Château de Villette, in Condécourt in the Val-d'Oise, is rented privately as a whole: a destination wedding, a private party, a celebration weekend or a photo shoot, with seven suites in the main house for the hosts and their closest guests. The estate sits about 40 minutes from central Paris, and its owner presents it as open to any private event, from a large reception to an elopement for two.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are the core of the events offer. Ceremonies can take place outdoors in the classical French parterre garden, where the estate can add a fireworks show, or in the 18th-century chapel on the grounds. Indoor receptions and cocktail parties are held in the Orangery. The owner also suggests the château for private parties, summer gatherings around the outdoor pool and private photo sessions. The official site does not publish guest numbers for the ceremony, the cocktail or the dinner, so the capacity for a given layout should be confirmed with the estate before a guest list is drawn up.
Rooms and capacities
The event spaces named on the official site are the Orangery, the chapel and the French garden. Around them lie a 75-hectare woodland park, two lakes, a cascade fountain and a glass house. This gives a wedding day several distinct settings within one property: the ceremony outdoors or in the chapel, drinks in the gardens, then the reception in the Orangery. Seated and standing capacities are not stated.
Accommodation
The main château has seven suites, each decorated individually by the French interior designer Jacques Garcia, whose work includes Hotel Costes in Paris and La Mamounia in Marrakech. The rooms are furnished with Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI pieces bought at Sotheby's and Christie's, some of royal provenance. The estate is rented exclusively, so the house party has the property to itself. Guests who do not sleep in the suites will need hotels in the surrounding area.
Catering
Meals are prepared by a private chef serving French cuisine. Away from the table, guests can row or fish on the lakes, use the outdoor pool, take riding lessons and walk through the formal gardens. The estate also suggests day trips to Giverny, the Château de Versailles, Deauville and Reims for groups staying several days.
History and setting
François Mansart designed the château for the Count of Aufflay, and his great-nephew Jules Hardouin-Mansart, who also worked on Versailles, completed it. André Le Nôtre drew the gardens, which explains the nickname Le Petit Versailles. The house has been a classified historical monument since 1942. In the 18th century its owners, the salon hostess Sophie de Grouchy and her husband the Marquis de Condorcet, received Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine. According to the owner, Dan Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code while staying here, and the film adaptation used the château as a location.
Getting there
Condécourt lies in the Vexin, northwest of Paris, about 40 minutes by car from the Champs-Élysées via the A13, A14 or A15 motorways. Paris Charles de Gaulle airport is about 40 minutes away, Paris Le Bourget about 30 minutes for private flights, and the Pontoise-Cormeilles-en-Vexin airfield about 20 minutes. A car or a chauffeured transfer is the practical option for guests.
