Paris is always a good idea; especially when contemplating where in the world to hold your destination wedding. Romance is woven into the very fiber of the city and Mademoiselle Fiona has captured that je t’aime fervor in the most beautiful way. Her images make the details designed by Mon Plus Beau Jour sparkle extra bright. And the film captured by Duncan Wolfe? Well that’s the sweet little beret on top of this Parisian affair. See it below along with even more imagery from the day in the full gallery.
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From the Bride… My fingers are hovering over the keyboard and I’m at a loss – how do I describe our perfect day? Our wedding was held on the banks of the Seine on Friday, August 2nd, 2013, one of the hottest days in Paris: the city we fell in love with and the city we fell in love in. The shade from a beautiful old tree created the perfect amount of relief from the sun as we exchanged our vows in front of our closest friends and family. It was perfect for us. It was the best day of our lives.
We spent a week in Paris leading up to the wedding in a beautiful apartment in the Marais. It was truly a mixed bag of emotions: excitement, nerves, laughs, occasional stress… but most of all a lot of love. We couldn’t have pulled it off without all of our family and friends; they literally made our wedding day. It was very important to us to keep everything simple with a lot of personal touches – Paris does provide quite the scenic backdrop, after all. We hit the jackpot with all of our vendors. Our incredible photographer, Mademoiselle Fiona, and our amazing videographer, Duncan Wolfe, were able to capture all the love, joy, and celebration through their beautiful work. I am still in disbelief that we were fortunate enough to work with these magnificent artists. What Duncan created for us leaves me speechless – the joy I feel every time I watch our video is indescribable. How Fiona was able to photograph all the love we felt on our wedding day is beyond me. Every picture is perfect. Our video and photographs are a way to relive this perfect day for lifetimes to come – I am so grateful.
Carrie Barker of Pink Toast Ink and Marie-Emilie of Mon Plus Beau Jour went above and beyond to create the perfect atmosphere for our big day. I truly believe that Carrie had a window into my thoughts when she created all of our paper details for the wedding. From the gold tins holding the amazing flower arrangements, the balloon table number cut outs to the beautiful lavender escort cards and the hand crafted menus – every inch of the ceremony and reception was a reflection of us and our collaboration with these two talented women. Marie-Emilie was with us every step of the way and I can’t thank her enough for everything she did for us. I am in awe of everyone, Fiona, Duncan, Marie, and Carrie and their talents – our day wouldn’t have been the same without them.
Our very dear friend and Brian’s best man officiated our wedding; laughter and tears were a constant theme during the short but very personal ceremony. Lavender seeds were tossed, which were both beautiful and fragrant while Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” wrapped it all up. To this day, Brian and I can’t smell lavender without thinking of our special day. We all walked over the bridge and down the river 10 minutes to our beautiful reception site, a restaurant on the water called Le Quai where we dined, laughed, sang, and danced until 2:00am. At midnight we passed out mini bottles of champagne with straws that read “Merci!” and “Midnight in Paris” and had a midnight champagne toast with sparklers in the rain along the river.
We were both extremely emotional during the ceremony but the day was just so surreal. We kept telling each other over and over again – I can’t believe we get to celebrate our marriage in Paris – because it was so much more than a wedding – it was a celebration of our lives together. It may have been the hottest day of the year in Paris, but we wouldn’t have changed a thing. If I were to pass along any advice to anyone planning their wedding it would be don’t stress the small stuff, and savor every single moment. It goes by SO quickly. People tell you that, but you won’t realize until you’re truly IN it.
Photography: Mademoiselle Fiona Wedding Photography | Videography: Duncan Wolfe | Wedding Dress: Oscar De La Renta | Bride's Shoes: Louboutin | Hair & Makeup: Lexi Derock | Bouquet & Boutonniere: L'Artisan Fleuriste | Bridesmaids' Gifts: Plum Pretty Sugar | Bridesmaids' Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Dessert / Maracons: Laduree | Groomsmen Gifts: Warby Parker | Groom’s Suit: J.Crew | Headpiece: Untamed Petals | Invitations, Stationary, Stamps, Bags, Guestbook: Pink Toast Ink | Planning, Design, Reception Florals: MON PLUS BEAU JOUR | Sash: Vera Wang | Tote Bags: Zazzle