first thoughts

Planning your wedding

guest info website

LOCAL ACCOMMODATION

Rigaud accommodation & floorplans

Other Rigaud services

Food & wine

Ceremonies

Musicians

Other outside service providers

Paying for your wedding

Design, props & getting the right look

Planning schedule for Spring weddings

Planning schedule for Autumn weddings

Our aim at Rigaud is to provide continual improvement & therefore this handbook is a permanent work in progress. There will be modifications during the lead up to your wedding, as we might discover a brilliant new option. Please don’t be alarmed by changes, they are only ever improvements.…

Any prices below refer to 2025.

 Now that you’ve booked your wedding, the next important steps to consider are…

 1. Insurance
In accordance with our contract, you become legally responsible for payment in full of house rental, venue fee, planning fee & 70% of the wedding meal cost six calendar months prior to your wedding date. This is a vital security measure for us but it does leave you exposed to a large payment should circumstances change. We urge you to consider decent wedding insurance & put some in place soon after booking. Even post-covid there are insurance policies out there. One of our brides recently recommended covermywedding.co.uk, who use Blue Wed Insurance to underwrite the policy.

 2. Music & Photography
Music & photography are the two key services to get booked up first. The best bands & photographers are in huge demand so don’t leave this decision any later than you have to.

 3. Will you be joining a planning weekend?
We highly recommend these weekends. There’s as much wine tasting & food appreciation going on as there is talk of confetti & the planning team all agree that couples who attend get much better value from the whole Rigaud experience.

 4. Your Rigaud wedding planner
We have a fantastic in house wedding planning team here & we will match you up with your personal Rigaud wedding planner just before our Autumn planning weekends begin.

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Official planning weekends

These optional weekends take place twice a year, in the autumn & spring.

The idea is for you to enjoy a weekend away, getting to know our area better & generating ideas for your wedding.  During the weekend you will....

Meet with your personal planner – it’s an important relationship to get started.

Meet with the chef team & taste some of the proposed wedding menu.  

Taste the standard & upgrade wines on offer for the wedding day & make choices.

Visit possible venues for your rehearsal meal.  You might also want to view other accommodation in the area to choose where you might want to direct your guests.

Meet with our in-house florist, to discuss the look you want.

Trial run the hair & make-up talents of our recommended stylist, Laura Cawte or arrange to meet & trial with other stylists.

Eat dinner together with your wedding planning team & get to know us a bit better. It’s often over a glass of wine at dinner that the best plans are hatched!

It’s a tightly packed weekend with the emphasis on generating ideas for your wedding & ticking as many boxes as possible. We highly recommend that you invite Mum & Dad to join in where appropriate & feel welcome to bring other members of the bridal party since it’s valuable for them to see & understand the chateau before the big weekend.

The cost is €985 per couple per weekend, which is inclusive of two nights full board accommodation. We start at lunchtime on Friday & finish after breakfast on Sunday, with a fully inclusive lunch, dinner, bed & breakfast both nights. The fizz & the cocktails flow generously & you'd be amazed at how well many generations get along.  Book flights to arrive on Friday morning & to leave anytime on Sunday since a trip to St Emilion is always welcome if you’re on a late flight home.

Space is limited & places do get booked up fast so give us the heads up if you want to join us.

Unofficial planning visits

Planning your wedding along with other couples is not for everyone & some people prefer to do their planning on their own. Unfortunately, it’s not usually possible to provide a tasting or to accommodate you at the chateau on an odd night basis since we’re full throughout the season or closed for continual upgrade & refurbishment in the off-season. One option is to join a Wine Weekend & arrange for your planner to be available. Failing this we can arrange accommodation for your visit, staying at any of the nearby chambres d’hote & to meet up with your planner individually.

What is the role of your Wedding Planner?

Your basic wedding planning fee of €3050 allows for 80 hours of planning at €38 per hour. This roughly breaks down as 45 hours planning time leading up to the weekend & a further 35 hours on-site management during the wedding weekend itself. The planning time leading to the weekend should look something like this:

Stage 1.  Getting to know you

Conference calls with you both & follow up report to outline your basic ideas.

Your planner will want to establish where you will be legally married, what sort of ceremony you will want & will discuss the options for the key suppliers.  The planner will establish availability of the suppliers you have listed & a second call about a week later will confirm them. 

If you attend a planning weekend most of the remaining details are established then. If not then further calls will be needed to discuss options & gather information. You will then receive the first in a series of unromantic reports & a working budget in order that you can be sure of the progress made.

Stage 2.  Creating the Guest Information Pack & admin of guests

To put together your online guest information pack and/or booking form link, you will need to have decided upon the rehearsal day activities & evening meal & confirm whether you or your guests will be paying for wedding night buses & Sunday lunch.  Your planner will send the pack to you as a link which you mail out to your guests or the booking form only option as a link for you to embed in your own website.  It is usual for 20% of guests to respond within two weeks but for 80% to wait until the month before the wedding & several to leave this until the cut-off point a week before the big day. If you want your planner to send you regular guest reports this can eat into planning time & incur additional cost. The best approach is to leave this alone until about two months before the wedding at which point you need a call with your planner to identify where guest information is needed.

It’s best to work with your planner to put together the website and booking form so, in the meantime we recommend you send your guests our list of recommended local accommodation and a brief outline of the agenda for the wedding day and the days before and after so that they can make their travel plans accordingly.

Stage 3.  Adding the detail for The Housekeeping Report

This is the stage where the finer details are discussed.  Allocation of rooms, menu choices for the meals around the wedding day, props & styling during the weekend, etc. Your planner can’t start with the fun stuff until the boring admin elements of your wedding weekend are established.

Stage 4.  Your planner over the wedding weekend

On your arrival day your planner will meet you for lunch & will be around until about 8pm to see many of your guests into the chateau.  On the second day your planner will be on site from just after breakfast until your guests leave for dinner.  The wedding day itself starts at 10am and runs through until your guests are seated for dinner and on the following day your planner will be available from about 10am until the late afternoon. When your planner is not on site she will hand over to the Front of House manager or the Duty Manager as appropriate.

The basic planning fee will cover

Discussing Rigaud recommended service providers & establishing their availability

Recording choices made for guest activities, ceremony & service providers & reporting these arrangements to relevant parties

Discussing meal options throughout the weekend, recording choices & liaising with the chef team

Discussing, recording & reporting housekeeping issues such as guest rooms, arrival & departure times, special requirements in room etc

Creating & administering the Guest Information Pack which includes chasing payments for activities, registering dietary requirements & creating a transport schedule for the wedding night

Liaising with the florist / stylist to ensure the set-up of the barn & grounds is according to plan

Creating internal reports to ensure the smooth running of the day

Maintaining the budget

Additional tasks the planner will do at additional charge include

Sourcing things we don’t offer as standard such as props, decorations, personal favours for the table, specialised drinks

Extra arrangements for guests not staying at the chateau

Working with your wedding planner

Other than face to face time during a planning weekend, you will of course need to communicate with your wedding planner via email & phone calls.  Your planner will set up specific online call appointments, preferably on weekdays and no later than 9pm French time.  If you are unable to make a scheduled appointment we ask that you cancel it with 24 hours’ notice, or we will have to add it as an hour to your budget.

We recommend that you plan specific appointments for these calls at mutually convenient times, when your planner can be ready by a phone, with her computer open.

Late evenings are not great for lengthy planning sessions since our planners work mainly daytime hours and we are already an hour ahead in France.

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Organising your guests to attend a wedding in another country brings with it some administrative challenges & the majority of our couples are busy people, which is why we have developed The Guest Information Website & Online Booking Form, enabling your people to book activities the day before your wedding (canoe descents or St Emilion wine tours etc), tell us about their dietaries & book their place on the bus home at the end of the wedding night.

We recommend that you ask your guests to RSVP directly to you first as to whether they are attending the wedding or not. Then you direct them to the website where they can find out what’s going on and sign up to any activities via the linked booking form.

The first draft is prepared from a template including your proposed activities. We don’t charge for the website. We allow for one edit. If you require later edits then we are able to provide what subsequently becomes a bespoke document but these changes are charged at €50 per hour of the time involved.

If you are creating your own wedding website then you are welcome to use our images & we will create a link from your site to the online booking form. We do not advise using both our site & your own website in conjunction with one another since this introduces a margin for error and confusion.

To see an example of site, click HERE

Suggested activities for the day before your wedding

1. Canoe descent & picnic from Pessac-sur-Dordogne, available from June to September.

Guests transport themselves to the canoe base in Pessac from where they are taken up river together by minibus & put into the water to paddle back downstream to Pessac. They are met at the end of the descent by Rigaud staff with delicious Tiffin Tin picnics, prepared by our chefs.

This is easy, relaxed and great fun. Cost €20 to canoe and €30 for the picnic, which is delivered fresh to the group on the river bank and includes some welcome rosé wine!

There is also the option to join in the picnic without taking part in the canoe descent, which is popular for the older generation and those with very young children. Children must be six years or over for canoeing.

Guests pay their picnic cost via the online form in advance and the canoe cost on the day at the quayside in cash. For insurance reasons, payment for the canoes has to be made direct to the canoes company rather than through Rigaud.

In case of bad weather or if the river is too high for canoes we divert the booked canoeists to a vineyard tour and deliver the picnics there with more wine & less paddling involved.

2. Local chateau tour, wine tasting & lunch

For guests with an interest in wine we can arrange a local chateau tour & tasting followed by lunch in a restaurant (dependent on numbers). This is on a self-drive basis & the cost is about €20 for the chateau tour with wine tasting.

3. Friday night at The Bistro

We recommend the pretty riverside venue, The Bistro, as the ideal venue to host your rehearsal night meal. Rigaud owns the building and a dedicated catering team will offer exclusive use for Rigaud couples’ rehearsal nights .  

Located on the banks of the Dordogne & only 3 kms from the chateau, it's in a perfect location overlooking the Dordogne and we offer three courses from €57 pp, including house wines.

The meal has to be booked & paid for in advance since the venue cannot accept the risk of uncertain numbers, so it is essential for your guests to book & pay via the link from your guest information or wedding website, up until two weeks before the night.

If you think your numbers on rehearsal night will exceed 80, we can do an early evening wine tasting with finger food at The Bistro. This is an opportunity to meet up the night before the wedding and enjoy a selection of wines and bites to eat.

See the menu options in Rehearsal Meal Options.

Alternatively, we can recommend options at other venues.

4. Friday night at a St Emilion chateau - Atelier de Candale

The Atelier de Candale restaurant on Chateau Candale’s wine estate near St Emilion has a beautiful terrace overlooking the vineyards. Here they offer a three-course dinner with their own wines from €75 per person and for large numbers, a ‘cocktail dinatoire’ (drinks & canapés) from €65 per person, including drinks.

5. Friday night at La Plage

La Plage is a summer pop-up restaurant on the riverbank opposite Castillon-la-Bataille. There’s loads of space for big groups and a covered area in case of bad weather. It’s a very relaxed three-course meal with sharing platters - charcuterie & cheese, roast chicken, frites & salad, chocolate macaron, & 1/4 bottle rosé wine included, from €45 per person.

A note about eating in the area on the Friday night

We strongly recommend that you organise a meal for your people the night before the wedding & that you do this away from the chateau since you want to save the impact of your venue for the big day.

Having said this, please remember that you are in rural France where standards differ from a London brasserie.  The local restaurants are not under our control & are not generally geared up to take large numbers.  Service can be slow & chaotic at times!

Payment for activities and the Friday night meal

We operate a payment in advance system for the Friday reception via an online form which can be accessed via a hyperlink either within your own wedding website or within your Guest Information Website, depending upon which of these options you have chosen.

This booking form will generate email reports as & when your guests complete. Your planner will also create a regular overview report to keep you up to date with the responses.

We will issue you with a report of numbers about a month before your wedding & again as the big day draws closer. You will therefore know who has or has not paid before the meal & you’re able to chase the unpaid guests as necessary.

Ultimately it is your responsibility to ensure that all the meals are paid for & we ask that you help us to chase people up. An email from one of you in the week before the wedding will sort this out or your planner will be happy to write to late payers explaining that outstanding bills will be added to the couple’s account. This never fails to prompt payment, we bring it to your attention here, in advance, in order that you’re prepared for your planner to request permission for this!

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This list provides you with a choice of accommodation located within 15 minutes’ drive of
Chateau Rigaud. We guarantee to get you home to any of the accommodation below on the
wedding night using our Rigaud bus shuttle service. The ideal arrangement is to share a lift
to the ceremony with other guests staying in your accommodation, then swap the
arrangement to get back to your cars in the morning or arrange a taxi to take you to the
ceremony.

CLOSE TO CHATEAU RIGAUD

PUJOLS

A picturesque hilltop village with great views, just five minutes’ drive from Rigaud. In the centre is a small village shop and a restaurant. Church weddings are held in the Eglise Notre-Dame in Pujols.

Maison Cayrol, Pujols – whole house rental, sleeps 12

This is a very special private house with six bedrooms arranged around a charming courtyard garden with a pool. It’s a particularly brilliant option if you have a church wedding since it’s just a short walk from the church. The house is exclusively available to your guests as a whole, for four nights from Thursday to Monday. Whole house rental 4600€ for 4 nights. The house is also available for weekly rent.
Please contact Marilyn direct via the website.
www.maisoncayrol.com

Les Gués Rivières, Pujols – from about 80€ per night
In the heart of Pujols, with 4 bedrooms and beautiful sunset views from the terrace. French
owners.
www.margotte.olivier.pagesperso-orange.fr/

The Old Schoolhouse, Pujols – sleeps 12, house rental from 360€ per night
Converted schoolhouse with views over the vineyards around the hilltop village of Pujols, there are four bedrooms and a lovely terraced pool overlooking the church.
www.romanticgite.com

Dame Chouette, Pujols - sleeps up to 20, house rental from 4450€ for three nights
Formerly a farmhouse, the property is now available as a whole house rental comprising two gites and three rooms, eight bedrooms in total, set in a lovely garden just five minutes’ drive from Rigaud. Each gite can be hired individually.
www.damechouettepujols.com

MOULIETS ET VILLEMARTIN / FLAUJAGUES / STE RADEGONDE

Mouliets is the closest village to Chateau Rigaud but has no shops or amenities. Flaujagues is
the next village along and flanks the Dordogne river. It has a small shop and a restaurant. Ste
Radegonde is a very small village but boasts a great sourdough bakery.  Accommodation in these villages is within a 5 minute drive of Rigaud.

Gironde Chambres, Mouliets et Villemartin – Irish run B&B, from 90€ per night
A lovingly restored farmhouse with large comfortable rooms all en suite, with tea and coffee
making facilities. Full Irish or continental breakfast included.
www.girondechambres.com

Domaine de Vert-Bois, Ste Radegonde – sleeps up to 9, house rental from 110€
Converted farmhouse with four bedrooms very close to Rigaud. The owners also run an
equestrian centre alongside.
Book here

Chateau Le Sèpe, Ste Radegonde – B&B, 3 rooms from 160€
Just around the corner from Rigaud, this is a French-owned, working vineyard with three
comfortable B&B rooms.
www.chateaulesepe.com

Maison Ygeia, Flaujagues – B&B, 3 rooms from 90€
Overlooking the Dordogne river and very close to Rigaud. Lovely renovated house with pool,
hosted by a Franco-American couple.
www.flaujagues.com

Clos Cerise, Flaujagues – sleeps 4, house rental, 200€ per night
Beautifully converted barn with very well-appointed bedrooms and kitchen and a private little garden. The owners live next door and can provide breakfast.
www.closcerise.com

Château de Sanse, Ste Radegonde – 3 star hotel from 90€ per night room only
Closer to Gensac than Ste Radegonde really and located in a secluded area away from the villages. Three-star hotel with great views from the terrace. There are 16 rooms or suites and a popular restaurant.
www.châteaudesanse.com

Domaine du Berry, Ste Radegonde - sleeps 12, house rental, approx 950€ per night
Located in a beautiful, quiet little valley this stunning house is luxurious.  Six bedrooms, a vast living room and wonderful terrace with swimming pool. Can only be booked via Airbnb.
https://airbnb.com/h/domaineduberry

CASTILLON-LA-BATAILLE

Castillon is the nearest town to Rigaud. There is an hourly train service to central Bordeaux and a selection of restaurants and shops, including a big Leclerc supermarket on the outskirts of town. Monday is market day and extends over most of the centre of town.

Chez Castillon, Castillon-la-Bataille, approx 110€ per night
Micky and Janie run a relaxed ‘maison bourgeoise’, which they have renovated and where they run creative writing, painting and photography courses. There’s a fabulous, secluded swimming pool in the garden. We need to clear each wedding date with Micky and Janie but if they are available then this is a brilliant place to send guests who want the buzz of a town setting. There’s a great atmosphere, shops and bars on hand and it all comes at a reasonable price.
www.chezcastillon.com

La Maison Botanique, Castillon-la-Bataille - B&B, 3 rooms from 100€ per night
A charming townhouse, within easy walking distance of the station, bars, restaurants and shops. Host Rachel speaks English and is part of an eco-responsible tourism network. For stays of two nights or more, contact Rachel by email to benefit from a slight discount (rachel.duigou@gmail.com)

Maison Elegia, Castillon-la-Bataille – 4 rooms B&B from 125€ per night per room
A beautiful townhouse in the centre of Castillon-la-Bataille with four double bedrooms, roof terrace swimming pool, fully-equipped kitchen. A real home from home.
www.maisondemaitrelegia.com

Le Phénix, Castillon-la-Bataille – 14 rooms & 2 apartments, from 70€ per night
Newly refurbished hotel located in the centre of Castillon-la-Bataille, so convenient for bars and shops. Budget prices for basic rooms with a very popular restaurant.
www.hotel-restaurant-le-phenix.fr

Le Terrier des 3 Conils, Castillon-la-Bataille - sleeps 6-10, house rental from 250€ per night
Quirky town house near the station. Three bedrooms & a garden.  See the Airbnb listing for details then email the host direct for pricing - lanvin.elodie@neuf.fr (Elodie speaks English)
https://airbnb.com/h/leterrierdes3conils

Chateau Franc-Daut, St Magne de Castillon - sleeps 6, villa rental from 250€ per night, plus suite for 2 in the chateau
On the outskirts of Castillon-la-Bataille, Kay & Mark’s villa in the grounds of their riverside chateau is available to rent. Three luxurious bedrooms, well-appointed living space and a private pool. There is also an apartment suite in one wing of the chateau.
www.francdaut.com

GENSAC

A historic hilltop village with protected status, Gensac has a small supermarket, pharmacy hairdresser and a couple of bar/restaurants. It’s a 10-15 minute drive from Chateau Rigaud.

Gensac Tower, Gensac – sleeps 2, approx. 110€ per night
Owned and run by our very own Fiona, General Manager at Chateau Rigaud. Super romantic accommodation for a couple, with an amazing view from the roof terrace.
www.gensactowergites.com or email fiona@chateaurigaud.co.uk

Chateau de Claribès, Gensac - sleeps up to 4, house rental from 240€ per night
Very comfortable, two-bedroom house on this family-run wine property set among rolling vines.
www.claribes.com/holiday-house-claribes/

Chateau Carbonneau, Gensac – Smart B&B approx 120€ per night
Run by Jacquie and Wilf, both English speaking (Jacquie is from New Zealand), this is a wine producing estate. Jacquie also runs a tea room/tapas bar onsite. The chateau is beyond Gensac, not within walking distance of the village.
www.château-carbonneau.com

La Girarde, St Quentin de Caplong – Smart B&B approx 130€ per night
Run by Mark and Trish Tyler, this very lovely chambres d’hotes has four ensuite rooms, all with access to a small pool. Stylish, professional and well-priced but a bit further away from Rigaud than the rest at a 15 minute drive.
www.lagirarde.com

PESSAC-SUR-DORDOGNE

Pessac is a riverside village with a shop, hairdresser, restaurant and canoe centre with a pop up restaurant.

Domaine des Monges, St Seurin de Prats – 3 B&B rooms, cottage sleeping 8, from 130€ per night
Beautifully appointed 18th century manor house in a riverside location with pool. This is one of the furthest from Rigaud but a stunning place to stay.
www.domainedesmonges.com

Le Manoir de la Rivière, St Seurin de Prats – B&B from 120€ per night per room
Set in a gorgeous location overlooking the Dordogne river. Peace and tranquillity, and a large swimming pool.
www.le-manoir-de-la-riviere.com

Chateau Le Méjean, near Pessac-sur-Dordogne - B&B 5 rooms from 120€ per night
A classic French country house in a peaceful setting. Charming and very welcoming French hosts.
www.chateau-lemejean.com

Villa Shambhala , St Seurin de Prats – sleeps 8, whole house rental from about 900€ per night
Beautiful villa with 4 double/twin bedrooms in pretty riverside hamlet across the river from
Pessac-sur-Dordogne. Plus an extra little property alongside called Petite Shambhala.
Book here

FURTHER AFIELD

L’Epicurial, St Pey de Castets – from 80€ per night
Recently refurbished local hotel with 10 rooms at very reasonable prices and a very popular restaurant on site, plus a sauna and jacuzzi.
www.hotelrestaurantlepicurial.com

Gite Château Perrotin Cottage, St Pey de Castets - 2 rooms, from 100€ per night
Cottage on the grounds of Chateau Perrotin, a working vineyard.
https://www.domaine-de-perrotin.com/en/accommodations

Domaine de Polus, St Vincent de Pertignas -  B&B, 2 rooms & 2-bedroom guest house from 130€
Somewhere a bit special and very beautiful. Stunning pool and views. Two bedrooms in the main house and two in the guest house. Breakfast is served in the Orangerie.
www.depolus.blogspot.com

Château de Courtebotte, St Jean de Blaignac - 7 rooms, 2 gites & a treetop cabin
One of the furthest away from Rigaud but a beautiful chateau with lovely rooms, a log cabin among the trees and a tower suite.
www.châteaudecourtebotte.com

Chambres en Vigne, Ruch – From approx 98€ per night, including breakfast
In the village of Ruch a beautifully restored house with five B&B rooms plus an independent
gite in the garden which sleeps 10, and a lovely swimming pool. Dinner can be arranged too.
There is also their new 7-bedroom gite, Logis en Vigne, sleeping 16-20 people.
www.chambresenvigne.com

Clos des Abeilles, Ruch – B&B, 5 rooms from 80€
Valerie runs this lovely countryside B&B with pool.
www.leclosdesabeilles.com/

Cottage des Labours, Belvès-de-Castillon - sleeps 4, cottage rental, approx 130€ per night
Calm, tranquil setting in the vines, run by Charlotte who is English.
Airbnb-CottageDesLabours

Chateau du Palanquey, Ste Colombe - B&B 6 rooms from 200€ per room per night
Set among the vines not far from St Emilion, Palanquey offers an outdoor pool and a spa with heated indoor pool, jacuzzi and sauna.
www.chateaudupalanquey.com

Les Ambèles, St Magne de Castillon - B&B 3 rooms from 120€ per room per night
Three rooms with a pool.
www.lesambeles.com

Le Petit Cinq Ruffe, Listrac de Durèze - sleeps 4, cottage rental, approx 105€ per night
Two bedrooms and shared use of the owners’ pool.
Le Petit Cinq Ruffe

Transport home for guests on the wedding night

We can arrange transport home on the wedding night using both the Rigaud minibuses. We suggest that this is paid for partly by the wedding couple at a rate of €280 and partly via contributions from your guests via the online booking form before they arrive for the wedding.

This is carefully worded since we cannot provide a taxi service however we can arrange bus hire & drivers for you & take contributions to the overall cost in this manner.

We stress within the Guest Information Website and we ask you to help us get the message across that the accommodation we recommend to guests is the only accommodation that we can be sure to take guests back to after the wedding.  It’s not possible to find random, unlisted gites at 2am on the wedding night since the guests are usually a little drunken & unable to help the driver which can lead to frustrating journeys in the dark.

Getting here

The closest airports are Bordeaux and Bergerac with daily scheduled & budget flights from many UK airports.

Bordeaux - British Airways from London Heathrow, EasyJet from Belfast, Luton, Gatwick, Liverpool & Bristol. Ryanair from Edinburgh, Bristol & Stansted. 

Bergerac - Ryanair from London Stansted, East Midlands, Bristol & Liverpool. British Airways from London City & Southampton.

The closest mainline railway station is Libourne and is approximately 6 hours from Lille or 3.5 hours from Paris.  Since July 2017 the new Atlantic TGV has reduced the journey time between Paris & Bordeaux to just over 2 hours but does not stop at Libourne so you have to travel back out to Castillon which takes nearly an hour.

Be sure to point this out to anyone likely to travel by rail since Libourne is only 20 minutes from the chateau whereas Bordeaux St Jean station is at least an hour. It’s better to take the slower TGV.

The closest ferry port is St Malo which can be reached from Portsmouth on Brittany Ferries, it’s a 6 hour drive from the port to Chateau Rigaud.

We recommend that your guests hire a car wherever possible as it is difficult to reach the chateau & appreciate the local countryside without one.  All of the major hire car companies are located at Bergerac & Bordeaux airports & many airlines offer a discount when using their car hire partner.  There is a Europcar office at Libourne railway station.

It takes approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour to reach the chateau from either airport & driving directions from both are available.

Click HERE to see an example of our guest information website

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The main chateau has nine en-suite double bedrooms plus a dorm for children and the Vineyard Barn comprises four double bedrooms and two small beds for children. Maximum occupancy on the premises is 26 adults and up to 10 children.

chateau room descriptions

Nine en-suite double rooms plus a dorm for children, with maximum occupancy of 18 adults & up to 8 children.

The Tower Suite

This is the room we recommend as the wedding suite. It’s not the largest room but it’s location means you’re slightly distanced from the rest of your guests & have fabulous views over the quad where the ceremony usually takes place. The room has the best light for make-up & photography & a free-standing, full-length mirror as well as a dressing room for your wedding attire. Super bathroom with free standing bath & the Tower Shower.

The Maroc suite

Right at the very far end of the long wing, this is the largest room in the house.  It has a super-king four-poster bed, en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower & roll-top bath leading into a further small bedroom suitable for two young children.

Prussian

In the middle of the house, this is another very large room with super-king heavy carved double bed, en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower & a roll top-bath in the bedroom. This is a very noisy room since it sits directly above the dining room.  Perfect for the night owls in your group.

Ballroom

The most impressive in design terms, this is another very large room with a super-king four-poster bed, slightly rock & roll decor with dark blue walls & white Barcelona chairs. En-suite bathroom with roll top bath. Hand held shower attachment.

Dauphin

Super-king four-poster bed, lovely chaise longue & a bath in the bedroom. Loo & basin as well of course.

Bourgie

Super-king four-poster with en-suite shower room. There is a also a single bed in this room.

Jardin

The only downstairs bedroom, with a heavily carved super king-sized bed & en-suite shower room. This is the quietest room in the house being slightly separate from the others.

Aquitaine

King-sized bed en-suite shower room with bath and shower over, this room also interconnects with the Boudoir.

Boudoir

Super-king bed with en-suite shower room

The Dorm, on the ground floor

There are three sets of bunk beds in the dorm, six single beds in total.  The adjoining nursery is equipped with toys & games and has a very small bathroom with just a small bath, loo and a couple of sinks.  The dorm is only suitable for children. We can also provide cots & fold-up beds for younger children sleeping in their parents’ bedroom.

The Vineyard Barn and how it can be booked

The Vineyard Barn is a large four-bedroom house with more contemporary styling than the chateau. It’s formerly the family home of the chateau owners.

The barn is a fabulous space at the top of the chateau grounds which makes a perfect base for extended family or friends you want to keep close. You might choose to put one half of your family here. The house sleeps eight adults & a further two children if sharing a bedroom.

Bedrooms are furnished to the same standard as the chateau itself with 400 thread count linen, fluffy towels, L’Occitane bath products, hairdryers & are serviced daily. Fridges are generously stocked with juices, milk & rosé plus there’s a Nespresso machine & guests join breakfast in the chateau each morning.

Barrel room

Truly enormous master bedroom, with super king size double bed & lounge seating.  Luxury bathroom with double ended bath, huge walk-in shower & separate loo.  Within the entrance to the room is an additional child’s bed making this a super family suite.

Potager room

Large double bedroom with en-suite shower room, super king size double bed, with additional child’s bed, walk in shower, separate entrance from the gardens.

Cuve 1 & Cuve 2

Two smaller doubles, sharing a large family bathroom with double ended bath and large walk-in shower.

The open-plan living area has real wow factor, being approximately 10 x 16 metres with huge sofas, dining table for 14, large kitchen island and stunning glass fronted dresser.

Free internet, large screen TV, DVD and English satellite connection.

South facing landscaped gardens and large covered BBQ terrace with outdoor dining area.

Booking the Vineyard Barn

Couples can choose how they would prefer to offer the Vineyard Barn accommodation.  Some add it to the chateau booking and allocate the rooms themselves. Others prefer to nominate specific guests who they want to have in this accommodation but for these guests to pay individually.  It’s also possible to simply add the rooms in the house to the general accommodation list for your guests to book individually.

The cost of the barn remains the same either way, at €845 per night.

Our room allocation sheet can be downloaded HERE. It lists all the rooms in the Chateau and Vineyard Barn and you can play around with it to decide who should sleep where

Explaining the chateau to your guests

Rigaud is a bit different and it requires introduction to friends and family who are staying in the house. We are not a hotel but there is a high degree of service. The huge advantage of this is reflected in the fabulous private house atmosphere and of course in the cost but it can cause confusion to your guests and it’s important to explain to them how things work.

There is no charge for every cup of coffee, they can stick a load through the washing machine & the kids can be as noisy as they like. The downside is that they need to fetch the coffee themselves & that they will have to hang the washing up when the machine is finished.

Once this is all made clear you will find that your guests adore Rigaud & think you’re very clever for having found it.  We can also provide additional housekeeping at a very reasonable rate (ironing for example, or a turndown service) to make things easier for you.

Check in for your guests is from 4pm. Ideally you should arrive earlier for a light lunch with your planner to go through final details. Then you can unpack so that you are ready to greet your guests when they arrive.

Check out is by 11am on departure day please.

If you or your guests have late flights home we can recommend a stopover on the way to Bordeaux for a private vineyard tour and lunch at the British-owned Chateau George 7 in Fronsac. Ask your planner for details.

Other housekeeping points

Pool towels are provided for chateau guests. We don’t have enough for a whole wedding party so if you invite guests from other accommodation to use the pool then please ask them to bring their own towel.

No glasses around the pool - we hate to impose rules but are quite firm about there being no proper glass around the swimming pool. This is mainly for your own safety since broken glass in the pool is a serious risk.

On your final night the pool will be closed at 8pm for cleaning and treating with chemicals - after a heavy use during your stay, including a pool party for many, it’s essential for everyone’s safety that the chemicals are adjusted so we can maintain a safe pool. Your dinner is of course served at around 8pm.

Hairdryers are provided in every room

WiFi is available throughout the chateau

Bathroom products - L’Occitane shampoo, wash and body lotion products are provided in every bathroom

Housekeeping matters

The standard housekeeping package, which comes with your chateau rental is five hours each day to service bedrooms and common areas.

Additional housekeeping

Any other additional housekeeping you specifically request will be charged at 25€ per hour.

If you would like rooms turned around for new incoming guests during your stay we are able to provide the necessary housekeeping at a cost of €65 per changeover.  This fee covers the cost of laundering the linen and the staff time.

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Transport arrangements

Transport is one of the problem areas for a Rigaud wedding and needs careful consideration. Local taxis are thin on the ground, difficult to work with & are extortionately expensive due to high taxes on this form of transport.

The Rigaud minibus (8 passengers plus luggage space) and our people carrier (6 passengers) are available at your disposal during your wedding, at the following additional cost to your chateau hire.

Bordeaux airport transfer - for up to 4 passengers €140 each way, €190 each way for 5-8 passengers

Bergerac airport transfer - for up to 4 passengers €125 each way, €170 each way for 5-8 passengers

St Emilion - for up to 4 passengers €65 each way, €85 each way for 5-8 passengers

Pessac canoe centre - for up to 4 passengers €55 each way, €65 each way for 5-8 passengers

Libourne station - for up to 4 passengers €70 each way, €95 each way for 5-8 passengers

Chateau Carbonneau - for up to 4 passengers €55 each way, €65 each way for 5-8 passengers

Chateau to Castillon Station - for up to 4 passengers €30 each way, €55 each way for 5-8 passengers

Chateau & Vineyard Barn guests to The Bistro and back €220 return

Taxis from the airport can be booked by us directly but are expensive at approximately €140 from Bordeaux and €110 from Bergerac for three passengers.

Babysitting

We are able to provide babysitting for your guests but this needs to be booked at least eight weeks in advance of the wedding. Every year we experience the parents who decide against booking a babysitter in advance but change their minds on the day. This places those babysitters who have been booked for other children in a very difficult situation. The simplest thing is for you to advise your guests that babysitting is available & that they should contact your wedding planner directly via email to arrange it. It’s much better for the couple to be distanced from these arrangements. The UK child to staff ratios are strictly adhered to and babysitting is charged at €18 per hour per babysitter.

For groups of more than eight or ten children requiring childcare it’s best to use a specialised creche service. Your planner can give you details and put you in contact with the service.

The Boudoir Spa

Rigaud has a small treatment room for massages & facials by 0ur therapist, Teresa, who is highly praised for her massage skills and benefits from a lot of return business. Booking is required in advance and there is a call out fee of €60 where only one treatment is required.

You can pay Teresa at the point of treatment, by card or cash, or ask for the cost to be added to your final bill.

Massage

Full body massage: One hour from €95

Other areas, such as back, neck and head: 45 minutes from €80

Indian Head massage: 30 minutes from €55

Hot stone massage: 45 minutes from €80

PLEASE NOTE - Spa treatments should be booked in advance, before arrival.
Minimum number - three treatments. Maximum number in a day - five / six depending on the type of treatments.

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The wedding meal setting

The Rigaud wedding barn seats up to 140 people and is perfectly designed for the wedding dinner with its professional kitchen alongside, a covered bar just outside and an extensive terrace providing stunning indoor and outdoor areas for the whole evening. We can fill the area with candles and flowers for that magical, twinkly effect.

If you’re keen to dine under the stars, the wedding barn terrace can seat up to 140 people too. There are a few points to watch out for with outside dining. Even a slight breeze can topple over small vases of flowers and blow out candles so it’s worth taking advice about the most appropriate floral decorations. We hang strings of festoon lights overhead, but you will need to consider what kind of lighting to use on the tables and bear in mind that this probably won’t give the gorgeous twinkliness of real candles.

At the height of summer, dining outside also means a later start to the day so that the temperature is starting to dip by the time you sit down to eat. We recommend pushing back the ceremony to 5pm so that dinner service starts at about 8pm. Remember that this could impact the time available to your band after dinner as live music has to finish at midnight. A DJ or playlist is fine from midnight till 2am.

Weekend menus

Arrival night formal

Arrival night informal

Children

Lunch

Wedding meal menus

Wine options

the bar

There are several key meals to plan for during your wedding weekend, all of which have been included within your initial budget.

Arrival night dinner, choose formal from €75 or informal from €60 without wines

The most important people are staying with you in the chateau & on this first night it’s a good idea to gain their confidence in the weekend with a really excellent welcome meal. It relaxes the mums & dads if this first night is knock out.

We offer a formal, plated, three courses with canapés to start, at €75 per head. If you want to create a tasting menu we can arrange for you to discuss this personally with our Head Chef who would be delighted to introduce more courses. We can accommodate up to 22 guests at the main chateau dining table & 30 if we set up as separate tables.

If your numbers are higher than 22 and/or you would prefer something less formal, we can offer a two course informal menu from €60 per head which would also include canapés before dinner.

We can provide that additional first night wow factor with a luxuriously propped tablescape, from 120€.

And what about a cocktail waiter to serve up your favourite cocktails pre & post-dinner? 180€ from 6pm to midnight, excluding ingredients.

Second day lunch from €30 with wines

If you’re offering the canoes with picnic option then many of your guests will be out on the river for a picnic lunch. This is set up at a riverbank site & served from Tiffin Tins with beers and rosé. The picnic is cooked from scratch by the Rigaud chefs & includes home-made quiche or sausage rolls, salad, cheese and muffin. The cost is €30 which includes delivery to the site, staging & clear up. For those remaining at Rigaud we offer the same picnic at 26€.

Rehearsal night dinner from €45

Most couples choose to take the party to a local restaurant on the rehearsal night. See Suggested Activities above.

Wedding day lunch from €10 per head, without wines

You need to arrange something at lunchtime in order that your chateau guests are ready for a glass of champagne after the ceremony. At the chateau we suggest a selection of filled baguettes which keeps things simple. You should also consider service providers - videographers, photographer, hair stylist etc.

Following day lunch from €56 per head, with wines, served until 6pm

This is often the highlight for the happy couple since it’s a more relaxed day. The menus offer a range of slow roasts.

Following day supper from €24 euros per head, without wines

Hung-over guests have insatiable appetites. Despite a fabulous lunch they will all start to feel hungry again in the evening.  We recommend that you suggest an end time for the Sunday lunch in order that your guests make other arrangements for after 6pm but you will still have house guests to feed.  We propose a delicious chicken basque cooked outside the chateau in front of your guests. Or upgrade to a pizza evening in the vegetable garden where we light the wood fired oven and our chefs create home made pizza al fresco, under the festoon lights, €35 per person including wines.

Children’s meals during the weekend and on the wedding night

Children who are staying at the chateau during the four nights will probably prefer to eat earlier than the adults on the arrival night & possibly the rehearsal night. Our chefs & waiting team can set up a child friendly meal for them separately which is often a great relief to the parents. Children’s meals for under-12s are €16.

On the wedding day we recommend that under 12 years eat their supper during the canapé reception. Babysitters can be arranged to take care of them in the nursery, cinema & adventure playground during the evening. Children who eat with wedding party in the barn will be served a smaller portion of the wedding meal at a cost of €38 which reflects the hire charge for chair & tableware.

Wedding Cake or Croquembouche 

Most couples choose the traditional French Croquembouche, a tower of profiteroles filled with vanilla flavoured crème patissière and decorated with spun caramel.  It’s not necessary to order this for the same number of guests as you have at the wedding – anything over 50 portions makes for an impressive display.  €8 per portion.

Traditional tiered wedding cakes can be ordered from outside suppliers locally who will give a bespoke price according to they size and style of cake you prefer.

We cannot source a traditional, iced fruit cake locally but couples are welcome to arrange for one to be brought from the UK.

If sweet things aren’t your thing, a cheese tower could be the answer, an impressive tiered stack of whole wheels of cheese starting at €400.

Midnight snacks

Pains au chocolat are included in the wedding meal costs.

We can also provide a savoury option of hot dogs at midnight, €5 each

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Elegant canapés, starter, main and dessert at €75, additional cheese course €9. 

One option for the table, with one alternative for those with specific dietary requirements. 

Starter options (Some options are seasonal)

Chargrilled asparagus, crispy pancetta, soft poached egg, hollandaise (seasonal Spring)

Seared foie gras, preserved autumn apricots, balsamic cream, sourdough

Charred mackerel, confit Jerusalem artichoke, green apple, hung yoghurt & chive emulsion

Scallop crudo, pickled cucumber, peanuts, crispy shallot, lime & sesame emulsion

Pressed chicken terrine, truffle emulsion, pickled girolle mushroom & toasted brioche (seasonal Autumn)

Duck liver parfait, Sauternes jelly, caramelised orange, endive & brioche 

Heirloom tomatoes, basil oil, burrata, black olive & focaccia croute (seasonal Late Summer) 

Main course options

Anjou pigeon, confit leg, spiced carrot ketchup, puffed wild rice, pomme purée

Chargrilled fillet of beef, truffled pommes purée, seared foie gras, tea-soaked Agen prunes, Hispi cabbage & confit shallot

Confit pork belly, puffed skin, sweetcorn kernels, palourde clams, fondant potatoes & samphire

Thyme & garlic roasted duck breast, confit Ratte potato, carrot purée, braised endive, duck fat & sourdough crumb

Seared salmon fillet, roast Romanesco, malt vinegar & white wine sauce, dill oil, caper & raisin purée

Poached cod fillet, cuttlefish ink espuma potato, dill oil, peas & sea vegetables

Gnocchi, heirloom tomatoes, basil and walnut pesto, parmesan & pea shoots (seasonal Summer)

Spring risotto of, pea, feta, spring onions, broad beans & mint (seasonal Spring)

For dessert options - see below the informal menu

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Rustic canapés, main and dessert at €60, additional cheese course €9 

These menus are less formal, in a family sharing style.  You choose a main course option from the list below and the chef will add a selection of seasonal salads according to market conditions.  You also choose one option from the dessert menu below. 

Main courses

Garlic & thyme slow roasted lamb shoulder, balsamic, thyme and shallots (this is a total crowd pleaser)

Confit duck cassoulet, white beans, pancetta, red peppers, summer vegetables

Coq au vin, red wine, wild mushrooms, shallots, parsley

Basque chicken, chorizo, sweet peppers, Armagnac, tomatoes, thyme 

Côte de boeuf cooked over old vines (€10 supplement)

Braised beef cheeks

BBQ - (€60):

Choose three of the following:

Maple-glazed pork ribs

Spicy lamb kebabs

Grilled market fish

Spicy bbq chicken

Chipolatas basted with mustard

All served with seasonal salads and home-made flat breads and houmous

Dessert options for formal and informal menus

Raspberry, thyme, lemon & almond tart with crème Chantilly

Yuzu crémeux, lime sorbet, meringue, white chocolate & pistachio crumb

Mixed berry pavlova, white chocolate & mint crème Chantilly

Strawberry & elderflower trifle

Rigaud banoffee

Crème brulée

Tarte au citron, mixed berries, raspberry crème normande

Example salads

It’s much better to allow the chefs the choice of what salads to serve with your informal welcome meal, Sunday lunch or BBQ since they have a better idea of what produce is good the day that they buy it, but here are some example ideas and if there is something specific that you want, then mention this to your planner.

Cucumber, poppy seeds, chilli, coriander, red onion, lemon

Chargrilled aubergine, chickpeas, sweet peppers, tomato

Beetroot, goats cheese, dill, red onion, balsamic

Green bean, broad beans, peas, cherry tomato, goats cheese, hazelnuts

Green bean, fennel, radish, red onion, asparagus, parsley, lemon

Sweet potato, spring onions, chilli, tahini

Red cabbage, apple, carrots, crème fraiche

Red peppers, cucumber, cherry tomato, olives, feta

Watermelon, feta, red onion, mint,

Tomato, mozzarella, red onion, basil, chilli

Pumpkin, figs, seeds, red onions, balsamic

Spiced aubergine, coriander, chick peas, cherry tomato, tahini

Chargrilled peach, black pepper, rocket, feta, mint

Roast carrot, celery, red onion, feta

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Choose one dish, served with dessert, or leave the decision to our chefs

Parmesan chicken with peas & carrots

Breaded fish goujons with broccoli & sweet corn

Veal escalopes, new potatoes & carrots

Spaghetti bolognese

Sausage & mash

Home-made chicken goujons

Roast chicken with seasonal vegetables

Pork meat balls with rice

Please note these meals must be ordered before you arrive and we cannot provide an a la carte restaurant service – it’s one choice fits all. 

Price per person.

Quiches €26
Sweet pepper, red onion chard, feta
Smoked bacon, leek, parmesan 
Seasonal salad, 
Mixed leaves

Moules frites €26
Mussels, white wine, parsley, shallots, garlic
Home made chips, aioli
Green salad
Crusty bread

Roasted fermier chickens with lemon and thyme €26 
Roast free-range chicken 
Seasonal salad
Crushed potatoes, wholegrain mustard, watercress

French farmhouse lunch €26  
Rillettes of Duck
Peppered mackerel paté
Selection of charcuterie
Pickles
Seasonal salad
Mixed leaves

Platters at €26
Grilled peaches, Bayonne ham, brebis, rocket, balsamic
Hot smoked salmon, crushed potatoes, watercress, horseradish cream
Seasonal salad, mixed leaves 

Tuna Niçoise €28
Green beans, cherry tomatoes, olives, anchovies, new potatoes, soft boiled egg, sage

Chicken Caesar €26
Chargrilled chicken, baby gem, parmesan, crusty bread,  

Chèvre chaud €26
Mixed leaves, walnuts, warm goats cheese, figs, balsamic

Example picnics for canoeists, served in tiffin tins on the river bank at €26
Home-made pork pies or quiches, brebis, crusty bread,
Caesar salad
Blueberry and white chocolate muffins
Crisps 
Rosé wine

Following day lunch menus - this is a fully staged lunch party, staffed from midday until 6pm

€56 including limitless rosé wine (red & white wine also available)
Slow roast shoulder of locally reared pork, rotisserie chickens & quiches & seasonal salads & potatoes, followed by a cheese board & ice cream bar

€61 including limitless rosé wine (red & white wine also available)
Shoulder of lamb, balsamic, thyme, and shallots, rotisserie chickens & quiches with a selection of seasonal salads & potatoes, followed by a cheese board & ice cream bar

Final night 

Basque chicken at €24, without wines

Rigaud Pizzas from the pizza oven, €35 including wines

Cooked in the Rigaud pizza oven in the vegetable garden with picnic tables set up under the trees, fairy lights and candles (weather dependent).  Limited to a maximum of 30 people.  We don’t recommend this option in April or October.

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(2025 menus will appear during the autumn)

Starter/Entrée

Lemon poached salmon, wasabi crème fraiche, garden oil emulsion, beetroot & wild rice cracker (€2 supplement)
Saumon au citron, crème fraiche wasabi, émulsion du jardin, betterave & cracker au ris

White crab, hazelnut, pickled daikon, caviar, apple & Rigaud garden herbs (€3 supplement)
Chair de crabe, noisette, daikon au vinaigre, caviar, pomme et fines herbes du potager

Pork, veal & plum terrine, crispy Bayonne ham, mustard emulsion, fresh herb salad, pickled apple & mustard seed salsa
Terrine de porc, veau et prune, jambon de Bayonne croustillant, émulsion à la moutarde, fines herbes, salsa de pomme & graines de moutarde

Local asparagus, garden emulsion, chorizo crumb, broad beans & a buttermilk split dressing (seasonal April - May & €2 supplement)
Asperges de la région, émulsion du jardin, croustillant de chorizo, fèves, sauce babeurre

Whipped chicken liver parfait, strawberry preserve, confit onion, pink peppercorn & thyme tuile
Parfait de foie de volaille fouetté, conserve aux fraises, oignon confit, tuile au thym & baies roses

Alternative starter options
(Can be made to suit vegans / gluten-free / lactose-free)

Crispy cauliflower, yeasted cauliflower purée, capers, raisins, garden garnish & pickled romanesco (vegan)
Chou-fleur croustillant, purée de chou-fleur à la levure, câpres, raisins secs, herbes & romanesco au vinaigre

Local asparagus, garden emulsion, sourdough crumb, broad beans & a buttermilk split dressing (seasonal April - May)
Asperges de la région, émulsion du jardin, croustillant de pain au levain, fèves, sauce babeurre

Charred Ste Maure goats cheese, pickled beetroot, beetroot ketchup, seeded lavosh cracker, mesclun leaf
Ste Maure grillée, betteraves confites, ketchup aux betteraves, cracker lavosh aux graines, mesclun

Rigaud courgette dressed in celery leaf oil, macadamia nut purée, seaweed lavosh cracker, Rigaud garden herbs
Courgette du potager, huile au céleri, purée de macadamia, cracker lavosh aux algues, fines herbes

Mains/Plat

BBQ fillet of beef, beef beignet, potato fondant, seared foie gras (optional), garden greens, spiced seasonal purée, confit shallot & red wine jus (€4 supplement, plus €2 for foie gras option)
Filet de boeuf grillé, beignet de boeuf, pomme fondante, légumes du jardin, purée de la saison épicée, échalote confite & jus au vin rouge

Confit pork belly, puffed skin, caramelised apple, seasonal purée, chard, Grenaille potatoes, red wine jus
Poitrine de porc confite, couenne frite, pomme caramélisée, purée de la saison, blette, pommes Grenaille, jus au vin rouge

Roasted duck breast, duck leg beignet, heritage carrot, seasonal purée, garden greens & sherry jus
Magret de canard rôti, cuisse en beignet, carottes, purée de la saison, légumes de saison & jus de xérès

Roast lamb loin, crispy belly, smoked aubergine purée, hung yoghurt, confit potato, roast tomato & jus gras (€4 supplement)
Canon d’agneau, purée de pois, pomme confite, carottes, fenouil, fèves à la menthe, jus gras

Poached fermier chicken breast, truffle mousse, mushroom purée, confit Ratte potato, courgette, jus gras
Filet de poulet fermier poché, mousse au truffe, purée de champignons, pomme Ratte confite, courgette, jus gras

Alternative main options
(Can be made to suit vegans / gluten-free / lactose-free)

Confit BBQ cabbage heart, smoked yoghurt, beetroot purée, golden raisin, crispy capers, toasted seeds
Coeur de choux confit grillé, yaourt fumé, purée de betteraves, raisin golden, câpres croustillants, graines grillées

Whole roasted cauliflower, seasonal greens, crispy shallot, tandoori peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, preserved lemon
Chou-fleur au four, légumes vertes, échalote croustillante, beurre aux cacahuètes tandoori, graines de courge, citron confit

Seasonal Vegetable Pithivier, Roasted Pepper Sauce, Garden Herb Oil, Mesclun leaf (vegan)
Pithivier aux légumes de la saison, sauce poivron rouge rôti, huile aux fines herbes, mâche

Onion tarte tatin, bleu d’Auvergne, endive salad
Tarte tatin aux oignons, bleu d’Auvergne, salade d’endives

Risotto from the Rigaud potager (with seasonal vegetables)
Risotto du potager

Dessert/Dessert

Green apple cheesecake, white chocolate & shortbread crumb
Cheesecake aux pommes vertes, émietté de biscuit & chocolat blanc

Tarte au Season, mixed berries & crème Normande
Tarte de saison, fruits rouges & crème normande

Raspberry & passionfruit crémeux, caramelised white chocolate & pink peppercorn crumb, yoghurt, meringue
Crémeux aux framboises et fruits de passion, émietté de chocolat blanc & poivre rose, yaourt, meringue

Caramelia chocolate délice, apple, blackberry, puffed rice
Délice au chocolat noir, pomme, mûres, riz soufflé

Rigaud fig leaf & mascarpone savarin, preserved summer strawberries, honey & thyme tuile
Savarin Rigaud au mascarpone & feuille de vigne, conserve de fraises, tuile au miel & thym

Frangipane tart, mint & Pedro Ximénez macerated plums
Tarte frangipane, prunes macérées au Pedro Ximénez & menthe

Cheese Board (after dinner), from 250€
Selection of cheeses, breads & home made chutneys served from the sideboard for guests to help themselves to all night

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Champagne vs Crémant, the big debate

Will you be serving champagne or Crémant or perhaps a combination of the two? The trend in recent years for local products, with authenticity & low transport costs has supported our couples in choosing our excellent Bordeaux Crémant over champagnes.

Our house Crémant is produced by the local co-operative from vineyards near the chateau.

It’s a blend of Semillon, Cabernet Franc & Muscadelle grapes which are bottle-fermented in the Champagne method.  Our fizz package, €21 per person, represents superb value. We charge a one off, per head cost for “fizz” which allows for your choice to be served throughout the day and night, regardless of how much your guests consume.

Fizz Consumption

A bottle of fizz contains 6 glasses. Most guests will drink at least one glass on the lawn directly after the ceremony, many of their glasses are topped up at this stage. They will then pick up another clean glass on the canapé terrace and drink two or three top ups during the hour and a half of canapés being served. Following this, at dinner, they will drink a further glass with speeches. Some of course drink more. It’s easy to see how, on average, the guests will drink a bottle of fizz per head during the wedding day.

If you would prefer to serve a ‘real’ champagne then we are able to provide you with whatever label you choose and usually at a price close to that which you would expect to pay in the supermarket.

As an example:

Rigaud house Crémant 21€

Rigaud house Champagne, Odyssée 319 55€

Taittinger Brut NV /Other prestige labels of your choice from 65€

Your choice of wedding wine

The wedding meal is priced to include Rigaud house wines with dinner and these wines are served from the moment that guests sit for dinner until the last guest has placed their head on their pillow.

White

Chateau Bauduc Sauvignon Blanc

Produced in Créon by Gavin and Angela Quinney, this delicious wine is also the house white at Rick Stein’s various restaurants. You can buy Bauduc directly from the vineyard via their online website at www.bauduc.com.

Red

Pezat, Bordeaux Supérieur

Produced by Jonathan Maltus, OBE, at Chateau Teyssier in St Emilion.  Jonathan was at the heart of the “garagiste” revolution of the 1990s and his wines regularly score top marks with the likes of Robert Parker.

Château LaJarre Eléonore, Bordeaux Supérieur

This award-winning red comes from our next door neighbour, Grégory Lovato, so it’s made from the vines you can see all around us.

Château La Verrière, Bordeaux Supérieur

The family running La Verrière set up an environmental management system back in 2012 so that the production of their wines leaves a minimal impact on the environment. They regularly win awards for all of their wines.

Rosé

Chateau Bauduc rosé, from the same stable as our white wine.

Upgrade wine choices

During the wedding planning weekends you will have the opportunity to sample our upgrade wine, Château Teyssier, which carries an upgrade cost. The standard house wines are entirely delicious but some couples (or perhaps their fathers!) want to put something more impressive on the table.

Other wine choices for the wedding meal itself

If you would prefer to serve another wine for the wedding meal then you are of course welcome to do so.  Under these circumstances we do not charge a corkage fee but equally we do not remove anything from the cost of the meal.  One solution here is to start with a special red on the table and move onto the house red, which is also very good, after the first bottle.

Corkage on other wines during your stay (not the wedding meal) and or champagnes

You are welcome to bring your own wines into the chateau and on a small scale of up to a case (12 bottles) of fine wines, we do not charge any corkage.  For quantities above a case we make an €10 handling charge per bottle, to cover us against the cost of receiving, storing, chilling & serving the wine and then disposing of the bottles.

PLEASE NOTE: It is usually possible to avoid this corkage charge by specifying your wine to us and allowing us to purchase it on your behalf.  As a registered business in the hospitality trade we are usually able to benefit from a restaurant rate which will cover our corkage & hence save you money!

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Soft drinks for the canapé reception

During the champagne reception we recommend serving some soft drinks. We use glass drinks jars for serving French syrups with added fruit (slices of lemons, raspberries etc). These can be prepared, served & cleared by our housekeeping staff and thus incur no additional cost other than the ingredients which come from your bar stock (see below).

After dinner bar – for the wedding barn bar

After dinner we recommend that you opt for an open bar since this provides an important focal point. We supply two bar staff who will also assist with guiding guests to the right bus at the end of the evening. The staff start at 10pm & provide a general on-site management service until 2am, the bar staff themselves cost €376 but spirits & mixers are charged at near supermarket prices.

Wedding evening bar stock

We keep a stock of the main spirits from which you can choose & which we sell for €55. Mixers are in stock at €4 per large bottle. You can choose what to stock your bar with & if you want to add to this during the evening then we can call upon our store.

The beer machine – cost from €400 for machine & 2 barrels

We strongly recommend that you book a beer machine for the duration of your weekend at the chateau. The machine is available throughout your stay & is a very welcome addition for the guys. It comes initially with two barrels which hold 30 litres each, therefore 120 pints of lager.

Additional barrels are a further €150 each, hence the cost per pint reduces with increased volume. We are not able to serve bottles of beer on the day of the wedding since there is insufficient fridge space to chill the bottles & the discarded bottle tops are too great a nuisance to the gardener.

In our experience, even the smartest set of wedding guests will contain a large percentage who prefer a pint or two of cold French lager in the sunshine to another glass of champagne or wine.

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The wedding ceremony and the legal requirements

The majority of our couples choose a registry office wedding in the UK before they come to France. We describe this as “arranging the legal paperwork” in order to retain the sense of wedding around the event here at the chateau. These couples arrive here in France already legally married but they then perform an exchange of vows ceremony witnessed and supported by their friends and family here on the lawns or in the barn.

We are however able to arrange a legal marriage for you here in France, within our commune of Mouliets et Villemartin, where our Mayor is prepared to exercise his discretionary powers to perform this service.

Mairie (town hall) weddings – additional cost approximately €700

There are several additional costs attached to a legal wedding here in France but the paperwork is relatively straightforward. We suggest that there is a minimum three months lead time required for completing the paperwork.

Costs break down as €300 cash contribution to the Mairie department, €200 for official certified translations of your birth certificates, (double this in the case of divorcees or couples with children since it is also necessary to translate the divorce certificate and/or children’s birth certificates) and €200 administration fee to Chateau Rigaud for processing the forms.

You can either treat the Mairie wedding as the big event or if you prefer you can visit the Mairie for the paperwork on the morning of the wedding or perhaps the day before and then continue to a lawn ceremony at Rigaud.

It is an essential requirement for you to have been legally married before any ceremony is held on the lawns here at Rigaud or in a church here in France and we require you to provide a copy of your marriage certificate on arrival. We would not be prepared to hold a wedding ceremony here at Rigaud for a couple who were not already legally married.

The ceremony

Rigaud Lawn Wedding

This style of wedding is staged by the Rigaud team on the quad in front of the chateau with chairs provided within the cost of your booking.

Rigaud Meadow Wedding

For a more rustic ceremony setting, the meadow is set on the hillside behind the chateau with a mown aisle and seating area surrounded by long grasses and wild flowers. There is no shade here so it’s worth bearing in mind the heat in mid-summer. The seating option here is rustic wooden benches which we hire in specifically. Allow for 36€ per bench, three guests per bench, plus delivery costs (around 350€). Your photographer might also insist on bringing an assistant for the day due to the distance between the chateau and the meadow.

celebrants

We are able to provide you with a choice of celebrant who will perform a ceremony of your creation and we are able to assist you with the wording of the service itself. Since this ceremony has no legal standing, you might prefer to ask a family member or friend to act as your celebrant, bringing a really personal touch to the proceedings. Of course, you don’t have to have a celebrant to conduct the ceremony at all. In 2023, one couple simply read their vows to each other in front of their family and friends.

You can download our document “Seven steps to a successful wedding ceremony” HERE, which provides a flexible format and various online links to suitable readings, vows, and other ideas to personalise your ceremony.

Sandie Smith

Sandie is a councillor in her local town and she is married to George Smith who fronts one of our bands.  Sandie will work closely with you to create your own, personal ceremony and she has some really lovely wedding ceremony ideas.  From €550
www.englishcelebrantinfrance.com

Sarah Thomas

Sarah left the services of the Royal Household when she met her French partner and followed him to South-West France.  She spent a couple of years working as a Rigaud wedding planner and now offers her services as a celebrant.  She will work with you to script the ceremony and personalise your vows and her strong musical background is invaluable. From €350
sarah@andthenwegotmarried.com

Lucy Till

Lucy conducts wedding ceremonies all over Southern France and is always very well received.
www.lucytillcelebrant.com

Lisa Lister

Lisa has been working as a celebrant in France for a couple of years and enjoys helping couples to put their ceremony together with a personal touch and a sense of humour.
www.lisalistercelebrant.com

Gaynor McKernan

Gaynor is an experienced celebrant who conducts ceremonies all over this part of France.
www.celebrantfrance.com

Church weddings

A church wedding in France is not ever a legally binding marriage and it is necessary for you to be legally married either in the UK or at the Mairie before any church ceremony.

Catholic faith

France is a Catholic country and therefore the majority of churches are within the Catholic faith. We recommend Pujols church which is a stunning 15th century building on a hilltop with fabulous far reaching views and a simple elegant interior. This is available according to the conditions below.

To secure the church for a mass or blessing conducted by your own priest:

If you are both practising Catholics then it is usually straightforward for you to secure a priest who is prepared to travel to France to hold a mass or a blessing for you. Ask your own priest about this and he will almost certainly find you someone, perhaps a younger priest without his own parish, it’s not an unusual request for them. You will of course have the additional cost of the flight and accommodation for the priest but since this can be booked several months in advance the cost is not usually a problem.

We are able to secure the church for you quite easily although there is some paperwork to put in place and some costs attached to the process.

Paperwork

You will be required to do the following

A motivation letter – you need to write to our local priest about why you would like to have the mass or blessing.  So explain some background of your relationship, your connection with France (You’ve been on holiday for many years here? You’ve always loved this area?) then add some information about your faith, about the importance to you of having the marriage blessed in a church and that you want to raise children within the faith etc.  The letter can be sent in English and sent via email but it must come directly from you rather than from Rigaud on your behalf.  You should send this first communication to the following address;

Stephanie D’Uberga: cure.castillon@gmail.com

Shortly after this they require a second letter or email, from the priest who is taking you for marriage classes, recommending you as candidates for marriage and requesting the use of the Church of Notre Dame in Pujols on the given date for the celebration of a mass or blessing for your marriage. The priest needs to introduce within this letter the contact details of the priest who will conduct the mass or blessing.

A file will be prepared by your priest, which will include copies of your birth, baptism and confirmation certificates and the details of when and where your legal marriage will take place. This file needs to be sent to the Archevêché de Bordeaux, the address details for whom are below. We prefer it if we can also be copied in on these emails in order that we can follow the progress of your administration. The addresses are as follows:

Stephanie D’Uberga
Secteur Pastoral de Castillon la Bataille, Maison Paroissiale, 22 Rue des Remparts,
33350, Castillon la Bataille
cure.castillon@gmail.com

Archevêché de Bordeaux Service des Mariages
185 Cours de la Somme 33000 Bordeaux

The church asks for a fee of €500 which we pay on your behalf to secure the date and is added to your bill.  In addition, there is the cost of flying in and accommodating your priest.

Anglican Church weddings

There is a relationship between the Anglican and Catholic churches in France which allows for Anglican wedding blessings by an Anglican priest in our local church at Pujols.  Again, there is a certain amount of paperwork to complete although it’s very straightforward and there is an additional cost which includes €500 for the use of the church and approximately €500 fees for the Chaplaincy in Aquitaine for providing the priest.

www.churchinaquitaine.org

It is essential that you have been legally married before either of these church blessings can take place and you will be required to produce your marriage certificate at the church on the day of the blessing.

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We’re able to provide a wide range of musicians and will research and find whatever you are looking for. There is an admin fee of €50 where we need to hire in equipment to cover all the paperwork and collection/return of equipment by us.  Below is a list of artists we have used before.

Of course, there are masses of other options out there and too many good bands have played at Rigaud to include them all here, so do ask you planner for more information.

Remember that live music has to stop at midnight, after which you can have a DJ or playlist playing till 2am. Our mayor lives just across the vineyards, within earshot, so we have to be strict about this.

In our experience, it’s not necessary to have a live band comprising more than four or five musicians. Large bands in our wedding barn are overkill and you will find the musicians take over your wedding day.

Most live bands will be able to cover various elements of the day musically from pre-ceremony entertainment as your guests arrive to DJ-ing after midnight, with a solo or duo performance for the canapé reception in between. Remember when you first book them to ask the musicians which areas they can cover. If you add on elements later, they will charge extra.

Consider what sort of music you would like for:
Pre-ceremony, as guests arrive
During the ceremony
First glass, after the ceremony, before the canapé reception
Canapé reception
During dinner (usually a Rigaud playlist)
After dinner dancing, till midnight
DJ or playlist after midnight
and
Lunch the next day (usually a Rigaud playlist)

COVER bands

BASED IN FRANCE

Brightlights
www.brightlightsband.com
Very popular at Rigaud. Brightlights are based in the South of France.

We Funk Soul Band
WeFunkSoulBand
If it’s soul you’re after, this band entertained guests here in 2022 and were very popular.

Band in France, formerly known as Hicksville Approx €2500 for the day
www.bandinfrance.com
Hicksville are all mature professionals who can between them play pretty much anything you might throw their way. Includes a strolling set on the canapé terrace.  After dinner they play two sets which can include any number of hits from the past forty years and are guaranteed to get your people dancing.

Tom Smith and Tomorrow  From €2400 for evening only
Tom can belt out the pop numbers. He’s a great choice for after dinner music if you want something more rocking and current but it is definitely a harder edged and more rock and roll sound and might not please all ages as much as Hicksville does.

Rock Empire Approx €2500 for the day
rockempireband
Rock Empire are based in and around Bordeaux. A great cover band at a reasonable price. They will also follow on with a DJ after midnight. It’s best to contact them at
bandsmusicaquitaine.wixsite.com/al-bundy/home-eng

Four Kicks
www.fourkicksband.com/
Another great British band based on the Riviera who travel all over Europe and are well-known in ski resorts. 

FROM THE UK

The Dominos
www.thedominos.co.uk
Highly rated by our discerning team, but require a bigger budget (starting at around 6000€).

Courtier Music
www.idreiss.co.uk/weddings
These guys wowed guests here (and our team) in 2022. Everyone was talking about the music the following day.

Tom Braggins Trio
tombragginsmusic@hotmail.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/tombragginsmusic/?hl=en
The trio played at Rigaud in 2022 and were a great success. They can also be booked as a duo.Dukes of Havoc
www.thedukesofhavoc.co.uk
Brilliant group who’ve been to Rigaud a few times now and always get everyone on the dance floor.

The Shuffles Band  From approx. €4500
www.theshufflesband.com
This group played here for the first time in 2018 and were a great hit.  Our very discerning team were really impressed with them.

London Brass Roamers
www.fixthemusic.com/london-brass-roamers
Fun and interactive. Works really well for the canapé reception.

Bill Ding & the Skyscrapers
www.bdsmusic.uk
Haven’t played at Rigaud before but are highly recommended by our wedding planner, Georgia.

The Chaps Band
https://www.thechapsband.com

MUSIC AGENCIES

Scarlett Entertainment
scarlettentertainment.com

Fixthemusic
www.fixthemusic.com

Function Junction
www.functionjunction.co.uk

Classical music

Pachelbel Quatuor
www.pachelbel.quatuor.sitew.fr
String quartet made up of local musicians

Vltava String Quartet
www.vsq.ie
Very talented musicians, ideal for classical pieces for the ceremony & first glass but also able to play more modern, folksy tunes.

Alison Langer, soprano
www,alisonlanger.com
Alison is a professional opera soprano and performed as a friend and guest at a church wedding here in 2023. She is keen to do more weddings alongside her stage performances.

Choirs and organist

We have a local choir available at a cost of €50 per voice although you must add to this the cost of an organist, €450, to accompany them, who is also their choirmaster, which brings the total cost to about €800. If you would like hymns for the ceremony then we strongly recommend that you spend the money to have them sound great. With the choir your guests will sing, without them they probably won’t.

Jazz

The Jazz Lamp
We highly recommend Anthony Sycamore who is based locally and teams up with any number of musicians to produce a great jazz sound on the canapé terrace.  He’s also a very talented classical musician so could perform during the ceremony too. From €450

Marie Carrié
www.mariecarrie.com
Jazz Lovers Events can play as a two, three, four or five-piece band with Marie singing. Great for the canapé reception and if you include a saxophonist, they can play solo for the first glass. From €850 for a duo.

PIANIST

Damien Keys
www.damienkeys.com
Damien is an extraordinary pianist and offers a very versatile package including DJ services too.

saxophonist

The Sax Walker
www.thesaxwalker.co.uk
David Walker is a professional solo saxophonist playing a number of different music genres from Soul, Funk & Pop to modern chart day chart hits. He has played at Rigaud a couple of times and everyone raved about him.

Accordion player

We have a local accordion player who will play for your first glass and/or the canapé reception on the terrace, adding a very French atmosphere to the proceedings. From €300.

DJ

We have our own DJ booth, with speakers and sound system, lights and disco ball which is available at €295. Your DJ will need to bring their own mixing decks or hire them locally. The cost to hire decks is from around €950 and it’s worth checking your DJ’s preference to establish the full cost in advance.

Dean Watt
www.deanwattdj.com
Dean is our '“go to” DJ unless you have the budget for the next level. Dean is based in Verbier where he plays in various popular venues throughout the winter season.

Guy Preston
www.djGuyPreston.com
Guy has played at parties and events around the world for British royalty and Hollywood A list stars.  Depending on your budget Guy might be available himself or might send another artist. He is also able to book musicians, such as a saxophonist, to play alongside the DJ which is hugely popular and successful.

Anthony Coleridge
www.fixthemusic.com/wedding-dj-london-anthony
Anthony has played at Rigaud for several couples and is always extremely well received. He’s super-friendly and helpful and easy to deal with.

Denver Music Events
Victor is French but speaks English and is based in the Bordeaux region.
https://www.denvermscevents.com/

Paul Hardcastle
www.phjr.co.uk
Paul has a fantastic portfolio of performances all around the world. He’s a super-versatile performer with a one-of-a-kind DJ & Sax act - a great combination to get guests on the dance floor.

If you plan your music ahead and book flights and accommodation early it is no more expensive to bring a DJ from London to Rigaud than it would be to book a London-based artist and ask them to play in the West Country, since flights can be as cheap as rail tickets.

Other DJ options

If you want to book an external DJ other than these guys or if you have someone within your guest list who likes to spin the discs then we can arrange to hire the appropriate DJ equipment for you.  The cost starts at approximately €950

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Fireworks

We are very happy to arrange a fireworks display for you and the French do fireworks very well indeed.  The opening price is €2035, which will deliver a display on the lines of a small village fete and will knock the guests’ socks off.

Wedding cars

We are able to provide a limited range of wedding cars for couples who will be married in the local church.  Cars are expensive and have to be booked early. From €500.

Options include a Jaguar MK2 and a Citroen 2CV.

Hair and Make up

Laura Cawte
www.lauracawte.com
Laura’s work is truly excellent and we highly recommend her for every style, be it natural, barely there make up or a more exotic look.  British, trained with Vidal Sassoon, Laura travels regularly to Paris where she works in TV and for photoshoots.  Laura is highly recommended, easy to work with, does what you ask of her and is very current.

Laura charges from €350 for a bride’s hair and makeup which includes a €50 fee for a trial run. The €50 fee should be paid at the trial and once booked there is a further €150 cancellation fee if you change your mind later in the day.  This protects Laura from last minute cancellations.

Laura will hold every summer weekend open for Rigaud brides until the end of November, giving you the first option to book her, after which she will open her diary to other venues and invariably they will book her so if you know you want hair and make-up then it’s a good idea to book her early.

Jo Adams
www.hairandmakeupatelier.com
Jo is based in the UK but very happy to travel to France.

Virginie
www.virginie-e.com
Virginie is based in Bordeaux and spent six years working in London as a beautician, including a spell at Harrods.

Orelden Make Up Artist
Aurelie is a local make up artist. She speaks English and can be found on Instagram
@orelden

Wedding photography

Like most things, you really get what you pay for with wedding photography and we cannot stress how important it is to get it right. Capturing the day without intruding upon it is a definite skill and when it’s done well it makes an enormous difference.  The starting price for a decent photographer is about €900 and for someone really talented you can easily pay well above this.

Local French options

Yohan Terraza
www.yohanterraza.com
Yohan works with his wife, Mathilde, and together they form What Parrots Do. They speak English and are based in Bordeaux.

Firehorse Photography (and videography)
www.firehorsephotographyfrance.com/
Simon is based in France and has shot a few Rigaud weddings in recent years.

Katy Lunsford
www.katylunsford.com
Katy is based in southern France and shoots weddings from Bordeaux to Provence. We love her photos and she’s fabulous to work with.

Greg Finck
www.gregfinck.com
Paris based, works internationally and speaks English fluently, Greg takes great shots.

Mamazelle
www.mamazelle.com
Melissa Lenoir is very discreet but produces great results.  Google Michelle and Clem Rigaud wedding and you will find her coverage of this beautiful wedding on several blog sites.

Pattie Fellowes Photography
pattiefellowes.com
Pattie first came to us for a wedding shoot at the chateau and was very quickly snapped up by our first 2022 wedding couple. She has a romantic style blended with lots of fun.

Zara at Gingerveil
www.gingerveil.com
Zara is based in Toulouse and brings a fun, creative style to her wedding photos. She also has a royal family wedding shoot under her belt - HRH The Princess of Wales’s brother, James Middleton in 2022! (Fully booked for 2024)

Jeff & Debz Photography
www.jeffanddebzweddingphotography.com
This couple have not yet shot a wedding at Rigaud but they are very local and their photography package starts at around €900.

Bringing a photographer from the UK

Kazooieloki
https://www.kazooieloki.co.uk/
Award-winning Christine & Richard somehow capture the energy of the day and the party vibe in every shot.

Especially Amy
www.especiallyamy.co.uk
Very talented photographer who has featured in leading wedding blogs.  A lovely lady who really captures the spirit of a wedding.  Amy also works extensively for the Soho House group.
www.rockmywedding.co.uk/tag/especially-amy/

D&A
www.da-photo.com
Dan at D&A Photo did a beautiful wedding shoot at Rigaud in 2021. The team at D&A are easy to work with and passionate about what they do.

James Plester
Great vintage style, quiet approach, brilliant results. See a Rigaud wedding here
www.jamesandlianne.com/kelly-phill-château-rigaud-bordeaux-france-wedding-part-2/

Brett Harkness
www.brettharknessphotography.com
First introduced to Rigaud when Brett’s sister was married here, these guys have since run wedding photography courses here at Rigaud.  Top notch photographer to a celebrity crowd, they’re lovely guys but you need to book very early.

Will Patrick Weddings
www.willpatrickweddings.com

Ellie Gillard
www.elliegillard.co.uk

Modern Vintage Weddings
Stunning work, featured here on Rock My Wedding
www.modernvintageweddings.com

M&J Photography
www.mandjphotos.com
Jonny and Morgane are now based in London but Morgane is from Biarritz so this is her home turf.  They have produced some lovely work for Rigaud couples in the past and are lovely to deal with.

Fern Edwards Photography
www.rockmywedding.co.uk/chiara-michael/

Aspect Photography (based in Ireland)
www.aspectphotography.net
Shane O’Neill produced fabulous shots of our biggest ever wedding and is based in Waterford, Ireland.

Case Eames Photography
www.eamesphotography.co.uk
Case is a great photographer and she often teams up with videographer, Lewis Wareham, to form True Capture Media, a brilliant duo to cover all angles on the big day.

Nina Wernicke
www.nina-wernicke.com
Nina is a former Rigaud bride who has since swapped over to the other side of the lens. She knows Rigaud well and will get the utmost out of every shot. Based in London and South Africa. Recently named one of the UK’s Top Twenty wedding photographers by Wed Vibes Media.

Bullit Photography
www.bullitphotography.co.uk
Robin Bradshaw is super easy to work with and produces gorgeous photos. He’s based in Cheltenham but travels all over the world.

Andy Gaines
www.andygaines.com
Check out Andy’s fabulous photos of Rebecca & Tom’s wedding in 2022.

James Boardman
www.jpboardman.co.uk

Sharon Cudworth
www.sharoncudworthphotography.com

Holly Hambling
www.hollyhamblingphotography.co.uk

Jonny Scott (photography & videography)
www.jonnyscottphoto.com
Jonny and his team produced wonderful photos and video of Liv & Sam’s wedding in 2023. They are based in New Zealand but work all over the world.

HazyDaze (photography & videography)
hazydazeweddings.com

Stuart Dudleston
www.stuartdudleston.com

videography

With the popularity of smart phones and tablets we have noticed a massive increase in the uptake of videography in the past few years and it seems many of our weddings choose to commission both photographers and videographers. We’ve enjoyed working with these guys:

MotionCraft Creative Studios
www.motioncraftcreative.com
Seb Thomas is based in south-west France and is a delight to work with - professional and unobtrusive. He knows Rigaud well and always collaborates brilliantly with the wedding photographer.

Reel Weddings UK
www.reel-weddings.com
Quality film making that takes a lovely story telling approach. These guys are sympathetic to the needs of the photographers as well, which is an important consideration

Reel Love Film
www.reellovefilms.co.uk
Two lovely ladies who make beautiful films.

Bubble Rock
www.bubblerock.co.nz

Best Day Productions
www.bestdayproductions.com
Our  favourite wedding video from Rigaud was Michelle and Clem’s film made by Rodolphe. 

Gorgeous films
www.gorgeousfilm.co.uk/
These guys are also outstandingly good

True Capture Media
www.truecapturemedia.co.uk
Lewis Wareham, videographer, can also be booked with photographer Case Eames.

Rolling Films
www.ryanyapp.co.uk/films

Denneemotion
www.deneemotion.com

Samy Jourdan
www.samyjourdan.com
Based in Paris, Samy speaks English.

Andrew Kelly Films
www.andrewkellyfilms.com
Andrew is based in France and uses 8mm film.

James Fox
www.fox-films.co.uk

Flowers

When it comes to florals, we’ve seen budgets as high as €12,000. The diversity that our couples apply to their flowers, props and styling is enormous. The really special thing about the flowers at Rigaud is that unlike most other venues, here you get to see the florists working on the bouquets and pew ends, on-site in our florist’s studio from the point of the flower van delivery to the presentation of your buttonholes.

We advise that you book your florist as soon as possible.

Florists available for a wedding at Rigaud

Rigaud in-house florist - Jilli Davies from €2500
Our in-house florist, Jilli, has worked for many different brides here at Rigaud and in the UK and understands exactly what works and what is more challenging within our venue. Jilli will provide you with a really beautiful display that covers every base from bouquets and buttonholes through ceremony pew ends to table flowers, according to your budget.

Other recommended suppliers

Flowers by Passion from £4000
www.flowersbypassion.com  
@flowersbypassion
Based in Bath, this very well-established team works extensively at the smartest venues throughout the UK.

Kitten Grayson from £4000
www.KittenGrayson.com
@kittengraysonflowers
London based, Kitten has worked previously at Rigaud in 2017 when she transformed the wedding barn with a stunning “Twilight” inspired design that used the roof structure to its best. Kitten’s work was featured at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2018 and she works with fresh and also silk flowers to create the truly sumptuous effects that you can see here… Kitten Grayson Gallery

Vervain Flowers from £3500
www.VervainFlowers.co.uk
@Vervainflowers
Located in Worcestershire, “Just a little orchestrated chaos” is the strapline which perfectly sums up the incredible look that India and her team give a wedding day. The team specialises in gorgeous wild and natural looking hedgerow effects. To see more, click here…. Vervain Gallery

Little Botanica
www.LittleBotanica.com
Now working from Glasgow, Little Botanica has definite Rigaud roots. Part-owned by a former in-house florist at Rigaud, Hayley Thompson started her floristry career with us in 2010 and produced the stunning weddings here for three years before returning to the UK where she joined the Little Botanica partnership. 

Tattie Rose Flowers from £8500
www.tattieroseflowers.com
@tattieroseflowers 
“Wild, romantic, untamed” is how Tattie describes her look which is exceptional. This look can’t come cheap on account of the volume of flowers required to pull it off but it’s truly stunning.

Bloom and Burn from £2750
www.bloomandburnflowers.com
Up and coming florist team with a number of celebrity clients, based in London, this is definitely a website to check out since the look feels very Chateau Rigaud which is probably why one of our favourite photographers recommended us. 

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Paying for your wedding

We are absolutely aware of what a huge expense it is to be married here at Rigaud and we’re more than happy to help you with the admin if there are guests or family who are willing to pay for some part of the stay here.

If you wish to ask chateau guests to pay for their rooms then we suggest the following room rates for B&B per night

Ballroom €280
Prussian  €280
Aquitaine €240
Boudoir €220
Dauphin €260
Bourgie €260
Maroc  €350
Jardin  €240

If you decide to ask for contributions from your guests along these lines then we need to be informed of this before they arrive and we prefer under these circumstances that they pay us in cash on arrival since it can be difficult to chase people at the end of the weekend.

Quite often we find that it is the wedding couple themselves who are paying for the entire weekend and yet they have parents who would dearly love to have an involvement, both financially and with some element of the organisation. This is always tricky since it can lead to a power struggle for creative control of the day!

One great way of giving them a part to play is to hand over the organisation and cost of the first night dinner. We are more than happy to make arrangements for this evening directly with a parent and to take a separate payment from them and in the past this has worked really well.  This can work equally well for the day after lunch.

The key to success often lies with handing over not only the cost but also the decision making for that element.  It can work really well if you let the parents decide what they want served in terms of food and drink and generally let it be their reception which takes a bit of the pressure off your budget.

Making payments

We require a €5000 deposit at the point of booking, followed by a second payment of €8000 ten months from the wedding date and a third instalment of €8000 six months from the date.

The balance of your wedding cost, less 10% and less cash payments to specific suppliers, will then be due no later than eight weeks before your wedding.

Payments can be made by bank transfer.
Please ensure that the exact amount in euros will be paid into Rigaud's account. The best way to do this is to organise a SEPA payment so that no additional fees are charged at the recipient’s end. However, your bank might recommend a different method.

Card payments made with a non-euro card incur a fee of 2% to cover the commission fees applied by our bank. This fee is applied to payments of 200€ or more.

Cash payments

Some of the service providers for your wedding will require their payment to be made in cash. Most usually this is the musicians, often the photographer, the celebrant, the hair and make-up artist etc.

These cash items will be highlighted on your budget in order that you can prepare this cash in advance.

We will ask you for the total cash amount during our meeting with you on your arrival day and we will then prepare envelopes for each of the service providers and pay them on the day for you.  If you would prefer not to make any payments in cash then we are able to contract these services on your behalf and take payments via our own accounts (via card or bank transfer) but will be obliged to add a further 20% to the total in order to meet our TVA obligation.

Tipping

This is entirely discretionary, of course. Most couples ask us what is normal and the answer seems to sit somewhere between 10% and 20% of the total food and beverage cost in your budget.
Tips should be in cash preferably.

All tips are shared among the entire team and it goes without saying that tips are hugely appreciated as a token of how you felt you have been looked after!

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Getting the look right on the day is so important and for this reason we provide a dedicated team for your wedding day with responsibility for ensuring our various in-house props are properly set out. This team is responsible for items offered within the Props & Styling Pages, both free and paid for, so writing up the canapé blackboard menus, setting out the vintage crockery, herbs, flowers and drinks on the canapé terrace, moving the pew ends from setting to setting during the day, hanging chandeliers in the tree for the ceremony and directing the grounds team with the ceremony chairs, the signage, the rose petal runner etc.

They will work closely with your planner to ensure the buttonholes reach the right people, the place names are on the table, that the bar is nicely dressed and if you're using it, that the dressing up box is properly presented and any other props you’ve requested are in place at the right time. In short, this means you can be sure that the chateau is looking exactly right for you on the day.

Of course, there is only so much this styling team can achieve and some couples want to bring many more ideas to the table. If you have more complicated ideas, perhaps for graphic blackboards, bespoke favours that need assembling, table plan art installations and the like then speak to your planner and florist about your ideas.   We love to see new looks and new ideas taking shape at Rigaud.

At the risk of creating a Bridezilla of you (not something that we have ever encountered at Rigaud but we have heard of them existing elsewhere...) you really do have to give some serious consideration to how your wedding is going to look and how you will ensure that your wedding is personal, reflective of you both as people and of course beautiful.

1. Make it personal

What do people think of when they hear your names? This could be something to do with how you met, where you have lived, what careers you follow, your joint or separate hobbies. You can use these pointers to personalise your wedding in terms of the decor and in doing so make your wedding entirely your own.

For an example

Hannah and Geoff named their tables after racehorses they had won money on, whereas Lou and Michael’s tables were named after cities they stayed in on their world tour.

Peter and Caroline served a Vodka course between the cheese and dessert to reflect Peter’s Russian heritage. Caroline’s place names took the form of small card Russian Dolls

Sarah married Vish with a stunning “Monsoon Wedding” theme to reflect his Sri Lankan heritage. The tree was hung with fuchsia pink leis, the favours were multi-coloured bangles wrapped in orange ribbon, the entrance to the barn was a carpet of red rose petals

Eve and Tom wrapped their flower vases with sheets of the local newspaper that they were both working for when they met.

Sarah and Alex created their own compilation of music and had CDs made and printed with their invitation design to give away as favours.

Fiona and Brennan and Leo and Craig included some useful French translations in their pack which were funny and personal to their wedding.

Katie and Nick had wine labels printed with their names and the same motif as their invitations.

Dervla and Stephen served a mini Guinness course, which was a delicious Kahlua liqueur topped with Baileys and went down very well

Stephanie and Simon gathered together photographs of their family and of their own childhood and created a film presentation for screening in the cinema during the cocktail reception

Fiona and Aaron were married beneath the first ever Chateau Rigaud Chuppah and were carried on chairs during a chair dance later in the evening by Aaron’s Jewish relatives

2. Plagiarism is good

This might sound contradictory to point one, but it doesn’t have to be. You just need to spend a bit of time researching what other people have done, find a look that you like and copy it!

There’s an enormous wedding industry out there ready to “help’ you in the process of planning your day. We find that most of the good stuff is to be found online but you must be selective in your choice of influence since there are a lot of rather dodgy wedding sites which can take you down the wrong alley.

For genuinely creative, design led websites with influences that compliment the Rigaud tone, try these and others that you will find from them. And of course there’s Pinterest and Instagram too.

www.rockmywedding.com

www.stylemepretty.com

www.everylastdetailblog.com

www.theknot.com

www.onefabday.com

www.brides.com

After a few evenings surfing about these sites you will probably start to get confused and slightly panicked. Unless you are a genuine creative with experience of pulling off a look then it’s probably best to use other ‘real weddings’ that you find on these sites as your inspiration. We suggest you find a well-documented look that you really like and copy it, but introduce a few additional personal aspects along the way. This is the route to success!

3. You can make a design impact with any of the following...

Your colour scheme                                      Names of the tables

Your invitations                                             The seating plan presentation

Bunting in the barn                                       Tree hangings

Signage                                                           Favours

The menu                                                       Table flowers

A wishing tree                                               Names for bedroom doors in the chateau

Ribbons on the honeysuckle arch                Your choice of soft drinks for the reception

Confetti and aisle petals                               Individual guest place names

Napkin treatments                                        Bar signage

Hanging things in the trees (chandeliers, festoon or fairy lights, lanterns, but what about ribbons, bird cages, flowers, hearts, feathers...).

Hand the creativity to your guests by setting up a photo booth for use during the day or even better a video booth for added comment on the best wedding ever.

Make a thank you sign before the day and have your photographer shoot you both holding it to create a fabulous and personal thank you card for after the wedding.

All of these sorts of ideas can be discussed in person with your wedding planner or florist either during a wedding planning weekend at Rigaud or via the phone and email in the lead up to your wedding.

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October

Introductions to your wedding planner
Book a planning weekend (often done before this, at the original booking date)
Consider and book your band, photographer and celebrant
Reserve professional hair and make-up
Decide upon church or lawn ceremony
Ensure you have made travel arrangements to arrive for lunch on the first day of your booking. You will need to meet with your planner for a final check list before your guests arrive.

November - the planning weekend

If you are not attending a planning weekend you need to arrange a detailed Skype call with your planner to cover off the following nuts and bolts questions:

Menu choice for the wedding meal, arrival night meal, Sunday lunch and other support meals?
Crémant or Champagne? House wines or upgrade?
Round tables or long rectangular tables?
What are your final music requirements? First glass, canapés and ceremony plus after dinner
What activities will you offer on the Friday?
Where will you have your Friday night meal?
Will you be offering our Guest Information Pages or building your own website that requires an online form link?
Will there be children at the wedding? (we will ensure babysitting is optioned)
Deadline for creating the Guest Information Pages and Links is the end of January

December

Before Christmas you should receive a report from your planner which details the decisions that have been made, either at the planning weekend or during the Skype call and an updated budget which reflects this.

January

Issue the Guest Information Pages or your wedding website address to your guests
Consider the format of your ceremony, the wording, the vows, any readings and the readers
Skype call and Pinterest board exchanges with our florist
Consider the other design elements such as table names, table plan, orders of service etc

February

Skype with your planner to discuss design requirements and ensure the details are noted
Confirm flower arrangements and agree budget with florist.

March

Wedding update report and budget from your planner, which should be virtually full of detail by this stage, bar final numbers which arrive as guests respond to the online form.

8 weeks countdown – payment due

Your planner will generate a guest report for you which will detail those guests who have returned their forms, what they have booked and what they have paid for.  It will highlight the guests who have booked but not paid.

6 weeks countdown

You review the guest report, identify whoever has not yet completed and chase these guests to complete within the next week. You should provide full guest list with email addresses in excel format and identify guests with children in order that arrangements for babysitting can be made

4 weeks countdown

Your planner will generate a further guest report and you should add to this the names and email addresses of any guests who have been invited but have not yet completed the form.

Three weeks countdown

THREE WEEKS OUT FROM THE WEDDING IS THE DEADLINE FOR THE PLANNER TO HAVE A FULL LIST OF ALL THE INVITED GUESTS, THEIR CHOSEN ACTIVITIES AND BOOKINGS.

Two weeks countdown

The planner will continue to chase up naughty guests and will work on transport configurations for the weekend. Reports will be issued to service providers, the chefs, the rest of the Rigaud team and the stylist. We need final numbers for the wedding meal at this point so that the chef can place his orders.

One week countdown

Relax, the hard work is done, pack your bags and catch your flight

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February

Introductions to your wedding planner
Book a planning weekend (often done before this, at the original booking date)
Consider and book your band, photographer and celebrant
Reserve professional hair and make-up
Decide upon church or lawn ceremony
Ensure you have made travel arrangements to arrive for lunch on the first day of your booking. You will need to meet with your planner for a final check list before your guests arrive.

March - the planning weekend

If you are not attending a planning weekend you need to arrange a detailed Skype call with your planner to cover off the following nuts and bolts questions:

Menu choice for the wedding meal, arrival night meal, Sunday lunch and other support meals?
Crémant or Champagne? House wines or upgrade?
Round tables or long rectangular tables?
What are your final music requirements? Canapés and ceremony plus after dinner
What activities will you offer on the Friday?
Where will you have your Friday night meal?
Will you be offering our Guest Information Pages or building your own website that requires an online form link?
Will there be children at the wedding? (we will ensure babysitting is optioned)
Deadline for creating the Guest Information Pages and Links is the end of January

April

At the beginning of April you should receive a report from your planner which details the decisions that have been made, either at the planning weekend or during the Skype call and an updated budget which reflects this.

May

Issue the Guest Information Pages or your wedding website address to your guests
Consider the format of your ceremony, the wording, the vows, any readings and the readers
Skype call and Pinterest board exchanges with our florist
Consider the other design elements such as table names, table plan, orders of service etc

June

Skype with your planner to discuss design requirements and ensure the details are noted
Confirm flower arrangements and agree budget with florist

July

Wedding update report and budget from your planner, which should be virtually full of detail by this stage, bar the final numbers which arrive as guests respond to the online form

8 weeks countdown – payment due

Your planner will generate a guest report for you which will detail those guests who have returned their forms, what they have booked and what they have paid for.  It will highlight the guests who have booked but not paid

6 weeks countdown

You review the guest report, identify whoever has not yet completed and chase these guests to complete within the next week. You should provide full guest list with email addresses in excel format and identify guests with children in order that arrangements for babysitting can be made

4 weeks countdown

Your planner will generate a further guest report and you should add to this the names and email addresses of any guests who have been invited but have not yet completed the form.

Three weeks countdown

THREE WEEKS OUT FROM THE WEDDING IS THE DEADLINE FOR THE PLANNER TO HAVE A FULL LIST OF ALL THE INVITED GUESTS, THEIR CHOSEN ACTIVITIES AND BOOKINGS.

Two weeks countdown

The planner will continue to chase up naughty guests and will work on transport configurations for the weekend. Reports will be issued to service providers, the chefs, the rest of the Rigaud team and the stylist. We need final numbers for the wedding meal at this point so that the chef can place his orders.

One week countdown

Relax, the hard work is done, pack your bags and catch your flight.

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