Having reviewed a couple of other alternatives, my eldest daughter and her fiance booked Ecrin De Lumiere for their wedding and wow, what a wonderful venue it is and what a fantastic experience it provided.....!! It's an 18th c. gorgeous cream-colored stone chateau, set back from a quiet road, placed inside 20 hectares of lovely countryside, with two three-storey guest wings centrally joined by the dining room, library and games room. An adjacent two storey building provides additional accommodation with two wings, each having it's own kitchenette and seating areas. It also has it's own large swimming pool, The location is 15 minutes from Bergerac centre/railway station and the small local airport. Joanna and Thomas booked all the rooms in the main building and in the adjacent building, each with their own unique character. The rooms/suites in the main building are spacious ( min c400 sq feet, with some c 800 sq feet), have lovely views over the grounds and are extremely comfortable and well equipped. Some have chaise longues and clawfoot bathtubs, in addition to modern showers. Our group of 24 spent two nights at the Chateau, enjoying a BBQ on the terrace on the first night, excellent breakfasts (the scrambled eggs are to die for) and the fantastic wedding meal (best steak ever!) in the dining room. All of the meals were created by the owner, Christophe, with a lot of the fruit and vegetables he uses handpicked from his own gardens. He is an excellent chef and he was a pleasure to interact with, both during the planning of the arrangements and throughout our stay. Although the original plan was for the wedding ceremony to be outside, due to the mixed weather on the day, Plan B was required ie to switch it to the lovely event suite joined to the adjacent building. Having this option was one of the reasons that Jo and Thomas chose the venue, as it is also tastefully decorated and spacious. All in all, this is truly a magical place and is perfect for a wedding venue or, indeed, a booking for a couple/family. We can thoroughly recommend it and will definitely return.
