Luxe Paris Wedding Inspiration with Six Couture Dresses
What's better than one gorgeous couture wedding dress you ask? Well, six of course! Today's editorial, dreamt up by Strawberry Milk Events is all the luxe bridal fashion inspiration you could ask for—at a charming chateau in Paris, no less. Take a peek below for the full spread by Le Secret d'Audrey, then head to the full gallery and let us know which gown you would choose!
From Strawberry Milk Events... One hour outside of Paris lies Chateau Vaux le Vicomte, an estate so lavish that it landed its original owner in jail for the rest of his life. Nicolas Fouquet, finance minister to Louis XIV, tried to impress the sun king with building the extravagant chateau - and after 40 years of work, he held quite the bash to show off his accomplishment and impress the king. Unfortunately for Mr. Fouquet, he underestimated the king and instead of happiness, the king felt jealous and upstaged. Fouquet was subsequently arrested and thrown in prison for life. King Louis went on to “one up” Fouquet by building an even larger, over-the-top chateau -- which we now all know as Versailles.
When Audrey from Le Secret d’Audrey asked if I would be willing to help plan and design a shoot at this magnificent and exclusive venue (which is rated one of the top 10 most luxurious venues in the entire world by publications like Town & Country magazine), it didn’t take much convincing. When she told me it needed to happen in just one month before the chateau reopened to the public, I was nervous (because I knew the caliber of the shoot needed to match the caliber of the venue - and hey, let’s be honest - orchestrating a shoot like this overseas in just 30 days is not for the faint of heart.) However, Audrey and I were convinced we could pull it off.
In such an incredible setting, the fashion had to hold its weight. We selected 6 different stunning high fashion gowns by various designers which were flown in from around the world, each telling a unique story. Some were lacy and others were frothed with feathers and one even was bold in a black swan/Natalie Portman way. We had Keren Wolf statement headpieces from Israel (who has styled the likes of Lady Gaga with her pieces), pretty paper from Ceci New York, a to DIE FOR highlight film from Caleb Jordan Lee of East West, and one of the most impressive cake situations I’ve ever seen (if you can call it that?! Cake seems like such an understatement - true artwork!) from Bastien Blanc Tailleur. The beauty team (Ciara and Sanni) nailed every look for each outfit change and made the atmosphere on set so much fun.
For the tabletop, the Grand Salon left big shoes to fill. We were lucky to find Esther Lamarche, a florist who was actually from the village right outside the Chateau and she did an amazing job with our floral vision for the ceremony arch and reception table. For the table, we selected gold Versace charger plates that were combined with vintage dinner plates and modern gold and white dipped flatware and cut crystal glassware from Vaiselle Vintage. I loved the juxtaposition of old and new tabletop elements to keep it fresh. Everything was shades of white with gold accents, to give a luxe feel that was appropriate for the venue. The beautiful laser cut Nuage linen was put over a nude linen for some contrast, which made everything pop (especially for Audrey’s overhead room shot!) One of my absolute favorite table elements were custom plate portraits I had made and were calligraphed by Studio French Blue - I felt that detail alone captured the spirit of the shoot and history of the venue perfectly! The whole team was super talented and each played an integral role in this epic editorial which was dreamily captured by Audrey in her signature rosy hues. A special thanks also to Valerie Lafourcade, the venue manager who made it all happen! La Vie est Belle.
