Hortus Conclusus
A serene evening.
We spend it drinking wine.
The sun, going down,
lays its cheek against the earth
to rest.
The breeze lifts
the coattails of the hills.
The skin of the sky
is as smooth as the pelt
of the river.
How lucky we are to find
this spot for our sojourn
with doves cooing
for our greater delight.
We are getting married in Sancerre, France on the summer solstice—June 21, 2025—and we hope you can be there with us!
We’re riffing on the formal wedding rituals to put together our own rite of passage into married life. Though our version of the ceremony will be on June 21, our wedding will be more like a family reunion or week-long summer camp.
We are inspired by the idea of a hortus conclusus, a motif from Medieval art depicting divine figures in an enclosed garden—a secluded space surrounded by plant-adorned walls. We want to create a hortus conclusus of our own by inviting you to spend the week with us at Château de Thauvenay, a 19th-century home surrounded by vineyards and villages. In hosting a wedding that is prolonged and intimate, we’re hoping to cultivate a space that feels cut off from time and the hustle of our normal routines. This gathering is meant to be a week of connection, reflection, and celebration of our love, friendships, and family. Of community, communion, and communitas.
Our intention is to make deep connection and shared moments of joy abundantly possible—all set within the serene and beautiful surroundings of the Loire Valley. It would mean so much to us if you could join us here, to help us make this idea a reality, to cultivate and tend to this enclosed garden… and to celebrate with us as we marry each other within its walls. People have marked the summer solstice, a change of season, for millennia. For us, it is an opportunity to do the same in our lives, a ritual in concert with the natural world. Our aim is to have a loose, easy week to frolic around the grounds of Thauvenay, the surrounding villages, the Loire Valley, and beyond.
We cannot imagine a better place than Thauvenay to make this vision a reality, to suspend our relationship with time, and to serve as a venue and reminder of our capacities for deep feeling. Around us will be world-class vineyards, some of France’s most charming villages, centuries-old cathedrals, the serene Loire river and its famous bucolic bike paths, a charming goat farm that produces delicious cheese, quaint bar-tabacs, bustling boulangeries, seasonal farmers markets, and treasure-filled flea markets.
We encourage you to spend each day poolside, to break off and take day trips, gather a group and go out to dinner, rent bikes and visit a vineyard or an old chateau—whatever facilitates the most joy for you and yours. Bring a book you’ve been meaning to read (or pick up some at Shakespeare and Company in Paris), a craft project, your journal, or a manuscript you’ve been meaning to work on. This weekend is also La Fete de La Musique, a nation-wide festival celebrating live music. We will certainly have many opportunities to dance and celebrate both on and off site—including with a DJ setup in the chateau’s basement wine cellar, free-flowing local wines, and a talent show (details TBA, haha!).
Relevant Info:
We’ll be at Château de Thauvenay (“TOE-v-NAY”) from Thursday, June 19 until Wednesday, June 25, 2025. The chateau is set up similarly to a boutique hotel, where each room is a little different. Almost all of the rooms have their own bathroom. It doesn’t have central air-conditioning, but we should be comfortable in late-June, with the weather normally no hotter than the low-80s, with nightly lows in the high-50s. There is also a saltwater pool and sauna .
Getting There: Thauvenay is located about 7 minutes outside of Sancerre, France. To get there, you’ll fly to Paris (CDG), and take a 2-hour-long train ride from Paris to Tracy-Sancerre, or, if you prefer, rent a car from Paris and drive to Thauvenay (a ~2.5 hour trip). We encourage you to use this event as a final stop or jumping off point for your own travels around France or Europe.
We realize flying overseas is a big commitment both temporally and financially, and we don’t make the ask lightly. We want to make it clear that lodging at the chateau is on us. Breakfast will also be provided daily, and we are going to arrange several dinners as well. Still, we understand if the trek is simply untenable, and that your potential absence does not mean you love us any less. Please reach out if there’s anything we can do to facilitate your presence.
With love,
Maria & Connor
Many of you are traveling across the globe to celebrate with us in France, so your presence means the world to us and is all we ask for. If you'd still like to contribute to our registry or honeymoon funds, please use the link below.
>>>LINK TO REGISTRY(coming soonish)
TO RSVP, please just call us or text us as soon as you are able!