Dace’s Autumn Birthday Celebration

3 Nights

Dace’s three-night birthday celebration brought an entirely different spirit to Château de Gudanes - playful, colourful and wonderfully exuberant, set against the rich tones and changing landscape of autumn in the Pyrenees.

Days began slowly, with late breakfasts of crêpes and pain-perdu before setting out to discover local antique markets and brocantes. By early evening, everyone returned to the château for speciality cocktails and canapés, before the night’s celebrations began anew.

At Dace’s request, each evening was imagined with its own distinct personality and theme. One took inspiration from an autumnal, Ralph Lauren-inspired Halloween, with pumpkins and the warmth of the season at its heart, another embraced an abundance of brilliant, colourful florals, while the final evening exchanged formality for a little irreverence, with wonderfully wacky wigs and plenty of fun.

And, regardless of the evening’s theme, there was one tradition that remained: dinner always gave way to dancing, with every night ending in a disco party.

Joyful, spirited and unapologetically individual, Dace’s celebration is a reminder that château life need not always be serious. A private celebration at Gudanes can be elegant or eccentric, formal or playful - or, as in this case, a little of everything - shaped entirely around the person being celebrated.

Photography by Laura Kamilla Photo