Château de Gudanes takes weddings of up to 40 guests inside the house, larger weddings with a marquee in the grounds, and private celebrations with up to 15 guests staying on site. Only one event runs at a time, so the château and its grounds are reserved for the group. It stands above the village of Château-Verdun in the Ariège, in the French Pyrenees, about 1 hour 45 minutes by car from Toulouse.
Seminars and company events
The château does not sell corporate events. Its closest format for a small group is a residential workshop of three to seven nights, built around French cooking, markets, antiques and excursions, during which a small group shares the house. These retreats run on fixed dates set by the château, and individual guests sign up for them.
Weddings and receptions
The ceremony, dinner and evening take place in the salons and the dining room, including the Salon de Musique, the Salon de Rose and the grand vestibule, with the terraces and formal gardens for drinks and photographs. Couples who want a church ceremony can use a local church about five minutes away and return to the château for the rest of the day. The château supplies the meals, the drinks and the flowers, while photography, film and planning are left to the couple's own suppliers, with whom the team works directly. Birthdays, anniversaries and milestone dinners follow the same model over a stay of a few days, for up to 15 guests.
Rooms and capacities
Inside, the reception rooms take up to 40 guests for the ceremony, a seated dinner and the evening. The site gives no figure for the marquee, which stands in the grounds. The house counts about 55 rooms in all, in states that range from restored to still under restoration, and it is also hired for photo shoots and filming.
Accommodation
Six bedrooms are let with breakfast included, sleeping up to 15 guests in total. They range from twin and king rooms on the ground floor to the King Suite with a four-poster bed, the Marquis Suite of about 70 m² and a Family Suite of about 140 m² with two bedrooms. For larger weddings, the château points guests to lodgings nearby: Les Gîtes de Beille at the foot of the drive, Maison Beaucoup about 1 km away and Les Granges de Léo about 2 km away, all booked directly by the guests.
Catering
Meals are served at the château's tables or cooked on the grill in the grounds. Drinks are poured by the château's staff throughout the event, and flowers come from local markets or from the gardens.
History and setting
A fortress is first recorded on the site in 1213. The present château was built in 1741 to designs by Gabriel and is classified as a Monument Historique. After decades of silence, it was bought as a ruin in 2013 by a family who have restored it room by room with private funds and no grants. In 2016 the restoration received the medal of honor of the Fondation Prince Louis de Polignac. The house faces the mountains of the Ariège valley.
Getting there
Toulouse-Blagnac airport is about 1 hour 45 minutes by car, and transfers from Toulouse can be arranged at extra cost. The station at Les Cabannes is a few minutes from the château. The address is 2 Route de Beille, 09310 Château-Verdun.
