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.
"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.