USA | You May French Kiss The Bride

Apr 2014

Carolyn + David

Delicate Wedding in the Californian Vineyards

Marius Barbulescu is a great photographer from Romania. I already had the pleasure to display a picture of his for our last themed post on unusual and unexpected situations, and today, I can show you a bit more of his work through the series of pictures he took at this beautiful wedding in the Californian vineyards. You should read the story of how one of their luggage got stolen during the trip, the one containing all the contracts and the bride’s accessories!… I don’t know how I would have reacted! Carolyn and David still had a perfect day, and I just love those pictures by the swimming pool of what seemed like a very peaceful moment that day.

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The wedding took place in Santa Rosa, CA, USA on October 26, 2014. Here’s a fun (I guess!) story about that wedding from the bride.

We actually were well into planning a small wedding in Paris, France when it all just fell apart and we had to start over. So, we went back to the drawing board, exploring options and decided to take a trip to Sonoma County to look at venue options. While there we fell in love with the area, the atmosphere and the wine, all of which reminded us so much of Burgundy. All together, though, this meant that we ended up planning two weddings in two countries over 18 months. Also, we did not have terribly good luck while traveling…one of our suitcases was stolen from the baggage claim after landing in San Francisco. Of course that bag was the most important one, containing everything from medications to a folder of contracts with vendors to table place cards and, naturally, all of Carolyn’s bridal accessories!

Name one thing you regret…

We regret that David’s sister and her husband were unable to join us as she was pregnant at the time and travel was not possible. Our niece Quinn was born the day after our wedding took place. They were both missed a great deal but by the time we returned home our family had grown!

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

We are so happy to have had many of our close friends and family with us for such a long-awaited and memorable event in our lives. We are proud to have overcome many hurdles in life and throughout the wedding planning process and ended up in the perfect location to celebrate our wedding, marriage and the start of our lives together as husband and wife.

The word of the photographer.

Writing about this is not easy. My trip to the States still feels like a dream I woke up to suddenly. 8 days there feel like 60 intense seconds of my life. I can barely gather my memories in one place. This is such a long and personal story I will share only with my friends and family, all I’ll say is that absolutely nothing feels like a coincidence for me now. The people I met, the places I’ve seen, all my adventures… my journey was life changing. And all happened because Carolyn and David trusted me. And finding out that Carolyn is also a photographer (and a very talented one, trust me!) and listening about their “out of this world” love story made me feel even more excited about their wedding.

Right from the very first moment I met them, I felt like home. All their family and friends welcomed me in a way I could not believe was possible. I was so immersed into what was happening in front of me and absolutely nothing stood between me and my camera. It was my chance to do my best without any restrictions from anything else but myself and my own limitations. That’s a one in a million situation and I never thought of the outcome until I’ve started editing my pictures. I’m not proud, just genuinely grateful, happy and lucky I was among them at their beautiful, soulful and intimate wedding. Words are just not enough to express what I felt back then (and even now).

Carolyn and David, I will never be able to thank you enough for everything. Watching you pictures (and especially the slideshow) brings me back there like nothing else. I do hope you feel the same. That would be “our perfect circle”. You are amazing! :)

Feb 2014

Amandine + Guillaume

Photoshoot by Celine Hamelin in NYC – Results

A few months ago, you could win a photoshoot in New-York City with Céline Hamelin. Here’s the result of the shoot: a laid-back session in the streets of New-York and on Coney Island. I especially love the part with the birds! Congrats Amandine and Guillaume (and of course, Céline Hamelin for the beautiful pictures).

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The word of the photographer.

Amandine lives in New York City. Guillaume lives in the South West of France… and often in NYC too ! :)

Those two birds work in the fashion area and travel a lot…They meet in Miami, CA or Paris… They are stylish and crazy and they’re meant to live intensively, and I love that !

Coney Island is one of their favorite places and what a piece of luck, I’m completely in love with it too !

Far from Manhattan’s clichés, the time has stopped its mad drive. Numb feelings: everything is big and fun and colored but there’s nobody around, only gulls, calm and harmony. Really stunning.

Jan 2014

Sarah + Ethan

Outdoor DIY Green and Purple Wedding

Today, I’m sharing the wedding of Sarah and Ethan. I’m sure you’ll notice Sarah’s beautiful dress and the original colors they chose for the tables’ setting; I also love how Sarah and Ethan made the details at their wedding mean something to them: for instance, they found a way to have some lost family members present at their ceremony by creating a nice setting with photos of them, how sweet? Photography by Rhema Images Photography.

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The wedding took place in June last year at the Keen Lake Resort in Waymart, Pennsylvania, United States. Here are some memories form the bride.

One of my best memories of the day involved how the wedding had turned into a family affair. Everyone had helped in one aspect or another so that it really felt more like a celebration of two families as opposed to two people. For example, my bridesmaids made the boutonnieres that morning, the groomsmen and cousins helped with the setup, my grandmother and mother landscaped the area and my aunts helped find and paint the mason jars for the tables.

Name one thing you regret…

Weddings are stressful times in general, and can be more so if you don’t let go. I tried to do as much as possible myself to save on costs for the wedding and ended up inconsolable the morning before the rehearsal dinner because a bird had died -outside. That was really the turning point and a more relaxed attitude helped me to enjoy that night and the wedding – especially when the hair stylist decided to change my hair, the officiant was late, and I forgot to order the number of tables the caterer requested.

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

Happy about/proud of: One the most memorable details for me was the ceremony spot. That was a collaborative effort. My grandmother had spent the last few months landscaping her entire yard for the cocktail hour and ceremony site. I was trying to incorporate those family members that had passed on, like Ethan’s father, and found that including the family wedding photos at the site seemed the most natural way to remember and include them. Of course, I was busier than expected on the day of, so I relied on the groomsmen to set up the entire lawn area. It’s the memories like that, of people pitching in and helping to create the wedding that are my favorite. It reminded me of an old fashioned wedding and made it feel so much more family and friend oriented and less like just another big party.

I was also happy how the wedding incorporated so much of us. Among my favorites, the boutonnieres and confetti were made from Jane Austen books, my favorite author, the plates were made of bamboo and easily compostable, and the tables reflected our geeky side and were named after fictional and historical places we’d love to visit.