A TV star couple who renovated a crumbling French castle for hit Channel 4 show Escape To The Chateau are now cashing in millions after transforming it into a lucrative wedding venue.
Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree bought the run-down 45-room chateau for just £280,000 in 2015 but are now raking in the cash by charging couples fat fees for a fairytale wedding at the moated property in the Pays de la Loire region.
The sprawling 19th century building has now been valued at £2million, with Dick, 60, and Angel, 41, receiving a staggering £38,000 per wedding.
Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree bought the run-down 45-room chateau for just £280,000 in 2015 but are now raking in the cash by charging couples fat fees for a fairytale wedding
The couple – who swapped their two-bed home in east London after searching for the chateau for four years – also cash in through the increase in TV rights from Channel 4 for the series and its day-time spin off.
TV presenter Dick and author Angel now employ two PRs to market their thriving business empire which includes not just weddings but personalised homeware, gifts, soft furnishings, calendars, diaries and cards.
They have a separate ‘Chateau Products’ team based in Swindon, Wiltshire, to deal with all the merchandise inquiries.
A typical six-course wedding dinner for the maximum 80 guests will set you back a steep £20,000, a post-wedding brunch £1,600 and hiring the chateau for the weekend is £6,250.
TV presenter Dick and author Angel now employ two PRs to market their thriving business empire which includes not just weddings
Dick has estimated that they have spent around £280,000 renovating the chateau since moving there four years ago
Angel and Dick say they got ‘a massive spike’ in interest and are now fully booked until 2022.
As well as weddings, the couple also sell glamping nights for £350 in ‘geodesic domes’ in the chateau’s grounds and £230 ‘days of decadence’ where you can meet Dick and Angel, enjoying lunch and afternoon tea at the chateau.
And the couple even charge guests £75 for a ‘working day in the garden’, with the website saying: ‘Yes to be frankly honest we are charging you to come and work! And in return you have to help make the place beautiful!’.
The couple now have plans to sell the chateau but could make a profit of around £1.5 million if they put it on the market.
Dick has estimated that they have spent around £280,000 renovating the chateau since moving there four years ago.
The couple have now plans to sell the chateau but could make a profit of around £1.5 million if they put it on the market
Angel and Dick say they got ‘a massive spike’ in interest and are now fully booked until 2022
The couple’s participation fees go up each series and they are also involved in the day-time spin-off show Escape To The Chateau DIY
Channel 4 has now made six series of Escape To The Chateau and the popular show gets almost 3 million viewers every Sunday night – making it one of the channel’s biggest hits.
Its audience is 50 per cent higher than Channel 4 normally gets in the same slot.
The couple’s participation fees go up each series and they are also involved in the day-time spin-off show Escape To The Chateau DIY.
An insider said that Dick and Angel were keen to play down just how lucrative the chateau business has become.
An insider said that Dick and Angel were keen to play down just how lucrative the chateau business has become
The incredible venue boasts a grand reception room which can host up to 200 people
Over the last four years, viewers have seen them transform the chateau into a flourishing business
‘Dick and Angel like to give the impression that they do everything on a shoestring but the business has grown hugely since they first moved to the chateau,’ said the insider.
‘They are running the hottest wedding venue in France and they are coining it in.
‘They have been able to increase their prices due to the popularity of their weddings which are booked out for the next two years.
‘The TV show is an hour long free advert for their various ventures every week on prime-time TV.
As well as weddings, the couple also sell glamping nights for £350 in ‘geodesic domes’ in the chateau’s grounds
The couple transformed the crumbling castle into an incredible venue to host weddings
Angel designed each room, using her creative streak to do most of the interiors herself
The villa is called Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson and it is in the picturesque Loire region of North West France
‘Dick and Angel are very keen to play down their success and not talk about how much money because that will shatter the dream.
‘Viewers have bought into the idea they do everything on the cheap thanks to Dick’s skills as an engineer and builder and Angel’s talent as a designer.
‘But they have started to make serious money now and have never been more successful.’
The villa is called Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson and it is in the picturesque Loire region of North West France around 200 miles from Paris.
The incredible venue boasts a grand reception room which can host up to 200 people, or the salle à manger which can seat 12. The decadent orangery holds 80 people for a wedding breakfast.
When they moved in, the property had no electricity, heating or water – and a sanitation system that was emptied in the moat.
Over the last four years, viewers have seen them transform the chateau into a flourishing business.
London property agent John Adams, who sources chateaus in France for wealthy investors, said: ‘Angel and Dick have done a magnificent job renovating the chateau over the last four years.
‘They could definitely command a premium price because of the flare in their renovations and the fact that so many people have fallen in love with the property after enjoying the show on Channel 4.
‘It is set in 12 acres with his own moat, staff quarters (currently used by Angel’s parents) and an excellent wedding venue in the orangery.
‘With weddings costing up to £38,000 and the scope to host around 25 a year, you have a £1 million business from the weddings alone.
The sprawling 19th century building has now been valued at £2million, with the Dick, 60, and Angel, 41, receiving a staggering £38,000 per wedding
Over the last four years, viewers have seen them transform the chateau into a flourishing business
When they moved in, the property had no electricity, heating or water – and a sanitation system that was emptied in the moat
A typical six-course wedding dinner for the maximum 80 guests will set you back a steep £20,000, a post-wedding brunch £1,600
‘It would be marketed for a price of around £2 million based on its value as a wedding business and there would clearly be a premium on the price because of Dick and Angel’s fame. You would have no problem arranging viewings.’
Dick is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army who was previously most famous for hosting the Scrapheap Challenge.
Angel is the founder of The Vintage Patisseries, a glamorous hospitality company. She appeared on Dragon’s Den in 2010 and was offered an £100,000 from Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis for developing her website and business.
Angel married Dick – whom she met through their shared agent – in November 2015.
The couple are raising their two children – Arthur and Dorothy – at the chateau and the children both attend local French schools.
Angel married Dick – whom she met through their shared agent – in November 2015
The couple are raising their two children – Arthur and Dorothy – at the chateau and the children both attend local French schools