Avril Lavigne calls wedding to Chad Kroeger an 'intense' experience

Avril Lavigne felt like a "complete woman" when she saw Chad Kroeger at the altar.

The 'Here's To Never Growing Up' hitmaker tied the knot with Nickleback frontman Chad in a gothic-themed ceremony at a medieval castle in the south of France last Monday, and Avril found it an "intense" experience.

She told HELLO! magazine: "Before I walked down the aisle, I had to take a few breaths because my heart was pounding. It was so intense.

"My body was overtaken by emotion. I saw him and he was so calm and happy. He had a tear coming down and he wiped it away.

"I felt so good walking to him. It made me feel like a complete woman."

Chad will "never forget" the moment he saw Avril at the altar after she walked down the aisle in a black tulle Monique Lhuillier gown before they exchanged their vows in front of 110 guests.

He said: "I had goosebumps from head to toe and my eyes filled with tears. It's a moment I will never forget as long as I live."

'Girlfriend' singer Avril - who was previously married to Sum 41 star Deryck Whibley - is still on good terms with her former husband, but thinks they were too young when they settled down, and she also admits she didn't see her romance with Chad coming.

She added: "Deryck and I are really good friends. We were just really young and we were together for six or seven years. But with Chad I was single for the first time and I was like 'woo-hoo' ready to party. Then - bam - it just happened."

The pair got together in February 2012 when Chad was helping Avril record her fifth studio album, set for release in September 2013.