REAL WEDDING

  • Photography By:

    Molly Jo Collection

    KATELYN MONGIN AND CLINTON HECKNER

    June 4, 2016. Montflanquin, France

    Kate and Clint were high school sweethearts, meeting each other at the age of 17. “It was young love, but we knew it was something big from the start,” Kate recalls. “Later, while attending university in Madison, Wisconsin, Clint proposed late fall our senior semester. He surprised me at a hotel with champagne and a dress for a night on the town. After, we decided to have a few years for a long engagement, so we could enjoy our time as fiancés and start our professional lives first.”

    When it came time to choose a location for their big day, the couple decided on a destination wedding in France at Château Ladausse, aware of the meticulous planning process involved. “Through early morning Facetime calls, our wedding planner Laura Chenay of Label’ Emotion and Diane and Eric of Château Ladausse organized every detail with us,” Kate explains. “They were our saving grace – so accommodating on any request and worked hard to pull our dream wedding together.”

    “AVOIR & TENIR” ... “TO HAVE” AND “TO HOLD.”

    The entire wedding day was perfection. Although the bride woke up feeling a bit anxious, her nerves completely relaxed as soon as she slipped into her Sarah Seven gown. “I was ready to marry the love of my life,” she says. “Nothing was better than walking down the aisle towards Clint. We truly had the best day with everyone celebrating our love.”

    Laura and her team succeeded in creating a stunning ceremony space with custom floral arrangements. Elegant wreaths hung in the trees, lush garlands highlighted the aisle, and a selection of roses and peonies adorned the original 17th century château doors, serving as the altar. A classic, yet ethereal ambiance led seamlessly from the ceremony, to the cocktail hour, to the reception. Strings of lights and burning candles cast a warm and inviting glow, and the bride particularly loved the custom wooden chair markers that said “Avoir & Tenir” – the French words for “to have” and “to hold.”

    “Our wedding celebrated Clint and I as a couple,” Kate describes. “We love France, traveling, and taking in the culture. This gave our guests a chance to do the same. As food lovers, we really enjoyed organizing a seven-course dinner menu with the château. Our goal was to make sure guests didn’t lift a finger that day and could eat, drink, and be merry with us.”

    The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in Paris, London, and Dublin, adding Dublin to their itinerary as a new place to explore as husband and wife. “The trip was lovely, but we missed our first train from Agen to Paris because of strikes,” says Kate. “Instead of being upset that we missed our evening plans, we grabbed food and wine at a local café and embraced the mishap. It showed me I had chosen the right partner, knowing that when life takes control, you embrace it together.”


    WEDDING TALENT

    Photography: Molly Jo Collection, Madison, WI


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