9 of the Best Intimate and Bijou Wedding Venues in the South of France

There’s something about a small and intimate wedding in France that feels so timelessly romantic. Be it in a fancy hotel where every minute detail is considered, or an all the more relaxed and whimsical affair, both feel equally delightful to us.

It also gives you the opportunity to find a true hidden gem and those lesser known places, that may only do a few weddings a year, but the ones they have are truly lovely, heartfelt and unique.

The South of France plays host to an abundance of these types of venues, usually with gorgeous countryside or Riviera views to boot. Plus, with fewer guests, you may have more budget to play around with for getting a location that is truly decadent.

When researching the perfect venues for this list and as a tip for you when seeking out the perfect venue, don’t just look down the typical ‘wedding venue’ route. Explore handpicked hotels from the likes of Mr and Mrs Smith for locations that may not boldly advertise they do weddings, but in fact do. Take a look at luxury villa websites for venues that can host your whole wedding party in the reception spaces, who will likely be open to you hosting your wedding there. Or, if you fancy a lovely quick getaway to France, take a little tour of your favourite area and see which hotels you love, have a drink in their bars or a bite to eat, and really soak in the atmosphere. Is it somewhere you could envisage getting married? The luxury of having an intimate wedding is that a whole host of venues open up to you, that those with larger wedding parties may not have access to. So think outside the box, keep open minded and get exploring.

Read on to find our top picks of the best intimate and bijou wedding venues in the South of France.

Chateau Saint Roseline

Location: Provence

Located in the centre of Provence, near to Saint Tropez, the French Riviera and just 45 minute’s drive from Nice, the beautiful and rustic Chateau Sainte Roseline is ideal if you fancy yourself a French countryside wedding but still with plenty to do around you. Whilst this wedding venue is a fab location for a small, homely and intimate wedding of 30, if you do happen to change your mind, it can actually host up to 250 people indoors and a gargantuan 1,000 people outdoors. As a winery estate, you can sip on their homemade wines throughout your wedding weekend and indulge you and your guests in tours and tastings on the days surrounding your wedding. With an onsite chapel, the local village priest of Les Arc can bless you before moving onto your reception, where you can host your welcome drinks in the picturesque 12th century cloister. Following this, you can choose to have your wedding breakfast in the intimate and moody Barrel Room, the Harvest Room or Al Fresco amongst the tree lined lane next to the Chateau.

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Villa Ephrussi De Rothschild

Location: Cote D’Azur

Located on the Cote D’Azur, the Villa Ephrussi De Rothschild is simply dreamy and like something out of a Wes Anderson film. Dipped in pastel pink with intricate architectural detailing, this standout venue is a wonderful pick for any couple after a romantic, yet eccentric and one of a kind venue. With curiosities and something to look at with every turn, your guests will feel so lucky to have been invited to such a special place. With a large ornate pond fronting the villa and carefully manicured grounds surrounding it, the venue offers up photo opportunity and moments of wonder aplenty. With floor to ceiling windows, the traditionally French venue is bathed in light throughout, offering up to nine separate themed rooms for you to choose from. Each garden surrounding the villa is themed, equalling nine gardens in total: Florentine, Spanish, Garden a la Francaise, Japanese, Provencal, Garden de Sevres, Exotic, Rose Garden and a Stone Garden. Located only a 30 minute drive from Nice airport or just a 20 minute drive from Monaco airport if you’re feeling fancy, it is easy for you and your guests to get to.

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Chateau Engalin

Location: Gascony

A chic, design-led space located in Gascony, this 18th century former residence has been converted into a modern and minimalist venue. Taking its name from the Galin, the stream that runs through and around the grounds, the venue is super private and set amongst 13 hectares of meadow land, bordered by fields of sunflowers and wheat. With the option to have it exclusively with a late license until 2am, the Chateau can host up to 120 people and can sleep 22 across 11 bedrooms for your core wedding party. It’s just 45 minutes from Toulouse airport and close to other accommodation for the rest of your wedding guests. Brought back to live over the space of 10 years by former London restauranteur Marwan Badran and business entrepreneur Jeremy Grose, they have carefully restored the exterior of the hotel to its former glory, whilst injecting a good dose of modernist style into the interiors. They define their interior style as ‘contemporary luxury with playful hints of the unexpected’, which feels pretty spot on to us. The venue can comfortably host up to 100 guests, with in-house catering from their professional kitchen. With a keen eye for design and convivial proceedings, the owners will be on hand to help you through the process.

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Only just starting your French wedding venue hunt? We have lots of blog posts covering the very best wedding venues in France, from coastal spots and chateaus to vineyards and barns. Plus we have recommendations that are handily close to the UK too.

Hotel Les Roche Rouge

Location: Côte D’Azur

This fifties waterfront retreat is the epitome of effortless cool, the laidback French girl of the hotel world if you will. With an easy going and natural style right on the water, the whole place is inspired by the shimmering cobalt blue med and the auburn orange rocks. With the ability to host up to 60 guests, the hotel can be exclusively yours for the evening, with a private beach where you can exchange your vows and a floating bridge for your guests. Your ceremony will then be followed by a meal on the terrace, looking directly out to the shimmering sea. There are plenty of elegant and comfortable rooms for your guests to stay in, including a sea view suite for the newlyweds to stay in, with the always lovely extra of a champagne breakfast in bed. The hotel is renowned for its breathtaking 30 metre saltwater pool that is carved out of the rocks below, spilling out into the sea. We would strongly recommend nabbing one of the beds that surround it the day after the wedding, and ordering aperitifs to nurse any hangovers.

Explore the venue here.

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La Divine Comedie

Location: Avignon

If you’re on the lookout for a real hidden gem, then for us – this is it. Located in Avignon, La Divine Comedie lives tucked away beyond an unmarked gate, surrounded by Avignon’s largest secret garden. Made up of five rooms in total, the hotel is owned by Parisians Gilles Jauffret, an interior design and an avid lover of antiques, and Amaury de Villoutreys. It took them five years of restoration, but in that time they’ve managed to transform the former residence into a theatrical space filled with gorgeous antiques, hand painted screens and crystal chandeliers. With the décor being inspired by Naples, Venice and the Middle East, the effect is mesmerising and makes you just want to be there, be it for a wedding or purely to soak it in during a night’s stay. For your wedding you can enjoy breakfast in the sunlit conservatory, walk the jasmine path leading to the stone pool and spa pavilion for afternoon drinks and spend dinner in the orangery. For the days surrounding the wedding, make sure you check out the bar next door called ‘Le Complot’ where theatre loving locals gather to enjoy wine, sardines and fois gras, to really take in the authentic French feel.

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Village Castigno

Location:

A venue full of quirk that feels like a nice nod to the Wes Anderson aesthetic, Village Castigno describes itself as ‘bohemian, countryside and always chic’. Situated right in the middle of the Saint-Chinian wine country, the place buzzes with life and happiness. It consists of three impressive restaurants, a spa, a busy café and rooms dotted amongst original stone townhouses and stables. The owners Tine and Marc Verstaete are originally from Belgium, with Tine’s passion for design learned over a lifetime of working in film production. Village Castigno is a clever mix of a relaxed and lively atmosphere with food that packs a punch (and is tipped to be getting a Michelin star). Prepare for it to be an unplugged wedding as the hotel purposefully has no wifi, so your guests can truly enjoy the moment. For in and around the wedding, hire scooters to tour around the local vineyards, get creative in the nearby ceramic studio or taste some of the chateau’s organic wine.

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La Campagne Des Jumeaux

Location: Ramatuelle

Tucked away behind Pampelonne’s buzzing bay, you’ll find the beautiful La Campagne Des Jumeaux. Originally designed as a private residence for a celebrated St Tropez dentist, the farmhouse brings with it a real homely and intimate feel in its new life as a B&B and event venue. In fact, the granddaughter of the dentist still has her horse roaming in the fields, along with plenty of donkeys, geese, sheep and the venues very own beehive.

Inside the farmhouse the design is laidback modern with lots of contemporary arts and sculptures, lending a very chic vibe to proceedings. Plus your guests get to enjoy the beach nearby after the ceremony, as it can be easily accessed via a lavender scented garden path from the farmhouse. We’re obsessed with the cool laidback feel of this venue and love the idea of an intimate yet decadent wedding here, with it’s definite tinge of Hollywood glamour. You can see a real wedding hosted there here.

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The Muse

Location: St Tropez

For laidback decadence in an intimate and cool setting, then The Muse in St Tropez ticks all those boxes and more. Taking inspiration from Greek gods and goddess through its design and ambience, it’s a venue that really encapsulates the low key glamour of the Riviera. Situated in Ramatuelle in the gulf of St Tropez, it is just an hour away from the airport of Toulon-Hyères, which is easily accessed via London Stansted.

The architectural design of the hotel is focused on simplicity and is nestled within an award-winning ecological and self-sustainable garden, which makes for a really relaxing and easy-going environment. It has 15 suites on site and is pet and child friendly, so the whole family can come along for the experience.

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Villa Marie

Location: St Tropez

Located within a seven acre pine forest overlooking the turquoise bay of St Tropez, Villa Marie is a lovely intimate 5* hotel designed in the style of an Italian villa. Throughout the spaces within the venue, you can design a wedding ceremony and reception that suits you within their various rooms and spaces. The hotel is bohemian and relaxed in style with lots of beautiful grounds to explore, including a heated pool by the terrace and a spa. Host your reception within their garden bar, complete with comfy sofas and wrought iron chairs and an amazing chef who cooks traditional provencal cuisine. If you have a special furry friend in your life, you’ll also be pleased to hear that the venue is pet friendly too!

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Domaine De Manville

Location: Provence

A 5 star hotel nestled in the valley below Les Baux, known to be one of the loveliest hilltop medieval villages in France, Domaine De Manville sits within an enormous 100 acres estate and originally functioned as a working farm. With the main building surrounded by olive trees, wild herbs and lots of leafy grounds, you can expect the warm and welcoming domaine to include elegant interiors, a large light filled spa, a fitness room along with an 18 hole golf course and pool in the grounds. It can also house a number of your guests across its 30 rooms and suites, and 9 villas. With a beautiful courtyard and large, architecturally striking glasshouse forming one of the many reception areas to choose from, Domaine De Manville is a wonderful wedding location for when you want to host all your guests on site in a truly luxurious space.

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Bastide Saint Julien

Location: Provence

For a venue that makes you feel really at home - albeit a very grand one - then look no further than Bastide Saint Julien. With lush and verdant grounds surrounding the Provencal country house, it strikes the ideal balance between impressive yet cosy. Taking care and attention of your intimate event, they can tailor the day entirely to you. The venues spaces are large yet feel intimate, through the carefully curated modern rustic design. Plus, if your guests are big fans of the foods of Provence, then they’ll love the location of the Bastide, as the surrounding area is home to lots of markets, restaurants and vineyards for you all to explore in the days leading up to and after the wedding.

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La Lauren

Location: Provence

Featuring possibly the prettiest, whimsical garden we’ve seen in a while, this medieval chateau is truly at one with nature as it nestles in beautifully amongst the Provencal countryside. The venue can hold up to 80 guests, with the ability to get married in the lavender fields or in the French garden for really intimate wedding ceremonies. Following the beautiful ceremony, your wedding reception can take place al fresco on the lawn weather permitting, with views over the tumbling hills of lavender fields and thereafter, you can enjoy the music later into the evening in their small country dance hall. The chateau is home to lots of authentic and classic decor along with medieval fireplaces and can sleep up to 6 people, with further accommodation in the village nearby.

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