If ever there was a match made in wedding heaven, it just might be between Jill La Fleur and Jose Villa. With Jill’s insanely stylish approach to design and Jose’s flawless approach to photography, we simply can’t imagine it getting any better than this. Oh wait. Add to that duo a little bit of Joel Serrato’s cinema magic and voila…perfection defined. This next shoot that Jill crafted just for you guys, is all about the chic. French, couture, totally sophisticated chic. It’s exactly what I envision my dream French inspired wedding to look like with burlap details paired next to a ridiculously gorgeous black and white gown. Love, love, loooove. Click here to see even more.
see more of this French inspired shoot here!
From Jill La Fleur…
It’s pretty obvious why I would want to do a French-inspired shoot…my last name La Fleur is French for The Flower and I have always felt a strong connection to all things French all of my life. This was a very personal shoot for me as I felt it was a representation of me. I have always loved Audrey Hepburn and was inspired a bit by the movies Sabrina and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I also adore French flower market stands! But I wanted to add touches of the stylish Paris runways with the black lace gloves, the black and white stripes, the black net hairpieces and the Chanel-inspired jewels. I wanted to pull all of these elements together but have them in a French-Provencal setting. Sunstone Winery and Clairmont Lavender Farm were the perfect spots to capture the romance of the French countryside (especially since I live in an area that looks so much like it-Santa Ynez Valley, CA) with touches of Paris thrown in!
I also wanted to add some art to the shoot, as I always think of my favorite French artists when I think of France, and so I contacted the talented Karina Puente to do some pieces for me and added the feather masks as a theatrical touch. We also wanted true romance to come through in these photos, so we found a couple that was engaged and obviously in love to model for us. Regarding a couple of the details, I wanted to use burlap mixed with French blues and black and white toile (my office is filled with it!) So, I created chair covers out of burlap fabric and tied them with the black and white wide striped ribbon…loved this DIY touch. The black and white toile napkins were the touch I wanted to give the table a French feel and created a burlap and cameo napkin ring for them. I found some amazing fleur-de-lis black glasses that worked perfectly with the table. The “Love Notes” were an idea I had…guests could write a little love note on one of these darling French gift tags and place them in a terrarium filled with flowers. I found toile and striped tissue paper and used it to wrap my baguettes tied off with some raffia.
I also used it to wrap Camilla’s beautiful bouquets for the guests to take away at my “flower-market” stand. One of my favorite touches was the La Fleur Winery wine crate from the real place in France! Camilla had the beautiful sofa and vanity that we thought would be perfect placed in a lavender field! And I just had to have a black and white striped umbrella in here somehow! I felt like this shoot was a true reflection of my style, my personality, my love of all things French and, of course, my name!
Design: La Fleur Weddings / Photography: Jose Villa / Video: Joel Serrato / Locations: Sunstone Winery and Clairmont Farms / Floral Design: Camilla Svensson Burns / Invitation Suite: Ceci New York / Linens: La Tavola Linens / Rentals: Table:Elite Party Rentals and Place Settings: Classic Party Rentals & La Fleur Weddings / Black Chairs: Picket Fences Solvang, CA / Dresses: Vera Wang from B Hughes Bridal Formal / Hair Pieces: Lo Boheme / Croquembouche: Decadence Wedding Cakes / Jewelry: Bib Necklace by Stella Dot / Hair & Makeup: TEAM Hair and Makeup / Vintage Umbrella: Bella Umbrella / Art and Sculpture Pieces: Karina Puente / Wedding Gown: B. Hughes Bridal
