Château de Montvillargenne

Cocktail de bienvenue

Morning Run

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Chateau de Montvillargenne

Vin d'honneur

Reception

Brunch

Our Wedding

We don't have what you might call a traditional 'story'. In some ways, it's very traditional: boy and girl get invited to a party, they meet, they fall in love. However, our story has a twist: boy speaks French and girl speaks English. Also boy has shoe polish smeared around his eyes and girl is wearing a tail. It turns out there's a lot that you can overcome with a little help from Google Translate and some homemade Polish vodka. Thanks to DeepL being a much better translator and an seemingly unending curiosity to learn about the other's likes and dislikes (I like orange, j'aime lavande), we made it through our first months of dating. We even survived perhaps our greatest hurdle as a couple: Antoine discovering Sylvana was a vegetarian with an allergy to many cheeses while on a date where the plan was wine and charcuterie. Needless to say when Antoine ate that raw vegetable board, Sylvana knew he must love her. Eventually Antoine's English got better (even learning favourite phrases like 'break the seal') and Sylvana's French did too (merci à la daronne). There was, of course, still the occasional hiccup such as when Antoine asked Sylvana if she wanted to go window licking (window shopping directly translated from French) much to her horror. From surviving COVID-19 lockdowns in a studio apartment to living briefly in Lisbon to buying our first apartment in Paris to never quite managing to get organised enough to get PACS'ed, the past five years have been filled the ups, the downs, the in-betweens of life. Together, we've always swam through and we can't wait to splash into this next adventure!

Of All the Fish in the Sea...

Nous n'avons pas ce que l'on pourrait appeler une « histoire » traditionnelle. D'une certaine manière, elle est très traditionnelle : un garçon et une fille sont invités à une fête, ils se rencontrent et tombent amoureux. Cependant, notre histoire a une particularité : le garçon parle français et la fille parle anglais. De plus lors de la première rencontre, le garçon a du cirage à chaussure autour des yeux et la fille porte un déguisement de chat. Il s'avère qu'il y a beaucoup de choses que l'on peut surmonter avec un peu d'aide de Google Translate et un peu de vodka polonaise faite maison. Grâce à DeepL, qui est un bien meilleur traducteur, et à une curiosité apparemment inépuisable pour connaître les goûts et les couleurs de l'autre (j'aime les oranges, I love lavander), nous avons réussi à passer le cap des premiers mois de notre relation. Nous avons même survécu à ce qui est peut-être notre plus grand obstacle en tant que couple : Antoine a découvert que Sylvana était végétarienne et allergique à de nombreux fromages lors d'un rendez-vous qu'il prévoyait avec du vin et de la charcuterie. Inutile de dire que lorsqu'Antoine a mangé cette planche végétarienne, Sylvana a su qu'il devait l'aimer. Finalement, l'anglais d'Antoine s'est amélioré (il a même appris des expressions favorites comme « break the seal » soit 'je vais vider l'eau des olives') et le français de Sylvana a fait de même (merci à la daronne). Bien sûr, il y a toujours des problèmes occasionnels, comme lorsqu'Antoine a demandé à Sylvana si elle voulait faire du lèche-vitrine, ce qui l'a horrifiée. Du COVID-19 dans un studio, en passant par un bref séjour à Lisbonne, l'achat de notre premier appartement à Paris et le fait de ne jamais réussir à s'organiser suffisamment pour se faire pacser, ces cinq dernières années ont été remplies de hauts, de bas et d'entre-deux de la vie. Ensemble, nous avons toujours nagé dans le bonheur et nous sommes impatients de nous lancer dans cette nouvelle aventure !

De tous les poissons de la mer...

Our Story

Photos

Did you really think we were going to spend time on this ?! We love our friends but no way. Come ask us at the cocktail de bienvenue on Friday night.

Wedding Party

Q + A

We highly recommend staying at our venue for your comfort! All events will be taking place at the Chateau so relax and enjoy the grounds while you spend this special weekend with us. Bookings should be done through emailing Christophe Bouttteville (c.boutteville@chmvt.com) who will be coordinating this special rate for us.

How to Get to There? 

Getting to Chantilly is very easy! If you are coming from Paris, you will take the TER from Gare du Nord to Chantilly Gouvieux. Tickets for the TER can be booked at the station, online via <a href="www.sncf-connect.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SNCF Connect</a> or via the mobile SNCF Connect app on your phone. From Chantilly Gouvieux, it is a short Uber or taxi ride (about five minutes) to the venue. If you are coming from Charles de Gaulle Airport, you can either take a taxi or Uber direct to the venue (it is about a thirty-minute ride) or take the RER B to Gare du Nord in Paris and then follow the instructions above! If you are coming from Orly Airport, we recommend taking transport into Paris and then taking the TER from Gare du Nord.

Parking

There is plenty of parking available at the grounds of the chateau. If you are driving, you will be able to easily leave your car. ...we even have hay, if you dare come to the chateau in an old school way !

Travel

Explore, Eat, Drink! 

Our Paris Favourites

Museums - Head to Centre Pompidou to discover the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe - don't miss the view of Paris from the top floor! You can also get a drink at the rooftop bar where we went on one of our first dates.- Learn more about our neighborhood and the artists who lived here at the Musée Montmartre.- Explore the sculpture garden at Musée Rodin.- Dive into Monet's gardens at the Musée Marmottan Monet.- Explore the shops in one of Paris' famous passages. Monuments and Neighborhoods - Walk around the Père-Lachaise cemetery, an old favourite past time of ours when we lived in the 11th.- Take a walk on the Petite Ceinture.- Have a picnic at Buttes-Chaumont.- Visit Le Marais for great boutiques and make sure to get lunch at L'As du Falafel! Cafés and Restaurants - Get traditional hot chocolate at Angelina.- Taste the best eclairs at L'Éclair de Génie.- Go out for cafe gourmand to satisfy your sweet tooth!- Enjoy steak frites at Sacre Fleur around the corner from us or TonTon La Butte if you prefer aligot.- Head for a cheap and good meal at a Bouillon - we love Chartier where Sylvana's Dad and Uncle Andy have been going for decades!- Get traditional French food at Chez Paul.- Enjoy galettes and crepes at Cafe Breizh. Need more recommendations? Check <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ayvrQkwIMYR21Ga90KhOPwGe8xZO_uA14lzSHMNs5cs/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this out</a>!

Discover Chantilly

- Visit the Château de Chantilly - don't miss the beautiful grounds!- Like Sylvana, Chantilly loves horses! Go riding in the forest - you can reserve through the Chateau Montvillargene by emailing ind@chmvt.com.- Not up for riding? Don't worry! Go for a walk in Chantilly Forest.- Learn how to make proper chantilly (whipped cream) in its hometown at<a href="https://atelier.delachantilly.fr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> L'Atelier de la Chantilly </a>or <a href="https://www.chevalierfouetteur.fr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">La Confrérie des Chevaliers Fouetteurs de Crème Chantilly</a>.- Enjoy a drink on a terrace in the city center.

Things to Do

Registry

Thank you for being part of this weekend and helping us make it one we will remember forever! As you already know, we are mixing multiple cultures for our wedding. When it comes to gifts, there are many different traditions! For us, first and foremost and to honour Sylvana's love of puns, your presence is a present! However, please also find below a few options for gifts for those who would like. - Registries in France are not very common but we have managed to create a limited list via Amazon for those who would prefer: <a href="https://www.amazon.fr/wedding/share/lespoissons" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon Registry</a> - For those who would prefer to give money, please note that to avoid substantial fees and complications, we would prefer transfers to either of the following and we'll use it towards our honeymoon (Rovos Rail in Africa), activities together, and building our family! Let us know if you have one you prefer us to put your gift towards! For Euros: Transfer to our shared bank account IBAN - FR76 1027 8361 8300 0122 1400 367BIC - CMCIFR2ADomiciliation - CCM Saint Clair; 1 Rue des Renardières,44100 Nantes For Dollars: Venmo @Sylvana-Lewin Both Antoine and Sylvana love experiences and the opportunity to create more memories so don't hesitate if you prefer to book an experience or suggest an activity! <a href="https://rovos.com/journeys/namibia-safari/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ROVOS RAIL</a>

Sylvana & Antoine