Biggest news of the day, and it's not even 10 AM yet: Longtime power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were married this past weekend in France, with a small ceremony that no one even knew about. In the age of the tabloid and the TMZ , this is sort of an amazing feat — like, I don't even want to know how they were able to keep the wedding a secret, I'm just impressed by it. Anyway, the couple, who have six children together, have been together since 2005, so this whole gettin' hitched thing has been a long time coming, and it's definitely exciting news in the celeb world. Also, though, cause for questions: Like, where exactly were the duo married? What did Angie wear? Was there cake? While I may not have the answers to the latter two questions, the former is more readily available: The couple married in the south of France, at Château Miraval.
So, what is Château Miraval? Apart from being a wine-lover's paradise (winery, vineyard, southern France location — you can't get any better than that!), the wine château is located in a small village called Correns, about 514 miles south of Paris. The couple actually own the place, crazily enough — they began leasing the place a few years back when they were looking for Jolie to giving birth to their twins, Knox and Vivienne, in France, and though it still functions as a winery run by the original owner, Tom Bove, now lives 30 minutes away. In a 2012 article speculating a possible Brangelina wedding one day taking place there, the former owner said:
"Miraval is absolutely incredible," says Bove, a friend of the couple who calls Jolie "such a beautiful person" and Pitt "down to earth" and "very smart."
"It is 2 kilometers from the road to the home and then another 2 kilometers to the other end of the property," he describes the property. "So it's very remote and beautiful. And it has a very special smell—when you are there the air is filled with the smell of winter jasmine, thyme and rosemary."
There's also a chapel onsite, which is where the nuptials did in fact take place:
But though the Jolie-Pitt family could probably host the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys all at once on their estate, only a select few will be privy to their vow swap if they choose to do it in the on-site chapel.
Bove, whose son got married there, says the intimate French-gothic-style chapel—dating back to the 1200s and rebuilt in 1880—only has standing room for about 20 people.
Sounds equally as picturesque and beautiful as the couple themselves are. Sigh. Here's a picture, if you need photographic evidence of just how damn beautiful this place is:
And another:
According to reports, the ceremony sounds just as lovely as the place it took place in, with each of Brangelina's children getting to play a part in the event: Jolie's eldest sons, Maddox and Pax, walked her down the aisle, Shiloh and Knox took over the rings, and Zahara and Vivienne were flower girls. Seriously, that sounds adorable.
Congrats to the happy couple!
