A Scottish wedding at Château de Réal
Just as some Scottish single-malts travels from Scotland to Médoc to mature deeply, Emma and Matthew chose to celebrate a Destination Wedding in France into Château Réal, to let their love mature, deepen, and finally blossom.
Château Réal is a 19th-century manor house turned into a “maison d’hôtes”. Ideally located on the wine route of Médoc for people to enjoy a wonderful French experience.
Renovated in 2020 by its new owners, the Château Réal accomodates up to 70 guests, making it ideal for an intimate destination wedding. It offers 8 comfortable bedrooms and suites, a spacious setting with a garden, swimming pool, terrace, living room, and hotel-style services for a relaxing stay. A house manager is available to organize breakfasts or activities such as yoga sessions or excursions, ensuring guests enjoy a personalized and memorable experience.
Getting Ready at Château Réal
The bride got ready in the Bridal Suite of Château Réal with her sister, her mother, her grandmother, and her talented hairstylist friend.
The atmosphere was relaxed, full of music, buzzing conversations, and good humour. After the girls wrote down their speeches on paper, they helped Emma into her beautiful gown… A simple yet modern silhouette that highlighted her smile and made her absolutely radiant.
Getting Ready at Château de MaLliac
Across the hallway, Matthew was getting ready with his friends. The mood was lively and full of laughter as they helped each other into their traditional Scottish outfits: tweed kilts, ghillies, sporran. They adjusted kilts and fasten the final details of their attire. There was an easy camaraderie in the room, the kind that comes from long friendships and brotherhood.
Step by step, their formal looks came together, and with each gesture the excitement of the day grew more tangible. Surrounded by his closest companions, Matthew seemed both calm and energized, fully embracing the joyful rhythm of the morning before the ceremony.
AN INTIMATE CEREMONY Under the trees
Emma and Matthew chose the ceremony to take place outdoors, under the shade of tall trees. Thanks to SDSQ Florist, a romantic arch was draped in white fabric and surrounded by roses planted directly into the ground, creating an enchanted, natural floral carpet as a scenery for their vows.
Late August brought a few droplets of rain during the ceremony. But rather than dampen spirits, the rain added charm: the couple didn’t rush for shelter. The light rain felt almost like a blessing from their homeland.
A very Symbolic ceremony
When you choose an intimate symbolic ceremony, you can either choose a professional celebrant or a close friend or family member. Here, Close friends and family gathered, the groom’s sister officiated . Speeches from loved ones followed: each message soft, sincere, filled with emotion. At the end, Emma and Matthew chose a symbolic “handfasting”, a Celtic-inspired ritual, where their hands were bound with a ribbon made out of a traditional kilt piece of fabric. That symbolic knot sealed not only their love, but the blending of two families, and two roots.
Couple portraits at sunset
As evening fell, we reserved about twenty minutes for couple portraits. J just enough time to capture tenderness and laughter, without pulling the newlyweds away too long from their guests.
EXCEPTIONAL OVERVIEW
Then we climbed to the balcony of the Chateau Réal‘s bridal suite. A clearing in the sky offered a warm glow, and from the balcony the view stretched across the Médoc vineyards.
CREATING AN EXPERIENCE FOR THEIR GUESTS
What struck me most on that day at Chateau Réal was how genuine everything felt. There was no extravagance, no grand spectacle. Instead: love, shared moments, authenticity, and good food!
Behind this smooth celebration stood Élodie, founder of La Fabrique à Mariage, who accompanied the couple in full-service planning. With her, Emma and Matthew created a space where close family and friends could truly connect, in nature, in history, among the French Medoc vineyards. They didn’t just come to exchange vows: they offered their guests a moment of disconnection from the world, a pause, a core memory rooted in French terroir.
CELEBRATING LOVE AT CHATEAU REAL
For a few magical hours, under trees and following the roses, this wedding at Château Réal was more than a ceremony. It was the fusion of heritage and love, roots and new beginnings. With love from Scotland to the Médoc in South West of France.
As a wedding photographer in Bordeaux, I feel honored to have captured these honest moments. I witnessed not just a wedding, but a story of blending histories, of choosing love that respects origins and embraces the future.
WEDDING VENDORS
Venue: Château Réal ⎹ Wedding planner: La Fabrique à Mariage ⎹ Photographer: Jade Sequeval ⎹ Florist: SDSQ Florist ⎹ Caterer: Brasa BBQ Tent: Velum Event