This real wedding at Park Chateau Estate and Gardens will go down in history as one of my absolute favorites! We had the total pleasure of planning with Megan and Erik for their gorgeous May wedding at New Jersey’s best luxury wedding venue. Scroll through the details and the gorgeous gallery with photos from the amazing Dyanna LaMora and reach out to us to start planning your special day at this incredible venue!
*Please note that most of the links of this page are affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and purchase, you will receive the same price, but I will receive a referral fee. This helps keep my blog free and allows me to share wedding planning tips with you. Thanks for your support!*
Park Chateau Estate and Gardens is one of my all time favorite wedding venues in the world…and I’ve worked at a lot of wedding venues. In New Jersey, you don’t get more “luxury wedding” than Park Chateau…From the gorgeous details to the incredible staff, there is nothing you are left wanting when you host your wedding at this iconic venue.
Our amazing couple, Megan and Erik, had a beautiful May wedding at Park Chateau and there were endless gorgeous details that I am still swooning over. Not only was this couple incredible to plan with, but their creativity was next level. Thankfully, we had a rockstar team of wedding vendors to put it all together.
The day began in the beautiful bridal suite at Park Chateau where Megan and her girls got their hair and make-up done before getting into their dresses. The bridal suite here is easily the best one I have ever seen and honestly, every wedding venue should take notes because it’s literally perfect.
The suite is HUGE you guys…which is perfect because think about it…there needs to be enough room for the bride, her bridesmaids, moms, grandmoms, aunts, the planning team, the hair and make-up team, the photo team and the video team. That is a lot of people but this place never feels cramped.
Did I mention that the natural light is insane?
One of my favorite details of the bridal suite is this beautiful balcony where the wedding party can watch the first look taking place in the gardens below. There’s nothing better than having the support of your tribe watching you both see each other for the first time on your wedding day and these two had the best and most supportive people surrounding them all day!
While there are countless places to have your first look at Park Chateau, the gardens are popular for obvious reasons. Erik stood with his back to the chapel where they would later say their vows and Megan came through the doors that were decorated with stunning florals. I was so happy to have the moment to give him a few tissues because I knew he would cry when he saw his stunning bride.
Once the first look photos were completed, we brought down the bridesmaids and groomsmen to get those pictures out of the way before the ceremony. This was so much fun and everyone had the best time taking these iconic wedding photos. I honestly don’t even know where the football came from but I’m so glad someone brought it along!
If you’ve never been to Park Chateau Estate and Gardens, it’s hard to explain just how many locations are available for your pictures. This gorgeous fountain is in the garden area that was used for first look photos and more. Plus, guests will walk through that area before and after the ceremony so why not dress it up? I’m a sucker for adding flowers to a fountain and was so excited when Megan and Erik were on board with this design idea!
Wedding Planner Tip: Ask your florist to provide a bunch of extra rose petals to get this must have wedding photo! Be sure to ask your wedding venue first though if you’re allowed to throw around the florals.
One of my favorite ideas that Megan and Erik had were the boxes that lined the ceremony aisle. Florals designed like this can be repurposed for later on (which we totally did) but they were perfect for the start of the celebration. Megan and Erik chose to have the words from 1 Corinthians painted on the boxes which I am still obsessed with!
Once the chapel was completely set up but before the wedding ceremony, we went inside for a few more pictures with Megan and Erik. I’m still swooning over how perfect the altar set-up was and how well it framed our gorgeous couple. And just LOOK at those flowers! I mean….
One of the most iconic spots at Park Chateau Estate and Gardens is absolutely their staircase. There is so much you can do with this area and I loved the garden feel with all of the mixed candles at the base of the banisters. This was also the location of the first look Megan had with her father earlier in the day and yes, there were plenty of happy tears!
Once the ceremony concluded, it was time for the wedding guests to come back into the estate for the cocktail hour and reception. Park Chateau is famous for many things and their endless amazing food is definitely at the top of the list of things they are known for. Guests were welcomed into the foyer with this beautiful welcome sign that included more of those gorgeous garden style flowers.
Wedding Planner Tip: After your ceremony concludes, take some time to be alone with your new spouse. This is a great time to regroup, drink some champagne (I mean water…) have a few bites of food and just breathe. Of course, if you’re going to do any hair and make-up touch ups or changes, this is the best time to do it before heading back to cocktail hour.
One of my favorite things (and there are a lot) at Park Chateau is the ability to extend your cocktail hour. Let’s be honest, 60 minutes isn’t enough time to indulge in all of the food options and explore the rooms of the estate. Plus, with first look and formal photos out of the way, the couple can take their time alone together before joining everyone at cocktail hour and still have plenty of time to spare!
One thing I love about weddings is when my couples bring their personal stories into the design and decor of the day. This incredible seating chart was a nod to Megan’s grandfather and his love of race horses. Each guest found their horseshoe with their name and table number before heading into the ballroom for the reception.
Megan and Erik decided to mix and match their tables by using long estate tables around the dance floor and rounds for the rest. That beautiful backdrop used inside the chapel was repurposed during the cocktail hour to go behind their sweetheart table and around the mantle.
The ballroom truly looked like a magnificent garden…just look at how gorgeous these roses are! There were countless candles filling the mantle and placed on every table to really give a romantic glow to the room. We used warm uplighting to bring everything together and placed pinspots over the centerpieces so as the sun went down everyone could still see how beautiful everything looked.
Each round table had this gorgeous tall centerpiece filled with different color roses and plenty of bright greenery. Floating candles surrounded the base to complete the upscale look. For the long tables, our florist created rows of roses and greenery to create a seamless and stunning design.
Have I mentioned how creative this couple was? For each table number they included a picture of themselves at that age. For instance, at Table 9 there was a collage of Megan and Erik at age 9. I really loved this idea because it’s so cute to see how they lead separate lives until they ultimately found each other. Just the idea that your special someone is always out there is enough to get me choked up but don’t tell anyone I said that.
The place settings were also (big surprise) totally beautiful with the estate tables having the guest names at each seat. How adorable are the laser cut names? Just another detail I’m still in love with from this wedding!
A moment for the wedding cake please….
We brought in a few linen rentals including one for the cake table because you cannot have a cake this beautiful on a boring plain linen. Surrounded with rose petals, this beautiful wedding cake was adorned with the most delicate and romantic sugar florals.
It was such a pleasure planning with this sweet couple and watching everything come together. Every detail was truly perfect and the guests spent the entire night on the dance floor. I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to plan with Megan and Erik for their Park Chateau wedding and for all of the hard work our vendors put into making this wedding truly extraordinary. Keep scrolling for a few more pictures and a vendor list of the dream team that made it all happen!
Venue: Park Chateau Estate & Gardens
Florist: Laurelwood
Photographer: Dyanna LaMora
Photobooth: Tap Snap
Video: NST Pictures
Music: EBE Talent-Dreamtime
Wedding Planner: Rothweiler Event Design
Hair and Make-Up: Michelle Elise Artistry
Officiant: Rix Thorsell
Wedding Cake: Vincenzo Salvatore Cakes
Welcome Sign: Fox and Quill
Lighting: JB Lighting
Stationery: Partners in Paper
