Colin and Temperance took over a seventeenth century chateau in Provence for a long October weekend, moved in their favorite people, and ran the whole celebration on candlelight, wine reds, and a dress code that read black tie, with a nod to the baroque. The reason a plan that ambitious felt unhurried is Marina of Alaia Evenement, the planner who built the entire mood board from a single prompt, eighteenth century romance, and then executed it from across an ocean.
Location: Provence, France
Style: Romantic, Classical, Baroquel
Time of planning: 1 year
Number of guests: 45
Setting: Chateau
Season: Fall
Colin is a healthcare executive from New Jersey and Temperance is a former interior designer from California, which explains a fair amount about how controlled the visual language of this wedding turned out. They first met in Palm Beach, and the first date was a flop. Eight months later they crossed paths again and agreed to a low stakes coffee, the kind you get once you have already decided someone is a friend and nothing more. Temperance had filed Colin under smart, witty, urbane, and not for her, and she was mostly in the market for new friends.
Then the coffee turned into a plot twist. In a move Temperance herself compares to Pride and Prejudice, Colin addressed directly how badly their first meeting had gone, owned it, and reframed the whole thing. She realized she had judged too fast, and from that afternoon they were inseparable, the relationship built on deep friendship and mutual admiration.
Rehearsal Dinner
The rehearsal dinner ran first, and Temperance used it to play the exact opposite of what came next. The look was pure Carolyn Bessette, stripped back and quietly luxurious, the kind of minimalism that is much harder to pull off than it looks. The photography shifted to match, warm and filmic, a register that suits a loose family night far better than anything crisp and bright.
Bride's Morning & Fashion
The paper set the tone before a single guest arrived, invitations pressed by hand and sealed with wax by Zoe Zephyyr. For the day itself Temperance wore the Stella gown by J. Andreatta, cut in ivory silk dupioni, a fabric with enough body and slub to hold its shape and throw candlelight back at the room.
She finished with brocade slipper kitten heels by Something Bleu, a fragrance that fits the whole eighteenth century brief in Jasmine Thé by Fragonard, and a bouquet of white roses with the petals turned out, tied with a long satin ribbon by Le Fleuriste.
Her jewelry carried the sentiment, a delicate antique pearl drop necklace worn with her great great grandmother’s gold and aquamarine ring as the something borrowed. The beauty stayed low key and modern against all that period costume energy, a dewy skin finish with a berry flush on the cheeks and lips and a soft half up style, all by Karine Brossard.
"A flurry of action, from my bridal party scurrying from room to room to make sure I stayed out of sight, to watching as Marina's team below deftly arranged and transformed the venue into our very own stage. The tempo finally slowed once I was in the makeup chair, a moment of collection and gratitude before walking down the aisle."
Groom’s Fashion
Colin wore a Tom Ford tuxedo, about as close to a sure thing as menswear gets, and let the details do the talking: antique onyx and gold cufflinks that Temperance gave him as a wedding gift, and a steel and gold Rolex Datejust. His boutonnière came from Le Fleuriste, a small cascade of merlot amaranthus against a single calla lily, which wired him straight into the wine red palette running through the weekend.
Ceremony
The ceremony happened on the chateau lawn, kept small and traditional on purpose. Temperance walked in to a string arrangement of On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter, the piece you know from Arrival and Shutter Island, played live by a quartet with a harp from Harpsody Production.
The couple wanted real spiritual weight, so they went looking for a celebrant with a Catholic background and found Père Antoine, who had lived in the United States and could speak to them without any translation friction.
Across several meetings before the wedding he learned their actual relationship and built a service that stayed rooted in tradition while feeling specific to them. The whole thing was scaled to the people who mattered, close family and friends there to witness the promises.
Moments Together
Between the vows and dinner, Ksenia Antonova shot the couple around the property, working in the digital and film mix, all warm light and grain. Cocktail hour set up at the foot of the chateau facade, furniture fully draped for a softer effect from Joli Bazaar and Glam Events, anchored by a custom bar and backdrop that Propino Bar built specifically for the wedding.
The pacing was pure hedonism, in the best sense. A champagne tower opened things, followed by signature drinks and live stations of Iberian ham, smoked veal, and octopus from La Cinquième Saison Traiteur.
There was a cigar bar stocked with Colin’s Davidoffs and custom matchboxes, a nod to his habit of collecting them from every bar, restaurant, and hotel worth remembering. Polaroid cameras sat out for guests to document the night themselves and drop the prints into a guest book with handwritten notes.
The signature pour was a Bramble and Berry Blossom, with a Pear and Lemonberry Spritz mocktail for anyone off the booze, all of it under a Provencal sunset with the orchards and vineyards handling the backdrop.
Reception
Dinner moved into the courtyard at dusk, fairy lights strung over serpentine tables set with candelabras and low floral runs from Le Fleuriste shot through with clusters of grapes. The seating chart was its own production, a fabric backdrop paired with mirrored columns from Glam Events and signage by Agence MDF, every guest’s name on display.
The scenography held to the last detail, candelabras, mirrored signs, stainless steel trays, and deep burgundy florals all speaking one language. Holding it to a single idea across three days was Marina of Alaia Evenement, whose signature is a room that looks inevitable.
The menu committed to the occasion, pan fried foie gras in a lemongrass broth, then a choice between rack of lamb with polenta and Provençal vegetables or sea bass with carrot mousseline, pesto, and a watercress broth foam, all by candlelight with live jazz from Jazz Cocktail.
Toasts ran through the evening. Dessert brought a traditional cheese course, petit fours, and a Strawberry Verbena cake built to match the rest of the design. The couple took their first dance to Édith Piaf’s Hymne à l’amour, then Wildfire DJs opened the floor, and someone had the sense to send out sliders and hotdogs around midnight.
Advice from the couple:
• You can do your best to plan every detail, but on the wedding day, let it all go. Focus on gratitude, and truly revel in the company of those who have come to celebrate with you.
PLANNING & DESIGN Alaia Evenement | PHOTOGRAPHER Ksenia Antonova | VENUE Château de Robernier | FLORALS Le Fleuriste | MUAH Karine Brossard | DRESS J. Andreatta | TUX Tom Ford | STATIONERY Zoe Zephyyr | CATERING La Cinquième Saison Traiteur | BAR Propino Bar | RENTALS Joli Bazaar | DÉCOR Glam Events | SIGNAGE Agence MDF | QUARTET & HARP Harpsody Production | JAZZ Jazz Cocktail | DJ Wildfire DJs | COUPLE Colin & Temperance
