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The Chateau is now a destination wedding venue in the South of France. We tell you more in this article about why we decided to become one.

La Beaumetane – a Château in Provence

Château la Beaumetane is a late 19th century estate in the heart of Provence. We told you about the person who decided to build la Beaumetane in this article.

Château la Beaumetane was first owned by Nathalie’s family in the 1970s. When Nathalie was a child, it was empty. So she had plenty of time to play princess in this magnificent building, for which she had fallen head over heels in love. Life then took her on other adventures in other parts of the world. But there was always something that brought her back to La Beaumetane. So, 11 years ago, Nathalie and Mike returned to France to look after this beautiful house and open it up for events.

The Architectural Inspiration Behind Château la Beaumetane

Château la Beaumetane was built by Edmond Théry, a well-known French economist and statistician. Born in 1854 near the château, Théry was also a prolific journalist. Interestingly, the real story behind the château is that Théry fell in love with a red-bricked mansion while on holiday in Italy. When he returned home, he decided to build a replica as his residence!

Notably, Mr. Théry contributed to famous newspapers like Le Figaro and founded L’Economiste Européen in 1892. Consequently, his work in economic policy, especially on tariffs and bimetallism, left a lasting impact.

Edmond Théry: A Prolific Economist and Journalist from Provence

Furthermore, Théry was deeply involved in the French economic landscape, contributing to major newspapers and founding influential economic organizations. For example, he was a founding member of the Société d’économie politique nationale (S.E.P.N.), which advocated for protective and compensatory tariffs, diverging from the free-trade stance of other economic societies. Additionally, his expertise extended to financial journalism, where he managed financial bulletins for several papers, including L’Humanité.

Portrait of Edmond Théry

During World War I, Théry served as a lieutenant-colonel and contributed to economic warfare strategies. He was a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour and maintained strong political connections, evidenced by notable attendees at his events.

The Legacy left by the story of Château la Beaumetane

Today, Château la Beaumetane stands as a testament to Théry’s legacy. Its elegant design and serene environment continue to captivate visitors. The château is surrounded by the beauty of the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence vineyards. That remains a symbol of Théry’s contributions to both economics and architecture.

Finally, visiting Château la Beaumetane offers a unique glimpse into the story of Edmond Théry and the rich history of Provence. Whether attending a special event or simply touring the grounds, Château la Beaumetane provides a memorable and enriching experience, steeped in the legacy of a distinguished economist.

Feel free to read some other blog articles. This one is about Provence in general, or this one about where your wedding guests can sleep. You can also listen to this podcast with Nathalie, the Château’s owner.

Getting married on a Domain the South of France… many people dream about it, but what does it actually mean? We tell you more in this article

What is a Domain in the South of France?

First of all, what do we mean by a domain? It’s true that it’s a word that’s used a lot, but what’s really behind it? According to the Larousse dictionary, an estate is “landed property; property, land”. So we can understand Domaine as a property that contains a building and/or land.

So it’s true that in the south of France, we have a huge variety of “domaines” Some will have a large building. Its style may be different, whether it’s a farmhouse, a mas or a château, for example. Of course, some estates will be associated with agricultural land, particularly vineyards. For example, our family’s wine-producing estate and associated vineyard is called Domaine des Oullières. The homes remain private, but that doesn’t stop us from being a winegrowing estate on the hillsides of Aix-en-Provence.

What’s it like getting married in March in Provence? We tell you more in this article

Getting married in March in Provence

When D called me, he explained that 18 March was in fact the birthday of his partner of 27 years. More than two decades later, after raising two beautiful adult daughters together, they had decided to surprise their friends. Under the guise of an invitation to his sweetheart’s half-century celebrations, the guests would discover on arrival that they were actually there to witness the union of their friends. So somewhere along the line, the date was set by the beautiful S’s birthday. As for the year, well, their wedding will be in 2024! I loved the concept and went along to help them prepare for their wedding. This was the first of our 2024 wedding season, which began on 17 March in the heart of Provence.

Provence wedding venues …. That makes people dream… but what is Provence? We tell you more here.

Wedding venues in Provence? Where are they?

A lot of people talk about Provence, but where is Provence really? Indeed, this name has become so emblematic of beauty, incredible nature, joie de vivre and quality of life that many claim it as their own. But what is it really?

Provence corresponds more or less to the south-east of France. It covers the land between the Mediterranean and the Alps on the south/north axis. Furthermore, it is also bounded to the east by the border with Italy and to the east by the Rhône River. It is therefore a relatively large area. As you can imagine, even if there are characteristics common to the whole area, there are also some specific features.

If you’re not familiar with it, you should also know that there is a region of Provence called Provence Alpes Cotes d’Azur (the PACA region). There are 13 regions in mainland France. There are also 6 French departments in the PACA region, in alphabetical order:

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)

Hautes-Alpes (05)

Alpes-Maritimes (06)

Bouches-du-Rhône (13)

Var (83)

Vaucluse (84)

What’s more, I can promise you that you’ll find plenty of Provence wedding venues in each of these departments.

For some, the symbolic meaning is key. They want a beautiful and special place to spend their wedding night.

Where to sleep on your wedding night? Admittedly, this may not be the most important question when you decide to get married, but if you want to organise this exceptional day properly, it really is an element to be taken into account. Especially when it comes to a destination wedding in Provence! We’ll tell you more here.

The wedding night – think about it!

We’re all about authenticity here at Château la Beaumetane, which means that sometimes we’re a bit blunt. So we’re going to start this blog with just one fact that shouldn’t shock anyone…. The wedding night isn’t what it used to be. In fact, it’s rare for the wedding night to be the first night our bride and groom share their intimacy…

However, even symbolically, this wedding night remains important. It remains the first night that our beautiful cakes will spend as a married couple. For some, the symbolic meaning is key. They want a beautiful and special place to spend their wedding night. That’s why talking to your partner beforehand is important. Are you both on the same page about what you want from the night?

For some people, the intimacy and symbolism of the wedding night will not be the most important criteria for the success of this extraordinary day, evening, and night. After an exciting day filled with emotions and activity, all they desire is a peaceful and comfortable place to sleep for a few hours. Furthermore, this calm setting becomes even more important for a destination wedding. Since the bride and groom are normally already in a setting that is not entirely familiar to them, a restful night’s sleep becomes crucial.

The setting for the wedding night

Whether for symbolic or pragmatic reasons, the location of the place where you are going to spend your wedding night counts. There are several options available to you, depending on your intentions, particularly for the following day.

You may want to be closer to the airport if you are leaving early the next day for your honeymoon. However, this is more of an exception than a general rule among our brides and grooms. Even in this case, Marseille airport is so close to the château that the bride and groom stay overnight with us!

You can decide where you want to have brunch the next day. Finally, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to be in a secluded spot, just the two of you, or not too far from your guests.

Whatever the case, it’s important to find somewhere close to your reception venue. If there’s a car journey to be made, think about taking a driver… Fatigue and/or alcohol can be a problem… I know, I’m being a mum, but it’s important 😊

Another important little detail. Remember to bring the things you’ll need for the following day for our wedding night. In fact, we’ve already had a bride leave in her wedding dress the next day because she’d forgotten her bag at home!

Convenience and Romance: Why Our Newlyweds Stay On-Site

At Château la Beaumetane, we generally keep our brides and grooms. It’s often an obvious choice: the setting is beautiful, they’re having brunch the next day at the château, and they’re on site. Furthermore, their guests are close by. In fact, they are sleeping in the bedrooms of the recently renovated stables. But the bride and groom have their privacy, as they spend their wedding night in the bridal bedroom, which is in the château. Finally, all the bride and groom’s belongings are on site, as they usually get ready in the morning. Everything you need for a magical moment on the morning of the big day!

10 tips for choosing a wedding reception venue… So you are starting out on the journey towards the most important day of your life, and one of the first things you will search for is the perfect wedding venue. But the amount of information (and questions) can initially seem overwhelming, and so in this article, we give you 10 points to consider to help give you a head start.

• The date – how important is it for you?

More and more couples are increasingly flexible in order to make sure they secure the venue of their dreams. For some, this is not possible because their preferred date may have sentimental value. However, if this is not the case, it may be that varying the date by a week or two (or a month of two) may be the difference in securing their ideal venue. And for destination weddings there probably won’t be the need to tie in with a town hall or church ceremony, which makes life easier still!

• The capacity

When thinking about a venue’s capacity, it is easy to have tunnel vision based on the number of people on your guestlist. Obviously, you need to ensure there is enough space for your guests, but a venue can be too large as well as too small, especially for those with an intimate wedding in mind. Hence, can you do everything you want on-site. Also, is there a space to hold a ceremony? Furthermore, does the venue have nice spots for photos to save you having to move from the reception venue? But also, are there spaces for an apéritif, maybe for your dinner outside? Finally, is there an alternative option available in case of bad weather (but don’t forget, this is Provence so this is highly unlikely during the summer months!)?

• Location – a key point in deciding on a venue

Is the venue easily accessible? For destination weddings, being close to an airport or train station will be important, whilst having motorway links within easy distance is also key. Furthermore, for some people, a venue in a town with accommodation close-by might be important, particularly if there is not accommodation on-site. On the other hand, for others, part of the allure of a destination wedding might be a venue in the middle of the countryside.

Why an article on for how long should I hire the venue for my wedding reception?  “Oh, it goes by so quickly”! Possibly the phrase we hear the most often from our couples as they celebrate their wedding at Chateau la Beaumetane! So how long should you hire your venue for? Here are a few points to bear in mind as you grapple with this age-old question…

Hire the wedding venue for however long suits you

There is a reason the time goes by so quickly as you celebrate your wedding. You are happy, and surrounded by the people you love. You want to make the most of the time you have with everyone who has come to celebrate with you. Just one little statistic I like to use…. If you have a wedding for 120 people and you only spend two minutes with each guest, that already takes up 4 hours of your day!

So if you also count all the things you have to do on your special day, it’s not surprising that the day of your wedding reception flies by!

This is why many of our couples decide to hire the chateau for a two- or three-day wedding, especially our destination weddings. This allows them to enjoy a brunch with their guests. You can spend time with people you may not have caught up with the day before (perhaps because the photographer whisked you off for a sunset photo in the vines and olive groves). What’s more, brunch is generally more ‘low key’, with fewer obligations and things to do. So you can just take the time to be yourself and enjoy each other’s company. This is worth considering when ou hire the venue for my wedding reception.

How can I get married in France? This is a question we are often asked in our first conversations with our foreign brides and grooms. We explain it all here.

Getting married in France – what does it mean?

First of all, it’s important to know what you mean by “getting married in France”. Are you talking about a civil ceremony? A religious ceremony or a secular ceremony? Or perhaps just having your wedding in France? Because the rules are quite different, and so are the answers to the question of whether you can get married in France.

So let’s start with the simplest. If you just want to celebrate your wedding in France or in Provence, as we do here, you obviously don’t need any special authorisation. What’s more, the same applies to a secular ceremony. A ceremony has no legal, official or religious value. It is not recorded in any register. It is a symbolic and personal act performed in front of your loved ones. So in the first two cases, there are no formalities to be completed before you can get married in France.