This wedding was an absolute adventure. It was the start of a much larger adventure for me, and it made me hit the ground running – in a great way. This adventure took place just a little outside of Calgary… in a place called Nancy, France. This is my kind of destination wedding.
When I got Rebecca’s email about an international wedding, I have to be honest – I felt it was a little too good to be true. I mean, I’ve always dreamt of photographing a wedding in Europe but when I saw her email sitting in my inbox, I felt a surge of both excitement and anxiety that the universe was not going to make this possible for me somehow. And yet, with constant communication and lengthy emails, Rebecca and Hugo had secured their wedding date and promptly emailed me to let me know to proceed forward. I’ll spare you the long story, but it obviously worked out.
Rebecca is Crystal’s younger sister; she moved to Nancy to be with her fiance, Hugo, who is attending school there. I’m thankful that I must have left a good enough impression with the both of them at Crystal and Kalem‘s wedding to have been requested to photograph their wedding.
Rebecca and Hugo decided to do a ‘first look’ for their wedding day, and a sweet neighborhood cat decided to visit Hugo before Rebecca came to greet him! Afterwards, it was off to City Hall for the ceremony, where they greeted their guests outside in the plaza. A beautiful French and English ceremony commenced, followed by a few snacks and refreshments at the couple’s place (what an awesome idea!). Here, they also served a traditional French wedding cake called a Croquembouche (which, I have to say, reminds me somewhat of Loki’s helmet because I am a huge nerd). The group parted ways, and I had Rebecca and Hugo all to myself to travel around this amazing small French town for some fantastic portraits, including a stop to one of their favorite bakeries for some sweet treats (and a beer or two).
The reception was at Restaurant La Marianne, and after all of the formal events were done, I traveled with the bride and groom back to the main plaza to do a few nighttime shots with the lit up buildings. It was an amazing that I’ll never forget!
Ceremony: Hôtel de Ville de Nancy (City Hall) / Reception: Restaurant La Marianne / Bridal attire: Dress from ModCloth, shoes from Nine West / Groom attire: Suit from Celio Club, shoes from André / Transportation: Stan / Hair Stylist: Emma from Addict&Cie / Cake: Boulangerie du Chastel / Stationary: Dallin’s Paperie
