history, symbolic tradition, and whimsical magic. The creative process drew inspiration from vintage Art Nouveau advertisements, and the floral patterns of William Morris.

Preparation

Jack’s morning was relatively easygoing — he started the day around noon at the pool with his groomsmen and cousins staying onsite, followed by getting ready with music, rosé, and banter. Before the ceremony, Jack’s immediate family joined him for pictures, then made their way to the ceremony space: a field overlooking the Luberon Mountains next to the chateau’s olive grove and pond.

Caroline’s preparations started much earlier, around 8 AM, as bridesmaids, makeup and hair artists, and friends flooded into the master bedroom to get ready. We invited all female family members and friends staying onsite to join in, creating a lively, joyful atmosphere with polaroids, rosé, and a curated indie playlist by her sisters and friends. Caroline then left the main chateau with her father and sisters — umbrellas in hand as it began to rain — and got into her wedding dress at a nearby guest house, spending precious time with her immediate family before the ceremony.

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Photography

Our photographers were the lovely couple, Majo and Xavi, from La Dichosa. We knew early on that their style of photography was something special — they are not just wedding photographers; they also have an incredible eye for architecture, clean lines, organic settings, and minimalist design. Their photography has an effortless, airy quality that perfectly captured the atmosphere we wanted for our wedding. We’ve been to weddings where the photos felt rushed, posed, or forced, but Majo and Xavi made us feel completely at ease — and often, as if there wasn’t even a camera in front of us.

Videography

At the very last minute, we were fortunate to have 3 Petits Points join us to film not only our wedding ceremony and reception, but also some incredible behind-the-scenes footage capturing the preparations leading up to the event.

We thoroughly enjoyed watching their coverage of our vendors assembling every small detail on the morning of our big day, all under the leadership of our planner, Marie. 3 Petits Points also used a drone to capture stunning shots of the château’s gardens, our ceremony and reception areas, as well as the surrounding vineyards and lavender fields.

One of the highlights was their ability to capture the shared love, intimacy, and lively conversations taking place under twinkling lights during our reception. They perfectly conveyed the feeling of that evening, which ultimately felt like one big dinner party among friends rather than a rigid series of rituals and rules.

Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

We wanted a clear contrast between the welcome event and the wedding day — Friday was bold and colorful, while Saturday embraced an organic, minimalist, and airy atmosphere.

Choosing the property’s field at the base of the Luberon Mountains for our ceremony, we worked with our planner, Marie, and florists, Lettre à Elise, to create a natural, intimate setting. We opted for an amphitheater-style layout with white French Chantilly chairs arranged in a semicircle, offering guests varied vantage points and a less formal feel.

Our florists designed a winding aisle bursting with tall, natural flowers in blue, green, and purple hues, making it look as if the blooms had grown naturally from the ground. A simple wooden platform surrounded by florals served as our altar. Anticipating the July heat, we provided parasols and personalized watercolor paper fans — which, ironically, became rain shields when a light shower hit during the ceremony, creating one of our favorite memories.

Reception Décor

For the cocktail hour and reception, we wanted the feeling of an intimate dinner party, something authentic to Provence and the Mediterranean spirit.

We arranged two long banquet tables with overhead rods draped in lush greenery and classic chandeliers. Gold-feather patterned plates, simple glassware, and cream linen tablecloths complemented our structural floral designs and whimsical stationery, which featured astrological symbols, baroque art, and playful elements like card decks and four-leaf clovers.

We collaborated with Appolonia Linen to create custom green tapestry-patterned napkins tied with ribbons bearing each guest’s name for seat assignments. Fruits and vegetables — figs, grapes, tomatoes, and eggplants in green, purple, and yellow hues — were incorporated into the floral arrangements across bar tables and dining tables. William Morris floral patterns adorned our white cocktail bars, adding a dynamic, cohesive touch to the decor.

Wedding Planner & Stylist

Marie Chicchirichi was our planner, helping us shape the overall design, itinerary, and intimate atmosphere for the entire weekend. We could not have accomplished this long weekend abroad without her hard work and vision. From the very beginning, she assembled an incredible team of vendors and staff who made everything feel seamless, personal, and full of warmth.

Stationery

We worked with Jasmin from Linden Illustrations to design our wedding invitations, menus, and other stationery. This was one of our favorite parts of the planning process, where we could truly experiment with creative themes and symbols to express our story.

We incorporated personal touches into the invitations, including a rose for Caroline’s last name, citrus for Jack’s home state of Florida, dice for our love of games, and Scottish thistle for our shared heritage. For the weekend’s stationery, Jasmin created distinct designs for each event: bold, maximalist prints for Friday’s welcome party; whimsical, vintage elements for Saturday’s ceremony and reception; and floral, nature-inspired motifs for Sunday’s farewell brunch. Her attention to detail and creativity added unforgettable charm to every day.

Cake

Originally, we planned to skip a cake to save time during the reception, especially since our caterer, Roland Paix, was already providing delicious tortes, sorbets, and desserts. However, Jack’s mother had a brilliant idea: serve a mille-feuille cake at the Friday welcome party. It turned into a special, spontaneous moment — we decorated the cake with fresh fruit, cut and served it to guests at the entrance of the Château’s gardens at dusk, and made a toast. Caroline even dropped her champagne into one corner of the cake, sparking plenty of laughter.

Food & Beverages

Food was central to our weekend. On Friday, we served light fare like truffle pizza, frites, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, wine, and cake. Saturday’s wedding featured a refreshing lavender lemonade before the ceremony, followed by French 75 cocktails, wine, and appetizers like risotto made in a parmesan wheel, mozzarella and tomato gazpacho, and more. For dinner, guests enjoyed a three-course meal with options like duck fillet, free-range chicken with truffles, or roast rack of lamb. Dessert was a highlight, with dark chocolate-pistachio velvet cake and rose chocolate entremets with raspberry sorbet. We wrapped up with espresso martinis and mini burgers at the after-party.

Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

The bride wore a Dana Harel A-line ‘Hailey’ dress with a half-circle structured skirt featuring an inner corset bodice adorned with layers of hand-sewn Alonçon and honeycomb lace applications. Caroline wore silk “Nappa” Prada platform heels in a pearl hue.

Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories

Jack wore his grandfather’s wedding ring, a family heirloom with their initials etched inside. Caroline custom-designed a gold band incorporating baguette and circular diamonds from her grandmother’s engagement and wedding bands, arranged in a starburst design. Her custom engagement ring features a Colombian light green emerald with two baguette diamonds, designed by Jack. Caroline also wore family heirlooms, including a diamond earring set and an emerald ring.

Hair & Makeup

Caroline chose a natural, glowy makeup look with her hair styled down in soft curls, parted to the side. Her grandmother’s wedding veil and live flowers were pinned to the back of her hair, cascading down. Caroline was inspired by Nell Diamond’s hairstyle from the 2024 Metropolitan Ball, where live flowers were pinned along the back of her hair.

Bridesmaids’ Dresses & Shoes

Each bridesmaid chose her own dress and shoes in beige, champagne, or cream hues to reflect her personal style. It was important to us that the bridal party felt free to express themselves and enjoy their attire. The bridesmaids wore a mix of dresses from Zimmerman, Cult Gaia, Grace Blvd, V. Chapman, Asos, and other brands, creating a dynamic and varied look.

Groomsmen Attire

Similar to the bridesmaids, we encouraged the groomsmen to wear beige, cream, or sand-colored linen suits. This created a color spectrum and diverse styles, breaking away from the typical uniformity seen at weddings. Many of the groomsmen wore suits from Brooks Brothers and Zara.

The Details

Transport

We stayed on-site for the entire weekend, while our guests used shuttles provided by Sumas and Taxi Reali in Provence.

Honeymoon

We honeymooned in Spain, staying in Barcelona and Ibiza. The Sixth Senses in Ibiza was a relaxing retreat after our emotional wedding weekend.

Wedding Songs

Caroline walked down the aisle to a string rendition of “Bittersweet Symphony.” Other highlights included songs by Vampire Weekend, Childish Gambino, and Toploader, with a memorable after-party DJ set featuring “Music is Better” by Rufus du Sol.

Entertainment

Music was a key part of the weekend. Friday’s welcome party featured a DJ from Garçons Chics and saxophonist Thoj. For the wedding, a violinist and cellist played classical pieces, followed by Garçons Chics who led the reception with pop and rock songs. The after-party had an American and French Revolution theme, with DJ sets from friends, and guests dancing in powdered wigs and tricorn hats to Ben Böhmer and Odesza.

Celebrant

Jack’s older brother, Jared, officiated and did a spectacular job telling our love story while blending traditions and symbolic elements.

Readings

We wrote our own vows and had a reading from Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which beautifully expressed the fortune of finding a partner for life.

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

One of our favorite moments was Jack’s first view of the property, with the lavender in full bloom and the peaceful atmosphere of the grounds. The excitement and hope we felt as we arrived was unforgettable.