Rigaud has been hosting weddings for over twenty years and from the moment you arrive at the chateau, a real sense of continuity and experience shines through. Surrounded by Bordeaux vines, just twenty minutes’ drive from St Emilion, the owners place a firm focus on the professional quality of the food and the team who deliver their events. This idyllic wedding chateau employs a brigade of chefs, cooking with local and home-grown ingredients, alongside in-house planners, florists, stylists, housekeeping and front of house staff.
Chateau interiors will please anyone with an eye for design. There’s a definite boutique hotel vibe which includes L’Occitane bathroom products, luxury bed linen and extensive housekeeping to keep things fresh. An incredible breakfast display greets your guests each morning, complete with Bloody Mary tray, of course, whereas afternoons feature a delicious cake with a glass of fizz. It’s an hotel service but with a relaxed home from home atmosphere which couples constantly rave about.
On the wedding day the grounds offer several ceremony locations, on the formal quad, in the meadow or within a copse of trees and the local church has stunning views for many miles around. The wedding meal can be staged inside a traditional candlelit barn or outside on a terrace under the stars.
Local activities can include wine tastings in St Emilion or a canoe descent on the Dordogne and rehearsal night dinner is often at a riverside bistro. The following day is perfect for a long and lazy lunch perhaps followed by a styled ice cream bar, just perfect for an afternoon beside the pool or playing lawn games. Rosé Crounders is an in-house favourite! On the final evening, chateau guests can feast on pizza from the woodfired oven in the vegetable garden which brings the whole event to a perfect close.
Despite having hosted well over 300 weddings at Rigaud, the team still keep in touch with past couples and 10 year anniversary parties are now a regular mid-week fixture.
The Green Plus point: this venue features geothermal heating, implements composting, and boasts a productive vegetable garden.
