Chateau de Brives is steeped in history, linking the property directly with the local town of Cognac through its heritage. The Chateau was previously owned by M Dupuy d’Angeac, of one of the largest Cognac houses – Otard Dupuy. It was Dupuy who commissioned an architect to design the old coach house, and an architect who was particularly well travelled for someone in 1823. The architect took inspiration from his travels in Italy, something you can see in the coloured wall of the buildings, and of which is one of the many things that sets Chateau de Brives apart from other French chateau venues. The extravagant windows reflect the symmetry of the main chateau and where you will find the pool now was the original turning circle for the carriage.
It was this history and heritage that formed the story behind our most recent styled shoot at Chateau de Brives. The colours simply cannot be ignored, which is why we incorporated these into both the tablescape and across the whole venue to keep consistency as a new look for the venue to promote to its clients. We wanted to show clients to not be afraid of using colour, especially when the backdrop is as unique as this one.
The owners of the property have the most beautiful collection of antiques and props, which from a wedding planning point of view is the dream. We wanted to utilise this on the shoot, so we used an old dresser as the bar, as well as antique vases, candle holders and signage which are made from antique French bed heads. When planning a wedding we always look at mixing materials – stone, wood, linen and generally a good range of textures. This is something we did with this shoot, the lighter white-washed wooden tables are the perfect shade and style to complement most colour palettes, and the metal frame chairs give it that extra layer of interest.
The concept behind any shoot we do is to always best represent the venue and to help the potential clients seeing the images to imagine the space being filled with their loved ones.
The dining table was really the winning image due to the perfectly symmetrical coach house, which sits behind the terrace where the wedding breakfast would take place. We took the colours from the walls such as the soft burgundy, orange and pale pinks, and the darker tones worked really well because of the lightness of the wooden tables. The overall image with the festoon lighting surrounding the terrace transported us to somewhere in Italy or Spain, and as the sun was setting, the whole venue came to life with a soft golden glow.
On the day, there was a warmth from the design. When going bold on colours, you run the risk of taking a summer wedding into an autumnal colour way but the light tones surrounding the tables kept it fresh and bringing in yellow to the flowers kept it seasonal.
There is even a natural stage for speeches situated perfectly behind the tables, so we added lanterns to the steps and it looked magical. The venue is made up of so many different spaces that can be used. There is a local church for the service but we wanted to utilise the woodlands for a more rustic ceremony – we kept it simple though, as trees add so much natural texture and greenery to the backdrop. Imagining the bridal party walking across the lawns to the space where they become wed is a magical vision, especially paired with live music.
With all the work we do with venues, we try to utilise the entire property, taking guests on a real journey from start to finish but keeping the style consistent throughout. We feel incredibly lucky to work with this venue as a planning partner, purely because there is so much scope with how the venue can be used. For us, we always look for unique venues in unique locations and Chateau de Brives is just that.
Suppliers:
Venue - Chateau de Brives
Florals - Agnes Laye
Photography - Jonathan Bruneteau
Creative - Josh Tully Management