An Unexpectedly Whimsical Wedding at a French Château in Provence

Nearly five years after meeting at a tech company where they both worked in 2014, Maxine and Doug were at Burning Man when Doug shocked her with a proposal. “We were biking around looking at art and stopped to take a photo,” says Maxine. “We walked out in front of a sculpture of a big head with a content smile, and I turned around and was so surprised when he was down on one knee!”

The couple wanted their wedding, held at Château de Tourreau in Provence, France, to bring “fun, whimsical, boho vibes” to an unexpected setting. “Since we got engaged at Burning Man, we wanted our wedding to capture the magic of the playa and surprise guests with unexpected details at every turn,” says Maxine. The couple enlisted Wanderlust Wedding and Nuart Events to come up with an array of unique inclusions: A magician at the cocktail hour, a muralist painting during the reception, food servers wearing glittering costumes and Dali-inspired masks, and oversized teepees around the reception space filled with board games and cuddly teddy bears.

After three years of planning their wedding remotely, Maxine and Doug were able to see all the details come to life for their 121 guests on July 2, 2022. “The wedding felt like a perfect encapsulation of us,” says Maxine. “Classy but not too serious, and tons of fun.”

Ahead, see all the details as photographed by Kurt Boomer and second shooter Claire Eyos. 

Maxine and Doug were excited by the idea of combining the traditional elegance of Château de Tourreau with fun, whimsical reception details. “We played off of the green shutters on the château and did a color scheme of blush pinks, white, and live green tones,” says Maxine. The property also offered enough space for their whole wedding party to relax and mingle in the days leading up to the ceremony. “A pool was a must, and made for great summer vibes tanning and doing swim races the week before the wedding,” says the couple.

Maxine found her blush-colored Eisen Stein wedding dress, with its beaded and feathered skirt, online—”I had looked through countless photos, and this was the first one that I got really excited about!” she says—before trying it on at Mark Ingram Atelier. “The original dress had a plunging neckline and I knew that wasn’t for me,” she says; she asked the designer to customize the gown by swapping the original cut for a halter neckline, then added Celine Daoust earrings and Stuart Weitzman shoes.

From the team at Onorina Jomir Beauty, she requested a bolder eye and neutral lip: “Elevated but natural, glowy and bronzed,” she says. Her loose, flowing locks were a slightly more difficult decision. “I was going back and forth between hair up and down for the longest time! Originally I wanted to go with hair up because it seemed like classic bridal, but I realized that most importantly I wanted to feel like myself,” she says. “I always wear my hair down in everyday life and like myself best in photos with hair down.”

Maxine asked her mother, Ann, to serve as her matron of honor; she joined the other bridesmaids in individually chosen olive-colored gowns. “I sent out a Pinterest board to bridesmaids before the wedding and let them pick their own dresses,” says Mazine. “I didn’t give guidance around nail color, shoes, jewelry, because we are all our own people and I didn’t want everyone looking like clones!” Bouquets of white, ivory, blush, and green from Sisters & B were tied in asymmetrical bunches.

Doug donned a classic black tuxedo, white shirt, and white bow tie from Yves Saint Laurent; his groomsmen wore traditional black-tie attire.

On the lawn outside the château, the couple created a flower-lined aisle and a teepee that framed them as they said their vows. Asymmetrical pink and white flowers wound around the teepee poles, while woven vessels and a small mat sat atop the stone walkway. “I loved how the flowers looked like they were organically growing out of the ground,” says Maxine.

Lady’s Orchestra string quartet performed as Maxine’s father escorted her down the flower-edged aisle. During their ceremony, Maxine and Doug exchanged their own vows. “I included a journal entry from before we started dating, back when we were just friends, that talked about when I realized I loved Doug,” she says. “Our best friend, Alex Lasnik, was our officiant and did an incredible job with the ceremony. It was so special.”

“After the kiss, we played an upbeat song, ‘Loveboat,’ which got the fun vibes going as we walked out of the aisle,” says Maxine. “Guests celebrated by showering us in flower petals as we walked down the aisle.”

The couple worked with entertainment company NuArt Events to include entertainers throughout their reception. “There was a magician at the cocktail hour making things disappear and light on fire, there were Dali-inspired people with eyes and lips as heads when guests entered the dinner area, and ladies dancing with lampshades on their heads at the afterparty,” says Maxine. “Dreaming up the creative vision was the best part! We loved working with NuArt, who had so many fun costumes and experiences to choose from.”

The couple’s paper suite—including their menus and drink signs—included Art Deco-inspired fonts and embellishments. (Of the couple’s four signature drinks, says Maxine, “The favorite was the espresso martini.”)

To keep the focus on the entertainment, Maxine and Doug chose a more casual reception vibe: Tables lining the courtyard were dressed with oyster-colored linens, low centerpieces, and gold-and-glass settings. “We had string lights and a bunch of small delicate vases with one or two flowers in each scattered amongst the tables,” says Maxine. “We chose round tables with understated centerpieces to encourage guests to chat and connect with each other during the dinner.”

Teepees surrounding the dining area were individually designed to reflect a variety of themes. “One teepee was sleepover-themed, so there were a bunch of games, like Jumanji and Jenga, and a ouija board. Another teepee was cuddle-puddle-themed and was littered with stuffed bears—so fun!” says Maxine. “We love to have fun and don’t take things too seriously! It was so awesome to surprise guests who thought they were going to a stuffy wedding at a French château with fun, whimsical elements at every turn.”

A muralist was also hard at work during the reception, painting a unique piece of art in front of guests as the evening went on.

A three-tier cake from Made in Cake offered guests their choice of coconut cake with coconut cream, vanilla cake with lemon cream, or chocolate cake with vanilla cream. “Our cake looked like a geode or crystal—it was so good!” says Maxine.

The party didn't end once the reception was over. Guests moved on to an after-party, where they stayed on the dance floor until the wee hours of the morning. "Most people stayed until 5 A.M.," the bride remembers.