It has been a memorable weekend at the Château de Jalesnes. On Saturday the Fête Nationale – Bastille Day – was celebrated in France. Every town and village in this region, and in France at large, was decorated with colourful bunting and French flags.
There was a palpable air of excitement due to the fabulous weather, with music festivals, floral festivals and outdoor concerts happening everywhere – villages in a holiday mood. A quick stop in at the local supermarket, revealed shopping trolleys in all directions filled with items intended for a weekend of feasting and fun.
No time for personal feasting for the Jalesnes team, however, as we were in serious preparation mode for a wedding due to take place over the holiday weekend and the château was fully booked. The internal château team were hard at work making the château gleam, polishing furniture, cleaning windows, and preparing the rooms.
The gardeners were busy cutting the lawns, weeding the garden beds, raking the gravel and ensuring that the swimming pool was ready for the guests to enjoy.
The sun loungers were placed in a perfect line and the umbrellas were colour coordinated to please our discerning bride and groom. Nothing gives us greater pleasure than to turn a bride’s wedding dream into reality. Our motto is “Your wedding, your way”, and we mean it.
The Fête Nationale was a precursor to what became moment of national joy when the French football team won the World Cup. For weeks leading up to the final, it was hard to miss the constant reminders in the form of “allez les bleus” popping up on menu boards and elsewhere .
Meanwhile at Jalesnes the wedding guests were enjoying a fun filled day of laughter and a superb meal provided by our brilliant guest chef
Eric Bichon who comes to us from his restaurant L’Orée des Bois located in nearby La Breille-les-Pins.
Eric, as ever, ensured that every taste was catered for. The wedding cake was in the form of a traditional French croquembouche and the guests partied on into the early hours. A huge success!
The weekend drew to a close with all the wedding guests who stayed at the château watching the football final in the salon and then, as if by magic, the skies over the chateau filled with what appeared to be an angel, followed by a sensational sunset.
It felt as if it just couldn’t get any better than this and then this happened …
The nearby Château de Saumur was transformed into a glorious tricolor and it would be remiss of me if I did not include a photo taken by the talented local photographer Aurélien Fanni capturing the stunning beauty of the château – the pearl of the Loire – reflected in the glossy water below.
Felicitations France and to the French team and well done to our own Jalesnes team, who performed wedding event magic behind the scenes over the weekend. We were thrilled that we were able to make another dream into reality for yet another charming couple. We look forward to welcoming you to our home, your château.
Until next time.
The Châtelaine
