Celine & Philippe’s wedding came as a referral from last year’s wedding of Tatiana and Julien. We could hardly believe our eyes when Celine’s email appeared in our inbox! Paul and I fell in love with everything about France; the food, the countryside, the people we met – and let’s not forget Paris! This was our second trip and we still haven’t made it through our list of sights to see…

So needless to say, we quickly responded that we were available and the planning began! We did our best to contain our excitement, but every few days one of us would whisper to the other “France!” – just as a nice little reminder of how fortunate we are that we have careers that take us to these amazing places and allow us to meet such amazing people.

Which brings us to Celine and Philippe! Not only did they make us a part of their wedding day (and the days after – more on that soon), but they were kind enough to open up their home to us. It was an incredible experience being able to live like true Parisians… running to the marché to buy brioche and a bottle of Chablis (ok, we admit, our experience at the cash register was less elegant as we tried to keep up with our limited knowledge of the French language!). And their apartment was only a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, so we were really in the midst of the city center.

In the all too brief time we got to spend with them before they traveled down to Rennes for the wedding preparations, we talked about our pre-wedding emails. Celine revealed that she and Philippe had a similar reaction when we emailed them back. They were anxious too, wondering if we would be booked! Thankfully she shared our over-the-top excitement! The scheduling worked out perfectly – it left enough time for us to photograph Celine & Philippe not only at the wedding, but the day after in Mont Saint-Michel and later back in Paris (those will be parts 2 and 3). After Celine told us her side of the story, we looked at each other and smiled. This was exactly what we love about our couples! We take the time to connect with each couple, it makes their wedding memorable, enjoyable, and we never feel like it’s just a job or work. To meet a couple that was so much like us (and a world away) you get this “the world isn’t really that big” feeling.

So on to the wedding! The French countryside is dotted with these amazing little towns filled with little shops, stone walled gardens and narrow little streets – and St. Germain didn’t disappoint! The church was small (by American standards), but beautifully detailed…

Celine’s brother Cedric not only escorted her down the aisle, but he also played guitar during her ceremony…

I cannot describe how much I love this shot Paul got of one of the flower girls exiting the church – the natural light that he caught is just stunning!

After the church ceremony we drove to a beautiful chateau called La Haye D’Irée for the cocktail hour, reception and of course, more images!

Celine & Philippe have some very talented friends…. Later the in the evening, they were treated to the most incredible (and very funny!) video montages, and their friend played the harp for them during their cocktail hour…

French receptions are quite similar to American ones, with a few minor changes here and there… I can tell you that having only a VERY basic knowledge of the language will keep you on your toes! Luckily laughter and tears transcend language, so we were able to keep up…

The outbuilding that housed the reception had these incredible stone walls that worked beautifully with their accent lighting (we love those little details – they have such a huge impact!).

We loved how close all of their friends and families were – this is Celine’s reaction to Cedric and friends singing to them later in the reception…

And finally their first dance as husband and wife… The party went on till 6am! We weren’t there quite that long, but what a day it was!

More to come soon from our follow up shoots in Mont Saint-Michel and Paris! And we have lots of stories to share from our great experience working with Anton Lorimer (www.lorimerworks.com) on our upcoming video – we can’t wait to share!

Love to all,
Laura & Paul