Destination Wedding Near Paris
YUN & ERIC at CHÂTEAU DE SANTENY
Yun and Eric's destination wedding at Château de Santeny was years in the making. Originally planned for the Four Seasons Montreal in 2020, the pandemic gave them a different path — one that included a small civil ceremony, the birth of their first son, and a chapter spent in Fontainebleau, where Eric had been called to study. Before returning to Quebec, they chose to commemorate that French chapter the way it deserved: a destination wedding just outside Paris, finally surrounded by every person they loved.
When they called to ask if I would still photograph their day — now in France instead of Montreal — it was an immediate yes. Some weddings you don't miss.
The day unfolded on a luminous summer afternoon in the gardens of Château de Santeny, a 19th-century estate in the Île-de-France countryside. Yun's first look with Eric was unhurried and emotional; her first look with both parents, even more so — one of those moments that feels entirely a privilege to witness through a lens. And then there was their son — not part of the original 2020 plan, but somehow exactly as he was meant to be. His presence transformed the day: what could have felt like a long-delayed wedding became, instead, the version that was always supposed to be.
The first look between Stephanie and Maxime was full of it. So was the moment their daughter saw her mother in her wedding dress and told her she looked like a princess. So was the moment Maxime watched his little girls walk toward him in their flower-girl dresses, the father-daughter bond unmissable, with Stephanie nearby — close enough to witness it, far enough to let it be theirs. I laughed with them. I cried with them. By the end of the night, I felt less like the photographer and more like one of the people lucky enough to be there. This is the kind of wedding that reminds me why I do what I do.
As the sun dipped below the tree line, festoon lights came on over a long banquet table set for an alfresco dinner styled by Crème Soda Événements — the kind of table where plates pass, glasses clink, and laughter carries through the warm evening air. Less wedding, more family supper.
Why Château de Santeny Is a Destination Wedding Venue Worth the Atlantic
Château de Santeny is one of the venues I most love recommending to couples planning a destination wedding near Paris. It sits close enough to the city that guests can build a Parisian holiday around the celebration, yet far enough into the Île-de-France countryside to feel like a true escape. The 19th-century château has the architectural grandeur you'd hope for — sweeping staircases, formal salons, gardens designed for long summer evenings — but what sets it apart is the owner himself, whose passion for history, architecture, and the craft of hosting a wedding shows in every detail. He has poured love and investment into restoring the estate as a place built for celebration. There is also a private suite for the couple to stay in, which makes the morning-after as gentle as the night before.
Based in Montreal and working regularly in France, Château de Santeny is one of the estates I most love returning to. For destination couples planning a French château wedding near Paris, it is at the top of the list.
