Château de Chémery takes weddings, family reunions and private receptions for 50 to 230 guests, with the whole château reserved for one group over a weekend. It stands in the village of Chémery, in Loir-et-Cher, in the Loire Valley château country south of Blois.
Weddings and receptions
The château is built around a closed courtyard, which makes it easy to keep a celebration private. The main reception space is the orangery, used for dinners, buffets and dancing, and the courtyard holds an open-air green theater for ceremonies, speeches or entertainment. The weekend package for up to 230 guests includes the orangery, a second room, the five guest rooms and the courtyard, from Saturday at 2 p.m. to Sunday at 6 p.m. The mezzanines can be added for an extra charge. Hosts may arrive from Friday afternoon to prepare the reception. The rooms can also be hired on their own, without the guest rooms.
Smaller groups of 10 to 20 people, such as a family weekend or a gathering of friends, can book the dining room, the guest rooms and the courtyard from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, or extend to two or three nights with the château to themselves. The owners also rent the whole château and courtyard for live role-playing games, since the closed walls and central green theater suit them well. Each request is quoted individually.
Rooms and capacities
The orangery covers 175 square meters and is the heart of any large reception. A 50-square-meter room, also used as the dining room, serves for smaller meals or as a second space. The mezzanines add 120 square meters. The courtyard and its green theater give an outdoor setting for drinks and ceremonies. Together these spaces take events of 50 to 230 guests.
Accommodation
The château offers five guest rooms and suites, plus a gîte. The Talleyrand suite sleeps up to five in two connecting rooms, one in a 13th-century tower and the other in the Renaissance wing, and can be rented as a guest suite or as a self-catering gîte. The Colombage suite, with exposed timber framing, sleeps up to four. The Chambre des Dames and the Chambre du Baldaquin sleep up to three each. The Gîte des Gardes, in the former guards' quarters, sleeps up to five. When the château is booked for a weekend with accommodation, the group has the whole site from Saturday to Sunday.
Catering
The official site does not list an in-house caterer for receptions. Hosts arrange their own caterer and should confirm the conditions with the owners when asking for a quote.
History and setting
Chémery is a château of transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and it is listed as a historic monument. A medieval tower and a Renaissance wing still stand side by side around the courtyard. The owners run the house with a friends' association that supports its upkeep, and they welcome visitors in season.
Getting there
Chémery lies in Loir-et-Cher, close to the ZooParc de Beauval and within reach of the châteaux of Cheverny, Chambord, Chaumont and Chenonceau. The Cher valley and the Loire are nearby, which makes it easy to combine a celebration with visits for guests who stay the whole weekend.
