I might be a tad bit jealous as I write this introduction to what can only be described as Paris magnificence. It’s everything you would imagine a Parisian wedding to be: exploding off the romance scale, ripe with gold details by Fête in France plus a chic combination of blooms by Sol y Flor and a sparkling croquembouche to wrap it all up. Even the Eiffel Tower makes an appearance or two. So if ever there were a wedding that I would kill to be a guest at, it most certainly would be this fête. And the images by Polly Alexandre make it all the more beautiful. Click here for the full gallery.
From Fête in France…Julie & Zak celebrated their elegant wedding in Paris and despite the November chill, they were lucky to have some soft sunshine for their photos around the City of Light with the very talented Polly Alexandre. Like many of our clients, Julie & Zak have an incredibly busy schedule, which was made even more so by a move from Washington DC to the Middle East in the middle of the wedding planning. The bright side was that they went from being 6 hours behind to 1 hour ahead, and Julie’s work brought her through Paris – a great opportunity to get her beautiful Vera Wang dress tailored and pick up some kicky peacock-blue Louboutins. Julie & Zak truly were a wedding planner’s dream: they gave great direction but were flexible, and trusted us to create a beautiful wedding day for them and their guests. They were delighted with the results and enjoyed all of the details we had brought together: Ladurée macaroons as favors, an accordionist playing classic French songs, lovely decor including gilded ferns and sparkly candles… But above all they enjoyed being surrounded by family and friends on such a happy occasion!
From Polly Alexandre: The couple met at work in Washington, and still work in the same office today, albeit thousands of miles away from their original meeting place. Their weekend celebrations kicked off with a sunset champagne cruise down the Seine They gave beautiful little goodie bags to guests filled with gifts that reflected the the past, the present and the future – America, Paris & Jordan – a Eiffel tower soap handmade by Julie’s mother, heart shaped glasses, some city of love shower gel, American gum & lip balm, and Dead Sea products from their new home. Attached to these was a custom map of Paris showing the locations of their celebrations made by the bride’s brother’s girlfriend Kaitlin Manning and it was all presented in a pretty muslin bag.
Julie & Zak were a dream to work with, and took on board my advice to schedule their couple’s portraits for during the afternoon to catch the best light. As this was a winter wedding it was a little chilly, but they were game for running round the locations I had chosen in Paris, and have such a great connection they were lovely to photograph. Once the portraits were done it was back in the warm, to sign the kettubah and for a heartfelt civil ceremony under a cream and gold canopy. From then on the celebrations began, and knowing this couple, I expect they went on long into the night!
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Photography: Polly Alexandre | Wedding planning: Fête in France | Floral Design: Sol y Flor | Wedding Venue: La Maison des Polytechniciens | Bride’s Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Bride’s Evening Dress: Alice & Olivia | Grooms’ Bespoke Suit: Douglas Hayward |Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Hair + Makeup: Laure Baruch | Favors + Pièce montée: Ladurée | Custom Map for Gift Bag: Bailey McCoy Designs | Eiffel Tower Soap: Mother of the Bride