Erin & Douglas

Erin and Douglas came from the United States with a clear, beautiful idea: to get married in France, in a place carved by centuries, far from the noise of the world. They chose the Château de Boulogne — a medieval fortress rising above the village of Saint-Michel-de-Boulogne, in the heart of the Ardèche.

The ceremony

It was in the open air, beneath the château stones, that their ceremony began. That serenity, that quiet complicity — it was there from the very first moments, and it never left the day. Douglas smiling as he took Erin's hands during the vows. Their spontaneous burst of laughter during cocktail hour. Around them, loved ones who had crossed oceans to be there.

The château

Built in the 11th and 12th centuries and now a classified historic monument, Château de Boulogne has watched over the Ardèche valley for more than nine hundred years. Its ruins offer something rare for a wedding: stone arches framing cypress trees and rolling hills, a vaulted room for the first dance, wildflowers growing between centuries-old walls. Not a fairytale castle too polished to feel real — a living place, with a soul.

Couple portraits

And then there was the light. Ardèche summer light has a way of slowing time. As the sun descends behind the hills of the Vivarais, every scene becomes a painting. Golden hour here is not a moment — it is a state of grace. Erin and Douglas wrapped around each other in that warm light, her head thrown back in pure joy.

Cocktail, golden hour and reception

The first dance in the stone vaulted room, surrounded by the people they love. Moments you cannot create — you can only be ready to catch them.

Thank you, Erin & Douglas, for crossing the Atlantic to get married in this corner of the Ardèche I love so deeply, and for trusting me with your day.

— Yann

Dreaming of a château wedding between old stone and Southern light? Discover my approach as a wedding photographer in the Ardèche.