Eva Longoria celebrated her wedding in an authentic Château in France last year (yep, lucky sevens) and her now-hubby, NBA star Tony Parker admits it - when it came to his wedding, his bride, “Desperate Housewives” starlet Eva Longoria, was running the show. Like so many grooms, the San Antonio Spurs superstar hadn’t done very much to plan the big event, but has left that up to Eva and their wedding planner.

The year before, passages from the Holy Quran echoed on the grounds of Château de Chantilly as His Eminence Sayyed Mohammad Musawi blessed the union of Prince Hussein and his American-born love Kristin White during an Islamic wedding ceremony. Surely they used a wedding planner. And what makes all the A-listers choose a French Château as their wedding location?
Leaving all that planning up to other people is a sure way to leave your concerns at the Château’s doorstep and leaves you with the time and mindset to enjoy every minute of your wedding and the time leading to it.
As a wedding is not nesecarily a once-in-a-lifetime thing anymore and more people marrying multiple times in their lifetimes – wedding planners have become a recognized profession. Not only have these people all the experience of planning a wedding, they have also gone through about four years of education. Even though you consider yourself a good planner, you can’t beat that – and nor would you want to on the most magical day of your life!
What makes French wedding locations so popular for celeb weddings nowadays? I went off to speak to Alice Jones, a wedding planner based in London, working for mostly... well you guessed it: celebrities.
But is it only the Jet Set that marries in French Castles?
”A Château wedding is not something that is strictly for the rich and famous amongst us anymore”, Alice starts “More people make more money, and with the short distance from the UK to France, normal people can now have their Château wedding for less then it would cost to get married in Wales or Scotland.”

So why do people want to get married in a French Château?
Alice says:”Your wedding isn't something you started planning the day he proposed. If you are like most women, you've been planning your dream wedding since you
were a little girl. What was that dream wedding like when you were that little girl? Did you imagine a fairytale wedding; did you fancy yourself a princess? Lavish dress. Handsome prince. Ancient castle decked out in grand style. There is just something absolutely fabulous about a wedding like that.”
 
So what do People look for when they want to get married in a French Château?
”There are just as many options as there are wishes” says Alice “One particular Château in our file is doing exceptionally well: Hattonchâtel Château. The grandeur of the place is incredible. It´s overlooking the Seine Vally in France's Lorraine region and it is a very special location. The stunning 16th-century architectural masterpiece can provide the perfect backdrop for the wedding ceremony the child inside you still longs for. With turrets and spires, ornate windows presenting breathtaking views of the village and surrounding countryside and its own private chapel.”

After seeing the pictures of the place, I sort of regretted I got married last year in rainy old Wales. Back then, it had never really crossed my mind that a wedding in a fairytale Castle was a realistic option. I think I´ll just have to make do with reading about celeb weddings in French Châteaux in the glossies and tabloids...Then again, I could always file for a divorce and do it all over again in a French Chateau ;) ■