A Destination Wedding at Chateau de la Bourdaisiere in Montlouise-Sur-Loire, France

Christine Ta had moved to San Francisco from San Diego for work, when she met Peter Yao who was working for the same company. Although Christine was focused on her career and had no interest in dating anyone at the time, Peter was persistent. About six months later, after the JP Morgan Chas Corporate Challenge 5K, the two were hanging out with co-workers, which sparked the beginning of their relationship.

“Peter proposed on a cruise in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam on a vacation with a group of our closest friends,” Christine shares. “He had this grand plan of proposing on a kayak tour in the caves, but it started raining. Later that night I was playing a game of cards with our friends, and he came from the side and tapped me on the shoulder, got down on one knee and said, ‘You want to do this or what?’ It was a very Peter-like thing to say; I said ‘Maybe’ and then ‘YES!’ and we all laughed.”

Since the couple loves traveling together, they knew they wanted to have a destination wedding that doubled as “the best party of their lives.” Plans were soon in the works for a destination wedding in France, and a talented team of vendors made the wedding planning process an easy one despite the time difference.

“We picked Chateau la Bourdaisière because it was easily accessible by train from Paris and slept the most guests,” explains Christine. “It was such a cool experience having most of our guests stay at the chateau with us during our wedding weekend. I never felt anxious; it just felt like we were on this amazing vacation with a hundred close friends and family members.

We kept the décor simple and clean because we wanted to highlight the venue’s natural beauty and really showcase the food – Fredeville’s food presentation was art in itself. The fresh oyster bar and truffle risotto in a cheese wheel were a huge hit! The funniest part of the night was everyone releasing lanterns towards the end of the night. This happened after a lot of alcohol, so we’re glad the lanterns didn’t burn anyone or anything!”

For their honeymoon, the newlyweds traveled to Villa Cipressi to visit their favorite gelato shops and restaurants.