As a child, Chloé Crane-Leroux would sneak into her neighbour Clément Leclerc’s backyard in Montréal. Decades later, they exchanged vows at a villa in Provence. “Really, we spent most of our early years living parallel lives, just waiting to cross paths at the right time,” says Clément. The future couple first met when they were six, as neighbourhood acquaintances. They became students at the same elementary school and later went to high school just across the street from one another. They were separated geographically for the first time when Chloé left to study photography at Parsons in New York. “Years later, in 2018, Chloé was back in Montreal for a weekend and we crossed eyes in a bar, but nothing came of it,” says Clément. “Timing still wasn’t right.”

Then the pandemic hit and Chloé returned to Canada – where the childhood friends matched on a dating app. “We both messaged each other some version of ‘long time no see’, met up in a park, and have been tied at the hip ever since,” says Clément. He followed Chloé back to New York and the two quickly began laying down roots in the city. “It was clear to us that even though this became real in 2020, our relationship had been in the works for decades,” he says.

The couple spent the next five years building their lives together. Chloé grew her career as a plant-based cookbook author and creative director, while Clément worked his way up the ladder in finance and technology. Frequent trips to Europe became a major part of their lives, and on a vacation together at Lake Garda in Italy in August 2025, Clément popped the question. “We have a tradition that wherever we travel, we charter a boat for a day,” he says. So for their last night, Clément planned a sunset cruise on the lake. When the boat stopped near Isola del Garda, an island with a Neo-Gothic villa and terraced gardens, Clément asked her to marry him. She said yes, and the boat whisked them off to the Michelin-starred restaurant Il Fagiano for a romantic engagement dinner. “We both love food and culinary experiences, so ending this day around an incredible meal felt like the perfect way to celebrate,” the groom says. “It was, at the time, the best day of my life.”

When choosing where to tie the knot, Provence was really the only place the couple had in mind. “Provence has become such an important part of our story,” explains Chloé. “Over time, we’ve also developed a beautiful relationship with the family behind the Domaines de Chabran. We stay with them whenever we’re in Provence, so when it came time to choose where we would get married, it almost felt inevitable. Mas de Chabran already felt like home.” The pair took over the location on 12 September to host an intimate 30-person celebration, with additional events throughout the weekend.

“The entire weekend revolved around the things we value most: long meals around beautiful tables, seasonal food, music, flowers, candlelight and, above all, time with the people we love,” the bride says. “We wanted everyone to leave feeling as though they had experienced a little piece of the Provence that we have fallen in love with.”

The bride notes that after she partnered with Moretti Events, preparing for the weekend was “honestly, surprisingly simple”. She continues: “Clément and I are both quite laid-back and type-B, truthfully, so we never wanted the planning process to consume the experience of getting married.” The groom adds: “The easiest part of this wedding was to trust Chloé and Elia [Moretti]. They are both unbelievably creative and extraordinary visionaries.”

Another creative Chloé relied on was wedding dress designer Alexandra Grecco. After trying on gowns at Grecco’s New York City flagship salon, the author decided to exclusively wear pieces from the brand throughout her wedding weekend. Chloé remembers her stylist pulling a final gown during her first visit to the salon. “I remember looking at it and saying, ‘I don’t think that will suit me, but let’s try it anyway.’ And I’m so glad I did, because the moment I put it on, I just knew.” The Dylan gown – featuring a halter neckline, vintage-inspired seam details, and an open back – would be the dress she wore for the ceremony. “I paired it with the Andre opera coat – with its wide gathered neckline, billowing sleeves, and bubble hem – which gave the look the painterly, almost Renaissance quality I had been dreaming of,” Chloé explains. She topped off her look with a silver crochet cloche with pearls and glass beads. “All together, it felt romantic, sculptural, and a little unexpected,” says the bride. She also chose a mini version of the gown to change into for dancing.

Of course, the bride also needed looks for the weekend’s other events. For their welcome dinner, Chloé wore a Grecian-inspired look from Alexandra Grecco with an empire waist, draped silk tulle, and Chantilly lace appliqués. A coordinated set and pillbox hat from the brand, along with a pair of green Manolo Blahniks, helped her to close out the weekend at their day-after brunch.

The groom was eager to meet his bride’s high sartorial standards. “I wanted it to be a little more fashion-forward and to try and live up to what I knew would be Chloe’s exceptional outfits,” Clément says. “I worked with Maison Cloakroom to build my outfits around fabric, texture and colour to really stand out in our South of France setting.” He kicked off the weekend in a stone-coloured linen suit with horn buttons at the welcome party, then went more classic with an ivory, peak-lapel jacket and midnight-blue tuxedo pants for the wedding day. “My something old was my cufflinks,” the groom shares. “They belonged to my grandfather and were worn by my father at my parents’ wedding – a very meaningful tribute to my family.”

While the couple didn’t have a wedding party, they did ask their 30 guests to follow dress codes to set the mood for each event. The wedding-day palette had the guests wearing a mix of earth tones. “Because we were getting married in Provence in September, we wanted the colours to capture that fleeting moment between seasons, the last warmth of summer beginning to give way to autumn,” the bride explains. “Against the landscape of Mas de Chabran, it felt completely natural.”

The welcome party started at the Bergerie de Calabrun, a historic shepherd’s shelter carved into the limestone cliffs of Les Baux-de-Provence. “We asked everyone to arrive in their best Provençal white to kick off the weekend,” says Clément. Inside, a long serpentine table was illuminated by candlelight as a guitarist played. “It felt incredibly intimate and transportive – truly the perfect beginning to the weekend,” remembers Chloé.

The ceremony took place the following day, in the late afternoon, on the grounds of Mas de Chabran – “when the light in Provence was especially beautiful,” adds the bride. As Clément waited at the end of the aisle, Chloé walked through their family and friends to Max Richter’s recomposition of Vivaldi’s “Spring”. The proceedings, officiated by their close friend, included personal vows and a ring-warming ceremony. “Each guest held them for a moment and made a wish for our marriage,” says the groom. “It became one of the most emotional moments of the entire day – both for us and for our guests.”

“A special moment happened during the ceremony, where white birds flew over us in a V-formation, and then one black bird followed them,” remembers Chloé. “We lost my best friend a couple of years ago, and this felt like a sign. His favourite song was ‘Blackbird’ by the Beatles. We just knew at that moment that he was there with us.”

Officially wed, the couple went off to spend time alone together and take portraits as cocktail hour began. “We made our entrance to ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)’ by Natalie Cole, played live on saxophone; got to spend some time with all of our guests; and poured our favourite Champagne,” the bride reports. “It felt joyful and very relaxed – the exact energy we wanted for the evening.”

Next came a long dinner party at a table flooded with flowers and candlelight. “What we thought would simply be dinner somehow became five hours of courses, speeches, tears, laughter and stories. We did not see the time go by,” says Clément. Adds Chloé: “While it was happening, I thought to myself: I wish I could be a fly on the wall right now and see it all.” The dinner ended with a traditional French croquembouche for dessert. “Some time around 1am, we finally made it to the dance floor and stayed there until nearly four in the morning,” says the groom. “We danced, had drinks, smoked cigars… everywhere I looked, people were happy together. I wish it never had to end.”

After some much-needed rest, guests returned in pastels for a farewell brunch on the grounds. “We served lots of different pastries, tomato tarts, French cheeses, and other Provençal favourites around another beautiful hydrangea-filled table before spending the afternoon playing lawn games in the garden,” says Chloé. The day ended with family and friends relaxing poolside. Says Clément: “It was the perfect end to the most magical weekend of our lives. It’s especially meaningful to witness the new relationships that our guests formed with one another while being here. We love each of them deeply and it’s the most amazing gift to see them all leave with unexpected, and hopefully long-term, friendships.”

Looking back at the weekend, the couple share their overwhelming sense of gratitude for their community. “Having such an intimate wedding in Provence, a place that has become a second home to us, felt like an absolute dream come true,” says Chloé. “Our hearts feel incredibly full.”