Champagne Tower and Croquembouche at Chateau Lacanaud, Dordogne

An autumn editorial at Chateau Lacanaud in the Dordogne celebrating champagne towers, croquembouche, and Merlot florals by Fairy Fleur, captured by Ala Breskaya.

By Elena Moretti | Published 2 February 2021

Featured FWS Members

Chateau

Chateau Lacanaud

Aquitaine · Dordogne

Up to 100 guests

From €12,000 5.0 (31)

Latest Weddings

Chateau de Villette

Classic-Modern Romance Editorial at Château de Villette

Bourgogne-Franche-Comte

Château d'Arcelot

Modern Elegance & Calla Lilies Wedding at Château d’Arcelot

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Chateau

Chateau Lacanaud

Aquitaine · Dordogne

Up to 100 guests

From €12,000 5.0 (31)

Chateau Lacanaud, an exclusive wedding estate with accommodation near Bordeaux provided the canvas for an autumn editorial celebrating three classic French wedding symbols: the champagne tower, cellist, and croquembouche. Led by Perfect Day by Karen and Fairy Fleur, the Dordogne estate's golden light and natural textures lent themselves to a vision of rustic luxury.

Photography

Ala Breskaya

Venue

Chateau Lacanaud, Dordogne

Region

Aquitaine, France

Couple

Getting Ready

A couple portrait taken outdoors beside a turquoise swimming pool, with a calm lake and tall trees visible in the background. The groom wears a navy blue suit and the bride wears an off-the-shoulder white dress with her hair styled in an updo; they are facing each other in a near-kiss pose. The bride holds a large, lush bouquet featuring deep burgundy foliage, hot pink blooms, and ivory roses. The shot is a medium portrait composition with the pool and landscaped grounds serving as the backdrop.

A getting-ready portrait of a bride reflected in a large ornate gold-framed oval mirror, shot indoors against a white wall with cream curtains visible in the background. The bride wears a white gown with a textured beaded or dotted bodice, a deep open back, and a full tulle skirt, paired with a long cathedral-length veil and drop earrings. Her dark hair is styled in a half-up updo, and she wears bold dark red lipstick. The composition is a medium portrait framed through the decorative gilded mirror, with a second mirror partially visible at the edge of the frame, creating a layered reflection effect.

A getting-ready shot of a bride seen from behind, standing in a rustic interior room with exposed stone walls and warm wooden wardrobe doors. She is wearing a champagne/ivory satin robe with 'Bride' embroidered in black script across the back, and her hair is styled up with a floral hair accessory. A freestanding roll-top bathtub with chrome fittings is visible to her right, and soft natural light filters through a curtained window. Medium-distance portrait composition emphasizing the personalized robe detail and the charming bridal suite setting.

Morning preparations unfolded in the chateau's elegant suites, where soft light played across antique furnishings and gilded mirrors. The bride slipped into an Appelez Moi Madame gown with soft bohemian structure, complemented by touches of velvet ribbon in her hair. Ala Breskaya captured the quiet anticipation and the careful layering of bridal details.

Ceremony

A bride and groom walk together along a gravel path beside a classic French manor house, accompanied by a large cream-colored dog on a leash. The bride wears a white lace V-neck gown and the groom is dressed in a navy suit with a bow tie. The manor features pale pink rendered walls, blue-grey shutters, and terracotta roof tiles, with rattan outdoor furniture visible on the terrace to the left. Wide shot captured from a slight distance, with a relaxed, candid feel during what appears to be a post-ceremony portrait session in the estate grounds. Potential venue feature image.

The ceremony scene unfolded to live music by a cellist, whose resonant notes filled the air as the bride approached beneath a floral arch. Fairy Fleur's arrangements of cymbidium orchids, dahlias, anemones, larkspur, and celosia framed the setting with depth and movement. The Merlot tones of the florals and styling created a mood of seasonal warmth and romance.

Bridal Portraits

The couple stands behind a traditional French croquembouche during a nighttime cake presentation, with four lit sparklers shooting from the top of the choux pastry tower. The croquembouche is displayed on a decorative metal pedestal stand set on an ornate wrought-iron garden table, garnished with green herbs and dark foliage at its base. The groom wears a dark navy suit with a burnt orange bow tie, while the bride wears a white strapless gown and holds a bouquet featuring white blooms and warm autumn-toned florals. The portrait is a medium shot with the croquembouche in sharp focus in the foreground and the smiling couple intentionally soft-focused in the background, lit primarily by the warm glow of the sparklers against a dark outdoor setting.

A bride and groom walk hand-in-hand toward a calm reflective pond on the grounds of what appears to be a French country estate, photographed from behind in a wide portrait shot. The groom wears a navy suit and the bride wears a white gown with an open low back and a flowing A-line skirt, carrying a small bouquet with deep burgundy and purple tones. The setting is outdoor with an autumn atmosphere, indicated by golden and orange foliage on the surrounding trees. The composition is a full-length rear-facing shot emphasizing the couple's movement through the landscaped grounds.

A couple portrait taken from behind as the bride and groom walk hand-in-hand along a gravel garden path in an outdoor setting with a small pond visible in the background. The groom wears a navy blue suit and the bride wears a white gown with a low V-back and a flowing skirt, carrying a bouquet of deep pink, coral, and white blooms with trailing burgundy ribbon. The autumn foliage in orange, yellow, and green tones frames the scene. The shot is a medium-wide portrait composition captured at ground level.

A bridal portrait taken outdoors in front of a French stone building with pale blue shutters, likely a chateau or manor house. The bride wears a sleeveless white V-neck dress with subtle texture and looks down at her bouquet, which is large and loosely arranged with blush and dusty pink roses, white ranunculus, deep magenta orchids, dark burgundy anemones, and dried autumn leaves in warm brown tones, tied with a dark ribbon in burgundy and forest green stripes. Her hair is worn half-up in loose waves with a delicate crystal or pearl hair accessory, and her makeup features warm, defined eye shadow and a natural lip. The composition is a close-up portrait framing the bride from roughly the waist up.

Ala Breskaya captured the bride across the estate's gardens, stone archways, and tree-lined paths, each setting revealing a new facet of the Appelez Moi Madame gown. The Merlot palette threaded through the styling, from velvet hair ribbons to the trailing bouquet by Fairy Fleur. Portraits moved between golden light and deep shadow, creating a rich visual contrast against the chateau's warm stone.

Reception

An outdoor styled reception table setup photographed from a medium distance in a garden setting, with wild low-growing plants in the foreground partially obscuring the view. The sweetheart or small dining table is dressed in a white or ivory linen tablecloth and flanked by two natural wood cross-back chairs. The centerpiece includes a floral arrangement combining deep burgundy/wine-toned blooms and white flowers, with tall dark taper candles in matching candlesticks on either side. The overall decor palette mixes warm terracotta, burgundy, and white, suggesting an autumn rustic-romantic styling theme. The wide shot captures the table within a naturalistic garden landscape with tall poplar and cypress trees in the background, giving the scene an autumnal, overgrown atmosphere.

A styled outdoor reception tablescape set for approximately six guests, photographed in a wide angled close-up shot. The rectangular table is dressed with a white linen and features floral centerpieces combining ivory white peonies, deep burgundy blooms, blush pink tulips, and dried autumn leaves in brass and copper-toned vases. Place settings include stacked white charger plates with decorative pink-tinted inner plates, crystal glassware, and gold flatware, paired with folded burgundy napkins. Tall blush pink taper candles in brass candlesticks and a dark burgundy pillar candle add to the warm autumnal color palette, which mixes burgundy, blush, ivory, and gold tones in a romantic fall tablescape style. Natural wood cross-back chairs surround the table, set against a lush green garden backdrop.

The reception table was dressed with Fairy Fleur's centrepieces of dahlias and trailing greenery, glowing in candlelight against the chateau's warm interior. A croquembouche stood as the centrepiece dessert, honouring French wedding tradition with its caramelised choux tower. The champagne tower completed the trio of classic symbols, its golden cascade catching the amber light of the Dordogne evening.

Design and Details

Close-up detail shot of a large ornate stone urn pedestal holding an oversized floral arrangement, positioned outdoors on a wooden deck beside a turquoise swimming pool. The arrangement features deep burgundy hydrangeas, blush pink blooms, trailing amaranthus in rust and green tones, and mixed greenery including eucalyptus and olive-like foliage, creating a rich autumn color palette. The carved stone urn with decorative relief detailing sits on a matching stone plinth. The overall floral styling is lush and organic with a moody, autumnal aesthetic.

A groom in a navy blue suit with a white dress shirt sits relaxed on a cream chaise longue in a formal interior room, arms spread wide across the back of the sofa. The room features sage green walls, ornate white crown molding, a black marble fireplace, a bronze branch-style chandelier, gold-framed mirror, dark wood antique furniture including a grandfather clock and chest of drawers, gold drape curtains, and marble tile flooring. Wide shot taken from a low, centered angle, placing the groom symmetrically within the room. Potential venue feature image.

A wide-angle nighttime exterior shot of a French chateau with classic stone architecture, featuring two flanking towers with pitched terracotta-tiled roofs and a central facade with white shuttered windows and a central doorway flanked by two decorative stone urns. The building is lit by warm golden uplighting that illuminates the cream-colored stone walls, and the gravel forecourt in the foreground reflects the warm glow. No people are visible in the image. Potential venue feature image.

An outdoor garden cake display styled for a wedding, set on stone steps leading to a lawn surrounded by mature trees. A croquembouche — a traditional French tower of choux pastry puffs in warm caramel and red tones — sits atop a ornate vintage iron bistro table positioned at the base of the steps. Flanking the steps on either side are large terracotta urns overflowing with lush floral arrangements featuring blush and ivory roses, burgundy blooms, and trailing greenery and eucalyptus, creating an autumnal palette. The overall styling is romantic and classic French, with a moody, overcast atmospheric light and fallen leaves on the stone steps reinforcing the late-autumn seasonal feel. Wide establishing shot.

Perfect Day by Karen and Fairy Fleur designed a concept anchored in the Merlot palette that flowed through every visual element. Cymbidium orchids, dahlias, and celosia were layered with trailing foliage to create arrangements of real depth and texture. Candlelight, velvet accents, and aged wood surfaces completed the picture of autumnal French luxury.

Flat Lays

An outdoor wedding ceremony is underway in a garden setting, with the bride walking down the aisle toward the groom who stands at the altar near a pool. The ceremony space is arranged with natural wood cross-back chairs in rows on either side of a colorful floral-printed aisle runner in pink, red, and green tones. The bride wears a white gown with a long veil and carries a large bouquet featuring deep red, burgundy, and warm-toned blooms. The groom stands in a navy suit at the far end of the aisle, accompanied by an officiant and a musician playing violin to the side. Floral arrangements with burgundy and warm-toned flowers also decorate the chair ends along the aisle. The overall styling is romantic and slightly bohemian, with a rich jewel-toned floral palette. This is a wide shot capturing the full ceremony layout from behind the bride.

A styled flat lay detail shot arranged on a sandy outdoor surface, featuring a pink and white patterned fabric draped beneath the display. Two dark champagne bottles with gold and red foil labels are placed alongside two empty crystal champagne flutes. A glass bowl holds a cluster of blush and dusty rose garden roses tied with a deep burgundy ribbon, and an olive branch with dark berries extends across the right side of the composition. The overall palette is blush, gold, and deep green, suggesting a romantic, nature-inspired styling theme.

A close-up detail shot of a styled wedding tablescape featuring a deep burgundy wedding invitation with gold foil moth/butterfly illustrations, printed with formal wording for the marriage of Sally Megan to Michael Simon Jones at The Great Hall, Syon Park. The invitation is propped against a floral arrangement of burgundy anemones, blush and pink roses, cream florals, and green foliage. The table decor follows a rich jewel-toned palette with crimson napkins, gold cutlery, ornate gold candlestick holders with lavender taper candles, and decorative charger plates with gold and pink detailing. The overall styling theme is romantic and richly toned, combining deep berry, gold, and blush tones for a dramatic effect.

A full-length bridal portrait taken outdoors on the lawn of a French chateau with rendered stone walls, terracotta roof tiles, and grey-blue shutters. The bride wears a flowing white gown with a V-neckline, a long cathedral-length veil, and an updo hairstyle, and she is smiling broadly. She holds a large, loosely arranged bouquet featuring deep magenta orchids, ivory roses, blush roses, rust-toned dried leaves, and greenery, with long trailing ribbons in burgundy and blush. In the background, a white garden bench, a stone fountain, and a dessert display table with white linens are partially visible, suggesting a cocktail hour setup.

Detail compositions showcased the editorial's layered approach to texture and colour. Calligraphed stationery on handmade paper, wax seals, and velvet ribbon sat alongside the bride's ring and floral sprigs in Merlot tones. Each flat lay told the story of a celebration rooted in seasonal French tradition and artisanal craft.