This summer I’ve been very lucky with the travels I’ve had abroad. Shooting in Europe from Spain, Turkey and then staying in France for a month, I’ve had the pleasure of walking around in Lille, and crossing the rd to Belgium, shopping in Barcelona, and seeing the dervishes swirl around Istanbul. Still have a few more European weddings to blog, but let’s start with the one that got me in France to begin with. The engaged duo were living in Dubai and had contacted me last year asking for wedding photography in France. I had already received a request in France to shoot the wedding of Nicholas and Claire, so photographing another wedding was a great excuse to extend my stay in Paris. Luckily enough, since Marina and Clement worked in Dubai, we had the chance to meet earlier, and discus the plans for their new wedding venue, the dress, the photography style they expected, etc. I think I fell in love with Marina and Clement as a couple from the first time. They were just so bubbly, happy and sweet. I offered a pre wedding session with the help of my good friend and awesome wedding directory owner of Bride Club ME in UAE, Rhiannon. The French styled setup in the middle of the desert was very romantic, yet whimsical. I wouldn’t usually be interested in those adjectives to describe the e-sessions I wanted to shoot, but once you met Marina and Clement, you couldn’t help but feel a subtle touch of happiness and colourfulness that was so familiar and fitting with the setup chosen. Renaud, the French wedding film maker was in town and kindly offered his video coverage of the engagement session. You can see the blog post of the pre-wedding session and understand why I was excited for the wedding. July FINALLY came and as my month in France ended with great memories, I couldn’t wait till my trip to Le Puy-En Velay, Auvergne. The small town was an hour or so away from Leon. I joined Marina’s closest friends from Paris on a 5 hour trip to the home town of Marina. We chatted about life, religion, politics and best of all…love. The journey was fun as I spotted farm animals and lands filed with colourful flowers and hills. Coming from Dubai, I was used to lands filled with sand, after sand, after sand…
As the next day proceeded, I got to know the family of the newlyweds, and witnessed how Clement and Marina were so loving and generous. They were surrounded by so many cheerful and approachable family members, it was no surprise. After the church ceremony, we all drove to an amazing remodelled chateau in the outskirts of the town, with fields of trees framing the landscape. I can’t describe how fairy-tale-esque the scenic view was, especially when we saw a double rainbow come over us! As the night ended, and we drove back to our hotel, the close threesome and I just stood out in the freezing cold for a while. Just gazing at the star filled sky above us. I’d never seen such a site of so many shooting stars. I could have slept out in the garden if anyone had volunteered to join!
One of the best things I admired about Marina and Clement was their patience. They knew I wanted to capture the best images of their wedding day, and patiently let me shoot the pictures I had wanted in the most random spots and locations I asked for. I did receive a “No, Tess we can’t go into the chicken farm” but otherwise, they were patient!
Marina and Clement, I can’t thank you enough for having me photograph your wedding images in addition to being included with your intimate circle of friends. It was extremely generous of you all. I look forward to seeing you in Dubai soon where we can perhaps eat grilled chicken instead of taking any photos of them xx
