At This Château Wedding In The South Of France, The Couple Married Under A Colourful Floral Chuppah

By Alexandra Macon

Design consultant Emily Luntz and entrepreneur, investor, and product designer Jared Morgenstern – who also happens to be the man behind the Facebook Like button and a founding member of Raya – did not, interestingly, meet via a dating app. Instead, their meet-cute in 2015 happened the old-fashioned way: at a Halloween party in Los Angeles. Jared was dressed as a 19th-century ship captain, and their first photo together shows Emily proudly donning his tricorn hat with her bodycon dress. (It was two weeks before Halloween, and she hadn’t gotten the memo that it was a costume party.) During the evening, the two got separated before they could exchange numbers, but the next day Jared received three texts from Emily’s friends asking if they could give her his number.

In 2021, six years after they started dating, Jared flew into San Francisco from LA to surprise Emily with a proposal in the gardens of the Fioli estate. She was there having tea with a friend who, when she turned a corner, said: “I have a letter to give you.” When Emily opened the envelope, she saw it was a handwritten note from Jared – and an invitation for a scavenger hunt. The route led Emily through Filoli’s Garden House and ended in front of the stunning lily pond, where Jared got down on one knee.

The wedding was held this past June at the Château St. Martin in the South of France. “We were engaged for two years prior to our nuptials, so the planning process was relaxed,” Emily explains. She found via Instagram the floral designer Kiana Underwood of Tulipina, the first vendor she hired; Underwood then introduced her to photographer Greg Finck. “We happened to be in Paris at the same time and met with him and did a test engagement shoot in black and white,” Emily says. “After that, we hired him on the spot!”

Finck, in turn, was the one who then introduced the couple to their wedding planners, White Eden, and videographer Caleb Jordan Lee. “Ultimately, we had all our key vendors and venues picked over a year in advance,” Emily remembers. “We flew out last summer to try all our food and experience all our venues. It was such a pleasure working with White Eden. I felt like I was able to have complete creative control, and I totally trusted the vendors they were proposing as options.”

At that point, everything was running almost too smoothly. Then three weeks before the wedding, Jared’s mother got sick and they thought they might have to cancel everything. “We divided and conquered,” Emily says. Jared focused on getting his mum better and to the wedding, which was achieved in the nick of time, while Emily finished the planning, designing, and styling for the big day. “All this to say, it reminded us of why we were having a wedding, who really matters, and that our time here is scarce and life should be celebrated,” Emily says.

To that end, the goal for the wedding was to infuse everything with a distinctly French flair. The welcome event set the stage for the wedding weekend. “I wanted to embody the essence of the South of France with what I wore, taking inspiration from the iconic Brigitte Bardot – albeit without the signature bangs,” Emily jokes. She wore a vintage shift-style minidress that she found at Happy Isles in LA, and to make it her own, she collaborated with her wedding-dress designer, Patricia Voto of One/Of, to customise it. “Initially the dress featured short sleeves and fell just above the knee,” Emily says. “I decided to transform it into a backless halter design, shortening its length.” The excess fabric was crafted into a matching bag to add a unique touch, and Emily went for a modern take on a ’60s blowout and winged eyeliner by makeup artist Trine Juel to complete the look.

The rehearsal dinner took place at Villa Ephrussi. “Immersing myself in the estate’s history served as a remarkable source of inspiration, and I set out to capture a refined Gatsby feel – subtly weaving in elements of aristocratic grandeur into the ambiance,” she says. For the dinner, Emily came across a vintage dress from Gossamer on Instagram and immediately fell in love, but the dress – a white silk gown reminiscent of the 1930s style – was several sizes too large. “With the help of my local seamstress, we skilfully tailored it to fit while also making alterations such as deepening the plunge and refining the cup shape to achieve a whimsical and ethereal effect,” Emily says. She selected a YSL Crystal bag adorned with antique gold details to finish the look. This accessory added a touch of sophistication to the ensemble.

The concept behind Emily’s wedding dress was to capture the essence of Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, all in one look. “I aimed to blend modern romanticism with Hollywood glamor,” she explains. “Patricia Voto of One/Of and I embarked on a journey over a year and a half ago to create this extraordinary dress. I had a clear vision, and Patricia understood it perfectly. I longed for a gown that exuded drama yet remained sophisticated.” The design involved elegant, delicate finishes crafted from luxurious silk-faille fabric, all balanced with a train and removable shoulder sash.

When it came to accessories, Emily opted for timeless elegance with vintage French signed diamond-and-gold earrings from Richters of Palm Beach and a pair of white satin kitten heels from Manolo Blahnik. For hair and makeup, Trine created a sleek and modern twisted updo and a fresh, luminous beauty look.

“What truly brought the entire look together was the cohesive organic shape shared by my earrings, ring, hairstyle, and dress,” Emily says. “Each element boasted natural elongated, soft curves, forming a harmonious and captivating ensemble. This theme was meticulously reflected throughout every aspect of the wedding event, from my wedding ring to the enchanting florals and even the menus. My intention was to create an atmosphere of abundance and extraordinary beauty while still maintaining an elegant minimalism.”

The ceremony began with a welcome drink (and a little alcoholic ice cream). Guests then descended the path from the hotel toward the pool, where they were able to get a glimpse of the top of the chuppah overflowing with Tulipina’s flowers – and beyond that the aisle with coordinating flowers bursting from sleek, modern rectangular pedestals. Off in the distance, the pool, the matching floral decor in the glass event structure, and the mountains loomed.

The flowers were the focal point, though. “We chose Kiana Underwood of Tulipina for her creativity and the artistic touch she brings to her designs,” Emily says. “Kiana and I talked about the emotions we wanted to evoke through the design – we wanted it to feel light, joyous, bright, and abundant but still elegant, refined, sophisticated, and cohesive. To achieve this, we chose light blues cascading to yellow to light pink covering the chuppah and extending to the aisle.” The chuppah was steps above the aisle, facing east, so sunlight shone on the ceremony.

The moments before the ceremony didn’t go quite to plan, however. Somehow Jared walked into one of Tulipina’s floral arrangements, showering him in yellow pollen. The entire wedding party pitched in to help, taking pieces of tape and using them to remove the pollen and get him camera-ready. In a similar snafu, Emily’s veil got caught on the steps, holding her back as she attempted to make her way to the service.

But when the violinists started playing at the beginning of the ceremony, all was right and ready to go. At that point, Jared slowly walked his mother down the aisle to her seat. “Most of the crowd was in tears, as it was uncertain she would be able to attend only weeks before because of a very serious diagnosis that she heroically overcame to experience what she described as the best party of her life,” Emily says. “She whispered to him that his father would have loved this and that he would have been so proud.”

Emily was escorted down the aisle by her father and gave Jared a little wink as soon as they made eye contact. In her vows, she talked about Jared’s “Tetris way of life” and how it’s a perfect match for her more “pinball-style” approach. Jared read a poem that he wrote for Emily after their first date seven years ago, when he knew she was the one. The marriage was sealed with an “I do” from the groom and a “Hell yeah!” from the bride, and they broke the glass, kissed, and walked down the aisle while friends threw rose petals. “It felt like we were in a dream,” Emily says. “There was no anxiety. All of our best friends and family were sharing this special moment with us.”

After the ceremony, there was a cocktail hour with a Champagne tower overlooking the view toward the old city of Vence and the ocean. There was a slow-motion video camera – similar to the ones used at the Oscars – for posing and a strolling band who, after the cocktail hour, led everyone to the tent for dinner. The tent was also adorned with Tulipina’s florals, and the musical group Inspiration welcomed everyone by playing “Bittersweet Symphony.”

Musical performances punctuated each of the dinner courses, with Jared’s mother-son dance to “She’s the One” by Billy Joel leaving everyone in tears. The theme for the menu was an elevated take on street food, and lobster rolls and burgers were served, while the Funfetti cake – the couple’s favourite flavour – was created by Made in Cake.

For the after-party, White Eden had the idea to build an entire false wall in the lobby of the château and have a secret door open when you pulled on a giant portrait. For this prop, the couple chose a replica of Banksy’s Mobile Lovers – one of Jared’s favourites, considering his work on the Like button, and a gentle reminder to all guests to unplug and have a good time. A little after midnight, the couple danced the hora.

Inside the space looked like a speakeasy, and the late-night party went until 4 a.m. “Jared, an amateur break-dancer, even did a few works and handstands,” Emily says. “And there was a 3 a.m. bouquet toss! The last thing we did that night was reread our vows to each other before falling asleep.”

We chose Château Saint Martin, north of Nice and overlooking Saint-Paul de Vence in the South of France, for our intimate and romantic wedding venue. The 50-room hotel accommodated almost all of our 100 wedding guests.

We were able to steal a private moment seconds before greeting our closest family and friends for the first time. I’m wearing a vintage (originally short-sleeve) minidress that I purchased from one of my favourite shops in LA, Happy Isles. I upcycled it into a backless halter dress and used the excess fabric to make a matching bag with the help of Patricia Voto from One/Of.

Our welcome event featured a locally inspired vegetable stand, serving fresh tomato-and-basil canapés.

The excitement was building for the two of us as we began to hear about our friends gathering but hadn’t yet seen them.

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We pulled inspiration from flower markets typical to the South of France. The goal for the welcome event was to immerse our loved ones in everything French! The beautiful florals were arranged by Miss Rose by Perrine.

Wearing my upcycled mini and beaming with anticipation for the first event. Trine and I opted for bright makeup with a subtle eyeliner and a hairstyle nodding to the French ’60s theme of our welcome night.

Our welcome event came with a refreshing spritz stand featuring Aperol, Hugo, and virgin spritzes.

With spritzes in hand, we couldn’t help but dance. Jared is smiling at me after being flooded with love from our friends and family.

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