Avril Lavigne married the man of her dreams, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, in a romantic ceremony in the south of France this week, covered exclusively by HELLO! magazine.
Canada's king and queen of rock'n'roll said "I do" on 1 July – a year after they started dating – in the glittering Chateau de la Napoule, a medieval castle close to Cannes.
The intimate and emotional candlelight ceremony was the highlight of a three-day celebration for 110 of their closest friends and family. "I wanted to make sure it’s a crazy vacation and an experience of a lifetime for our guests," said Avril, 28, who donned a black tulle Monique Lhuillier gown to walk up the aisle.The musical duo had fallen in love last year while recording Avril's fifth studio album. And, after a whirlwind week in Paris, which Avril calls the most romantic of her life, Chad, 38, proposed on 8 August 2012. "It was very natural. We were friends having a good time and then it just happened," Avril told HELLO!.
"It felt like fate was intervening and I was just being given this wake-up call: don't let this one get away," said the groom.Like everything in this pair's life, wedding planning was a team effort – but both readily admit that the bride took control. "I've been planning this wedding for a really long time," Avril told HELLO!. "I showed him everything and he let me take the reins and bounce ideas off of him." The result was a picture-perfect start to their fairytale life together.
© Photo: Getty Images"When you've got that ring on your finger that you get to look at every single day, and you get to call that other person husband or wife, it's a really special feeling," said Chad.
"We hope to be together forever," added Avril. "One day down the road we'll have a family. I look forward to growing with Chad."Readers in Canada can pick up the Avril and Chad wedding edition of HELLO! Canada this week from Thursday July 4 2013 – on newsstands, iPad and iPhone. UK readers can pick up issue 1285 of HELLO!, on newsstands from 8 July 2013.
