This Couple’s Provence Château Wedding Was Inspired by an Iconic Monet Painting

Food and fragrance became key themes of the wedding details. “Since our sense of smell has such strong ties to memory, we wanted to create something meaningful that will live on beyond the weekend,” shares Kandice. To create that unique sensual memory, they turned to Shabnam Tavakol of Kismet Olfactive to develop a custom fragrance. “During our studio meeting, she drew inspiration from our childhoods, favorite foods, and the local region,” says the bride. “From there we went back and forth on a few versions before landing on a petitgrain-forward blend with bright citrus notes, grounded by vetiver and cedarwood with subtle palo santo and lavender.” The couple both wore the scent—which was called Château Nuptials—and had it diffused through the castle for an immersive sensory experience. The couple also brought this scent along to their first meeting with their caterer, Amandine Anglade of Citron Pavot, who created a signature spritz based on its ingredients for the wedding.

Choosing the perfect garments for their weekend in Provence was a particularly exciting task for the pair. For their welcome party, Kandice decided to opt out of bridal white in a green floral Givenchy dress she found on Moda Operandi. “I was never tied to wearing white all weekend and loved the idea of wearing a floral print to pay homage to springtime in Provence,” she shares. “The soft silk layers and scarf detail had incredible movement in the wind.” She paired the look with gold kitten-heel sandals by The Row for “a hint of drama.” The groom donned a forest green P.Johnson suit that he styled with a linen shirt and Loro Piana ascot. “He looked incredible,” notes the bride.

For the wedding day, the bride wore the first gown she ever tried on: a Danielle Frankel bias-cut dress with a cowl neckline. “I loved the drape of the back and the timeless silhouette, but I knew I wanted to add something special to make it feel unique—something more ethereal than overtly feminine,” Kandice shares. “I had saved a look from the Valentino spring 2017 couture show, a slouchy silk slip under a tulle overlay that I instantly fell in love with. I shared the runway image with Danielle’s team, and they loved the idea. Together, we created a custom pleated tulle overlay that started at the neck with defined pleats that gradually softened toward the hem. The way it caught the light was beyond my expectations.”

To accessorize the gown, the bride chose a pearl ring that belonged to her grandmother as her something old. In Kandice’s words, “Since she and my grandfather couldn’t travel for the wedding, it was meaningful to have that piece of her with me.” As her something borrowed, the bride wore Sauer chandelier earrings with cascading pearls. “Special thanks to the Moda fine-jewelry team for making this happen!” While she originally planned to wear a pair of satin mules by The Row with the dress, Kandice realized she needed to make a swap. “Once we started planning the ceremony and I realized I’d be walking down a gravel path, I decided to save those for the reception,” she says. Kandice decided to repurpose the gold heels she wore for the welcome event. “I ended up loving how they looked with my wedding dress, and I especially love the photos where you can see them peeking through the hem.”

For her beauty look on the wedding day, Kandice wanted to feel like herself. Hair and makeup artist Karine Brossard was up to the task, crafting both her polished makeup look and soft romantic waves. “Since I rarely wear it up, I wanted it down for the wedding to stay true to my usual style,” she says.

For his ceremony ensemble, Aaron decided to go with a warmer tone. “Aaron knew immediately that he wanted to work with Daniel at P.Johnson to create his tuxedo, having worked with him on suits before,” shares Kandice. The designer crafted him a style in chocolate brown. “Rather than a boutonniere, he opted for an oversized vintage gold knot brooch he sourced from Stephen Herdemian. The knot is two pieces of rope tied together, which he felt was a fitting symbol for the day.” Brown Loro Piana monk-strap derbies tied together the whole look. “It was so expressive, and he looked like himself—always great,” says Kandice.

Both the bride and groom had two outfit changes throughout their wedding day. For the reception, Kandice removed the tulle overlay from her gown to reveal more of her body-skimming sheath and Aaron changed into an off-white hidden-placket shirt and white natural-silk dinner jacket from P.Johnson. Once the after-party arrived, the bride swapped her Danielle Frankel gown for a Khaite slip dress and her satin mules by The Row. “Aaron changed into a silky brown shirt from P.Johnson with his tuxedo pants for a chic monochromatic look,” explains Kandice.

For their day-after brunch, the newlyweds chose more casual poolside looks to gather with their guests one last time. “Aaron wore a beautiful silk shirt from Dries Van Noten paired with his swim shorts and Birkenstocks,” says Kandice. “I wore a flowing white dress from Simkhai with gold earrings from Jasmin Sparrow. I loved the way they caught the light.”

The couple had three goals for their welcome party at the château. “One, there had to be a lot of food,” they say. “Two, we wanted there to be room for people to have a range of engagement. Not everyone wants to talk for four hours after getting off a plane, and we wanted our guests to be comfortable drifting in and out of the château. Three, we wanted people who had never met to become good friends.” Plenty of seating and easy-to-carry (and dance with) foods helped achieve this goal. “That night, we finished the leftover wine at the dinner table and told stories among those who lingered before calling it a night so we’d be rested for our ceremony the next day!”

As guests arrived for the wedding celebration, they were welcomed with bubbles and lemonade on the castle lawn. “The chairs were set up without an aisle in a semicircle shape so everyone could be close,” says Kandice. “It felt quite intimate.” Aaron remembers that he initially wanted to do meditation to stay present for the wedding ceremony, but he got too caught up in playing host. “But as soon as I heard the music playing and I stopped to look at the landscape painted around us, I realized this was actually happening—I am actually marrying my best friend,” he recalls. “I was on cloud nine the rest of the weekend. It couldn’t have been better.”

Kandice remembers being nervous on the four-minute walk from the château to the aisle with her father. “But as soon as we turned around the corner and I was able to see Aaron standing there, beaming with the biggest smile on his face, all my anxiety washed away,” she says. “I could feel all the love from everyone there with us, and it was pure magic. The clouds parted, the sun shone through, and it was just perfect.” The bride and groom’s friend Eric officiated the ceremony, and they exchanged vows they had written together. Once pronounced husband and wife, the pair kissed and recessed to the song “Married Life” from the Up soundtrack played by a string trio.

The ceremony was followed by cocktail hour, where a live jazz band played as hors d’oeuvres were served on silver platters. “After the ceremony, we were as bright as the sunbeams that had just come out,” remembers Aaron. The couple changed into their next looks as guests sat down for dinner. The groom made a speech that included a poem he had written the day before, and Kandice’s father said a few words and welcomed Aaron into the family. “Then Aaron’s aunt spoke about the Persian wedding tradition of the Sofreh Aghd and shared the meanings of all the elements,” says Kandice. “She surprised us by incorporating a few special traditions involving Aaron’s aunts, sister, and grandmother.”

Instead of cake cutting, the couple decided to play on the tradition with a cake-decorating moment. “We played ‘How Sweet It Is’ by James Taylor while everyone sang along as we placed fresh strawberries and greenery on the cake,” the couple says. “Then we headed straight to the dance floor for our first dance, which we had spent six weeks in lessons practicing. We proudly navigated the song starting early.”

After the final outfit change of the night, the couple spent the rest of the evening enjoying burgers on the dance floor as Donna Summer played. One fun touch that has helped the couple relive the night? Aaron shares: “My rock-star brother, as a surprise, was pulling people aside throughout the night to make us an Office-style video of interviews with everyone—such a great gift.”

As an homage to their wedding-weekend inspiration, the weekend ended with a poolside picnic. Umbrellas and blankets were set up outdoors with plenty of croissants, jambon beurre, and quiches for the guests to nibble on. They even set up art supplies for guests to get inspired by the grounds. “Everyone sipped orange wine and lemonade while talking about the next stops on their trips,” remember the newlyweds. “Two couples who had met at our wedding ended up changing their plans so they could go to St. Tropez together, which we absolutely loved!”

Reflecting on the weekend, the couple both share how grateful they are to have been able to create that space for so many people they love. Kandice adds: “I keep asking Aaron when we can do it again!”