From the bride… We wanted our wedding day in Paris to be as natural and stress-free as possible. However, I still wanted the occasion to feel elegant and romantic. We decided that an elopement was the best fit for us. I am a first-grade teacher and Glenn is an IT consultant from New York City. We consider ourselves to be easygoing and planning a large wedding at home was becoming a bit overwhelming and impersonal. Neither of us had ever been to Paris and we thought an elopement would be a unique opportunity to explore the romantic city and enjoy our special day together. I also knew we would have gorgeous pictures. My advice to couples thinking about eloping is this:
You are going to spend the rest of your life with the person you love! Do not worry about anyone else. Try to live in the moment and do something for the two of you that you’ll remember for years to come.
We hired Kasia of French Grey Events as our planner/celebrant for our elopement. I felt that a combination of pink and purple hues was the perfect accent to a Parisian backdrop. I sent Kasia a few pictures of how I envisioned my wedding day and she took care of absolutely everything, from the hair and makeup to the bouquet. The bouquet was made of seasonal flowers in my preferred colors. Fragrant purple lilacs, white ranunculus, and pink roses made up the base of my bouquet, accented with tulips and poppies. Soft silk ribbons in pale pink colors gathered in this spring bouquet to perfection.
Glenn and I were staying at the beautiful Pavilion de la Reine Hotel. It was the quintessential location for a romantic First Look session. We entrusted Kasia (our celebrant and planner) with the task of finding the perfect Parisian intimate venue for us. She did an excellent job of choosing a gorgeous and intimate balcony in the historic Arènes de Lutèce. It was perfect. I wore a Madeline Gardner dress from RK bridal in New York City. It was the very first dress I tried on! I fell in love with the scalloped lace and the delicate crystal beading. I assumed I loved it because it was the first time I was seeing myself in a wedding dress. After trying on many other dresses, I couldn’t stop thinking about that first dress-it was “the one”. I knew I made the right choice when I saw Glenn’s reaction upon seeing me for the first time.
I wanted my shoes to be timeless and romantic like Paris. The Badgley Mischka ‘Roxy’ shoes were absolutely gorgeous. The nude satin complemented the champagne hue of my dress.
Glenn wore a custom suit from Robbie & Co Men’s Shop. He was looking forward to seeing my reaction at our First Look. It was well worth the wait–I fell in love all over again.
The wonderful Harold James (my MUAH stylist) styled a low bun that was elegant but subtle enough to put the focus on the neckline of my beautiful dress. My makeup was soft and accentuated my features.
We were fortunate enough to have Andre Teixeira of Branco Prata as our photographer. Being that we eloped and did not have our families with us, it was very important that we had quality photography. Andre photographed us at the breathtaking Jardin des Plantes and captured the essence of our relationship and much that day meant to us. We were driven around Paris in a vintage Rolls Royce. People cheered and waved wherever we went. It was an experience we will never forget. My favorite part of the ceremony was when we recited our vows to one another. We had not rehearsed or written anything in advance! Although short, we knew our words were genuine and heartfelt.
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