On March 8 we celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) – a day dedicated to lifting up the women of the world and taking action for equality. But celebrating the achievements of females around the world is more than a day’s work – so we’ve gathered a few activities inspired by some of our favourite French women.
A moment is just a moment – but it lives on in the mind. Memories make up our sense of self, whether childhood remembrances or the first time you met the person you’ll marry. These moments can become even more precious with time, expanding in significance and becoming more beautiful every time they’re remembered. Yet even the most treasured memories can be fragile and elusive, changed and forgotten – as Virginia Woolf said, “Memory is the seamstress, and a capricious one at that.”
So it makes sense that we yearn to capture a moment to stop it melting away, particularly on the most significant days of our lives. Weddings are planned for months, even years, a single day filled with precious and significant moments – whether just for two or surrounded by friends and family. Letting go into it completely means you need a good photographer, who shares your joy and your vision, to capture moments that can be cherished forever.
Imagine a little world all of your own, where only you and your loved one really exist. We welcome you to celebrate your love at Château Bouffémont this Valentine’s Day, in an intimate world that reflects the unique beauty of your connection.
Although there are at least three martyred saints named Valentine, the first of them is said to be a holy priest who defied Emperor Claudius II to perform marriages for lovers in secret, despite it being banned by Claudius. Valentine was sentenced to death for his defiance, becoming a saint after his death. Thus it is that recognising St. Valentine’s Day is ideal for celebrating everything that marriage represents.
Wedding days are a dream come true – a tangible realisation of love and celebration of a lifelong union. Uniquely special, these days come in many forms; at Château Bouffémont we’ve been delighted to see everything from an elopement to the romantic streets of Paris to intimate gatherings on our terraces and grand destination weddings in our royal château. And of course, every wedding needs an architect working behind-the-scenes to make these dreams a reality.
Weddings run through the heart of our Château and, with the same sense of inevitability, through Billy Folchetti’s career – including how he got started. “I was at a point in my college years where I was feeling a bit uninspired and insecure that my study choices were actually going to lead me where I wanted to go in life. At the same time, as the universe would have it, I was offered a sales job working for a company focusing on Vietnamese weddings. Prior to this opportunity I had never considered the wedding industry but I very quickly fell in love.”
The Château Bouffémont Vlog N° 009: A New decade 2020
Our monthly Vlog series offers an invaluable peek behind the curtain at the Château Bouffémont to let you see how the magic really happens. This month in our Château near Paris, exclusively for the Château Bouffémont Vlog, we’re looking back on a wonderful decade. We’ve had parties, events, weddings and so many beautiful couples – and of course, we started vlogging! We’re officially in a new decade, and this is our first vlog of 2020. We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we’ve enjoyed making those memories.
The Château Bouffémont Vlog N° 008: Christmas Decorating Ideas with Laura Le Cam and Madame de la Maison
Our monthly Vlog series offers an invaluable peek behind the curtain at the Château Bouffémont to let you see how the magic really happens. The festive holiday is just around the corner – those unforgettable moments spent with our family and closest friends. That’s why this month in our private château for rent near Paris, exclusively for the Château Bouffémont Vlog, we’re talking all about Christmas decorating. Our General Manager Sarp enlists the help of florist Laura Le Cam, and Madame de le Maison providing vintage tableware, to show you just how to decorate your home for Christmas.
We’ve prepared a step-by-step guide for you to create your own floral Christmas centrepiece, along with ideas for setting your table and a few bonus tips for decorating your Christmas tree.
There’s a special significance attached to flowers, whose paper-thin petals and delicate scents hold a strange power over us. Nature’s rich colour and variety is on full display in their intricate, sweet-smelling forms. Buddha’s flower sermon saw him hold up a lotus flower; one enlightened disciple smiled in response. This disciple saw, inherent in the beautiful object, fleeting beauty – momentary joy. Flowers aren’t just beautiful, they’re symbolic, from bouquets celebrating joyous occasions to those given in times of sorrow. Stems and petals comfort and inspire us to reflect on our own place in the natural world, and on the way in which delicacy exudes its own power: “The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks,” says Tennessee Williams in Camino Real.
Autumn is ending and long nights are drawing into winter; the trees in the Montmorency forest are almost bare and all is peaceful along the leaf-lined forest paths. We’re entering a time of quietude and reflection, the necessary dormancy for nature to regenerate in time for spring – but within the cosy rooms of Château Bouffémont, the glittering festivities are just beginning.
Thanksgiving is here, a celebratory and joyful day of bonding with loved ones, on which we enjoy plentiful food symbolising a good harvest and a warm table. From North America to Japan, Germany to the Netherlands, days of thanks are celebrated in many different countries – each formed with their roots in the celebration of a good harvest. But what they all share is a focus on loved ones coming together to bond over thoughtfully prepared meals: on this day, they share gratitude for each another and the food they’re enjoying together. And what better setting for joyful celebration than our royal château near Paris?
The Château Bouffémont Vlog N° 007: How To Spend A Perfect Day In Paris
Our monthly Vlog series offers an invaluable peek behind the curtain at the Château Bouffémont to let you see how the magic really happens. Wondering how to spend a perfect day in Paris? Watch our vlog below to join us on our journey!
Whispers of lace, delicate clouds of chiffon, slithers of silk, a veil lifted gently in the breeze… At the centre of any wedding, the bridal gown offers a story all of its own, from dreamy fairytale to captivating drama. John Keats says it best: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.”
Destined for a single, special wear, a dress can be one of the most significant elements of a bride’s wedding plans. On this day, an exquisite garment can transcend the physical to embody and exude a celebration of love, the symbolism of the wedding day and the promise that the future holds. Paired with an exclusive wedding destination in France, it creates a day to remember forever.
