Fireworks and Festival Spirit at Domaine d'Essendieras, Dordogne

Kevin's international wedding at Domaine d'Essendieras in the Dordogne featured fireworks, garden dining, and photography by Jess Martinez.

By Elena Moretti | Published 25 March 2020

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Domaine

Domaine d'Essendieras

Dordogne ·

Up to 250 guests

From €6,500 4.5 (395)

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Domaine

Domaine d'Essendieras

Dordogne ·

Up to 250 guests

From €6,500 4.5 (395)

Kevin and his bride chose Domaine d'Essendieras, a luxury wedding estate in the Dordogne countryside for their international celebration. Captured by Jess Martinez and filmed by Yoanna of Simply Lovely Film, the weekend in the Dordogne brought together friends and family from Ireland, the United States, and beyond for fireworks, dancing, and a dawn swim.

Photography

Jess Martinez

Venue

Domaine d'Essendieras

Region

Dordogne, France

Couple

Kevin

Getting Ready

A couple portrait taken outdoors on a stone balustrade terrace, with a wide countryside view visible in the background. The bride wears a fitted white lace spaghetti-strap gown with a V-neckline and has her blonde hair styled in an updo, while the groom wears a beige/champagne suit jacket with dark trousers and a gold-toned tie. The groom stands behind the bride, leaning his head close to hers in an intimate pose, with his arms wrapped around her waist. The shot is a medium portrait composition with a soft, slightly hazy natural light giving the image a warm, muted tone.

A close portrait of a bride and groom laughing together outdoors, their foreheads nearly touching in an candid, joyful moment. The bride wears a thin-strap lace or embroidered white gown with her blonde hair styled in a loose updo, while the groom wears a cream or off-white linen suit with a teal or dark green tie. The background is blurred but reveals a formal stone balustrade structure, suggesting a chateau or manor house setting, with manicured hedgerows visible in the foreground.

Four men — likely the groom and his groomsmen — are photographed getting ready indoors in what appears to be a rustic barn venue with exposed wooden walls and large wooden-framed windows. All four wear matching cream/off-white linen blazers with dark navy shirts and sunglasses, and each has a small floral boutonniere featuring greenery and small blooms. Three of the men are holding cans of Bud Gold beer and toasting, all laughing and smiling in a candid, relaxed moment. The shot is a medium group portrait with warm natural light coming through the windows behind them, and the styling has a casual, laid-back aesthetic within a rustic setting.

The morning preparations carried a relaxed, festive energy as the bridal party dressed together in the estate's sunlit rooms. Champagne flowed while music played softly in the background, the atmosphere reflecting the couple's easy-going nature. With friends and family helping at every turn, the preparations felt less like a routine and more like the start of a party.

Reception

A bridal party portrait taken on an outdoor stone colonnade of a French chateau, featuring the bride and three bridesmaids laughing together. The bride wears a fitted ivory lace gown with spaghetti straps and an intricate embroidered pattern, holding a bouquet of white garden roses, ivory blooms, and eucalyptus greenery. The bridesmaids wear mismatched floor-length gowns in a coordinated soft palette: one in pale sage grey with a smocked bodice, one in blush pink with flutter sleeves and a wrap-style bodice, and one in peach with a textured fabric and knotted front detail. The shot is a full-length portrait with warm natural light and the chateau's limestone arched columns and windows visible in the background.

A lively reception dance floor scene with approximately 20 or more guests dancing with their arms raised in a darkened indoor venue with exposed wooden beams and posts. The space is lit with colorful DJ lighting in blue, red, and purple tones. In the foreground, a woman in a red jumpsuit and another in a lavender bridesmaid dress are prominently visible dancing and smiling, while a guest in a gold dress appears in the background. The groom, in a white shirt, is visible from behind in the lower right corner. Wide-angle shot capturing the energy of the full dance floor.

Guests dined beneath string lights in the estate's lush gardens, surrounded by soft florals and long tables set for conversation. Fireworks lit the sky as the evening reached its peak, music and laughter carrying late into the night. The celebration had the wild, joyful energy of two families uniting under the southern French sky, exactly as Kevin and his bride had envisioned.

Flat Lays

A detail shot of a wedding dress hanging from a wooden beam inside a rustic barn setting. The gown is a fitted, spaghetti-strap slip-style dress with intricate all-over lace featuring a bold, geometric floral pattern in ivory over a nude/champagne lining, giving it a boho aesthetic. The dress hangs beside a weathered wooden staircase with exposed timber framing, wide-plank floors, and warm dark wood tones throughout. A second garment in a plastic dry-cleaning bag is visible in the background to the right.

A nine-image collage from a French chateau wedding featuring a variety of moments and details. Top left: an aerial wide shot of a classical French chateau with formal gardens and a circular fountain, surrounded by parkland — potential venue feature image. Top center: the couple exchanging vows under a circular greenery arch with white florals indoors, the bride in a fitted white gown and the groom in a dark suit. Top right: a close-up detail shot of a reception table set with white linens, gold-rimmed glassware, small bud vases with white blooms and greenery, and calligraphy table name cards. Middle left: a detail shot of a lace backless wedding gown hanging from a rustic wooden barn interior with warm wood tones. Middle center: the couple popping champagne over a tray of coupes, the groom in a white dinner jacket and the bride in her fitted gown, taken indoors with warm ambient light. Middle right: a close-up portrait of the couple touching foreheads outdoors with a countryside backdrop, soft natural light. Bottom left: a flat-lay close-up of two gold wedding bands and a small dried floral sprig on a white ceramic dish engraved with initials and the date 5.6.19. Bottom center: the bride with two bridesmaids in blush and white spaghetti-strap gowns on a stone chateau terrace, the bride holding a white and greenery bouquet. Bottom right: a wide group shot of the full wedding party walking along a chateau terrace, the men in white or navy suits and the women in blush and champagne gowns, with a rolling landscape behind them.

Close-up flat lay detail shot of two wedding rings resting on a small round white ceramic ring dish with a gold rim, stamped with the initials 'R + K' and the wedding date '5.6.19'. One ring features a delicate milgrain or diamond-set band, while the other is a plain gold band. A small sprig of dried lavender is laid across the dish. The dish is placed on a cream linen surface, giving the composition a soft, muted tone. The overall styling is understated and romantic, consistent with a rustic or natural aesthetic.

A close-up detail shot of a wedding seating chart display set up indoors in what appears to be a rustic stone-walled venue with a large fireplace and warm wood flooring visible in the background. The seating plan cards are printed in black script on white card stock and are clipped to horizontal rungs inside an ornate gold-framed display mounted on a whitewashed wooden ladder-style easel. The text on the cards includes 'Please find your seat' and 'Bon appétit' among the table name headers. Eucalyptus garlands with round silver-green leaves are draped around the top of the easel and pooled loosely at its base, giving the display a natural, greenery-forward rustic aesthetic with minimal floral color.

Detail shots captured the relaxed estate styling: hand-lettered signage, soft floral centrepieces, and table settings that balanced rustic charm with understated elegance. Favour displays and stationery rested on weathered wood surfaces, each element reflecting the couple's adventurous cross-cultural story. Close-ups of wine glasses and candlelit arrangements revealed the warm glow that defined the evening.

More from the Day

The couple is exchanging rings during an indoor wedding ceremony, with the officiant standing between them holding a microphone. The bride wears a fitted lace gown with a V-neckline and the groom is dressed in a cream blazer, while the officiant wears a charcoal suit. They stand in front of a large circular floral arch densely covered with lush greenery, white roses, and white hydrangeas. The setting appears to be a rustic barn or farmhouse interior with exposed wooden beams and a wooden staircase visible in the background. The shot is a medium portrait capturing all three figures from the waist up, with a guest visible in the foreground right holding a smartphone.

The bride and groom walk back up the aisle together immediately after their ceremony inside a barn venue with exposed wooden beams, a vaulted ceiling, and a mezzanine balcony level above. The groom wears a beige/cream blazer with dark trousers and a black tie, while the bride wears a fitted lace gown with spaghetti straps. Approximately 50 or more guests line both sides of the aisle, clapping and photographing the couple on smartphones as they pass. The barn is lit by two small crystal chandeliers and additional stage-style lighting mounted on the ceiling beams. The wide-angle shot captures the full length of the aisle with confetti scattered on the floor, and a floral arch is faintly visible at the altar in the background.

Close-up detail shot of a bridal bouquet resting on a wooden surface, likely a church pew or bench. The bouquet features large white peonies, blush and cream garden roses, soft pink astilbe, small white stock flowers, and abundant greenery including eucalyptus and ruscus foliage. The overall color palette is blush, cream, and soft white with deep green accents, styled in a loose, garden-gathered arrangement consistent with a romantic or boho aesthetic.

Aerial wide shot of a French château with classic 19th-century architecture, featuring brick facades, slate-roofed turrets, and dormer windows. The formal grounds include a symmetrical garden approach with a circular parterre in the foreground, a central pathway leading up to the building, manicured hedgerows, and white flower beds flanking the main steps. No people are visible in the image. Potential venue feature image.

Aesthetic

RusticLuxury

Guest Count

Budget Range

Bride's Dress

The Wedding Team

Venue

Domaine d'Essendieras

FWS

Photography

Jess Martinez

Videography

Simply Lovely Film

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The Venue

The couple chose Domaine d'Essendieras, a domaine in Dordogne.

Premium

Domaine

Domaine d'Essendieras

Dordogne ·

An enchanting 360-hectare estate with two historic castles, offering sophisticated wedding celebrations with extensive accommodation for up to 200 guests, refined French cuisine, and multiple ceremony and reception spaces.

Up to 250 guests

From €6,500 4.5 (395)