I’m back! I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to photograph an amazing wedding in the “City of Lights” I had an absolutely fabulous time. Aurelia and Eric are Parisians living in the San Francisco Bay Area, and they wanted to have their wedding in their home town, so I was fortunate enough to have been able to fly out for their wedding.

On Friday, they celebrated a Civil Ceremony the en vogue area of the 16th Arrondisement (Ben Franklin’s old stomping grounds). It’s a tradition that if you are having a church wedding that you must also have a civil ceremony at the city hall, where the mayor will marries you. They were married at the very beautiful city hall with 150 guests in attendance. They were then whisked away by a Clydesdale drawn carriage to Eric’s parents home where they hosted a lovely cocktail party also in the 16e. On the way to his parents house, Kevin and I hitched a ride with friends of Aurelia and Eric’s and we made a wonderful side stop at the Place du Trocadero for this shot of them and the Tour Eiffel.

The wedding was on Sunday at the Synagogue Buffault, built in 1877. After the ceremony, we were off to take pictures in many different locations around the city in a classic 1965 white Rolls Royce. Some of the places we took pictures at were the Place Vendôme, where Eric surprised Aurelia with a room at the very opulent Ritz hotel. The Ritz Hotel in Paris is truly a landmark. The hotel became a favorite of many of the world’s wealthiest people, with luxurious suites named for some of its notable patrons from the past. These include Ernest Hemingway, for whom a bar in the hotel was named, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, author, Marcel Proust, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Elton John, Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo plus couturier Coco Chanel who made the Ritz her home for more than thirty years. I was in awe of it’s architecture. Some other amazing places we went to were the Place de l’Opera, the Jardin du Luxembourg near the Latin Quarter, and Pont Neuf by the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre.

I was accompanied by my darling husband, Kevin, and a second photographer, Nikki Macleod, who flew in from Scotland to assist me at this wedding. Thank you Nikki! You were a God send!

Kevin was our chauffeur for the day. He was really nervous for good reason. It’s considered extremely foolhardy to attempt to drive in Paris if you aren’t familiar with the area. Kevin didn’t succumb to the intimidation factor and learned a thing or two about driving from the Bourne Identity. I realized my husband had some mad driving skills by the day’s end. Who needs a Porsche when you can drive a Toyota Prius like Mario Andretti. We never once lost the Rolls in our driving adventure; Kevin is my ultimate driving hero. I think I may consider letting him take out my Mini now that’s he earned the driving and bragging rights.

Our last stop of the day was to drive the Champs-Elysées to the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe. Where just past these landmarks would be the reception location, Le Pavillion Dauphine, another gorgeous location. It was the perfect place for their reception and 300 guests. Each room was transformed by the most spectacular flowers and theatrical lighting. Exquisitely presented food lined tables in each room all night long, from appetizers of sea food to a richly adorned desert buffet complete with a sparkling fireworks display on the primary wedding cake table.

Eric and Aurelia danced a wonderful Tango for their first dance. Aurelia changed into a very beautiful silk cocktail dress and hat for their tango dance together. Their families also joined in a tango dance as a family. It was beautiful! You are all amazing dancers!

There was plenty of dancing to be had by everyone. The music was excellent all evening, from the tango orchestra to the bongo and saxophonist! You guys really know how to party. The energy was infectious for everyone there. I don’t think a there was a single person at this wedding that didn’t dance at least once that night.

The evening concluded at 2am when Aurelia launched her bouquet from the Mercedes just before they left. I captured a wonderful picture of both Aurelia and Eric’s dads, Michel and Jackie saying their final goodbye to their kids together. It was a poignant moment, and I was thrilled to have been a silent witness to it. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day. 

I can’t get enough! I’m trying to get as many posted as I can before I leave for holiday in Fiji on Saturday. :)  

another great shot of Aurelia as she was getting ready. Her make up looked amazing, I loved her eyelashes.

one of many car shots, this one with the Eiffel tower in the background.

a supermodel moment outside the Ritz. Gotta love the blue door.

you can definitely feel the energy in this shot as they make their grand entrance into their reception.

the amazing details surrounding every room were extraordinary.

Care to Tango? I loved the change of attire for this dance. She looked amazing in this ensemble.

the Horah dances were so much fun.

the incredible cake display.

their dad’s saying a tender goodbye…

After some sweet talking on Eric’s part, the police let us in the Jardin du Luxembourg  just as they were closing the park for the evening. All it took was a “pretty please” to let us get a few shots inside the park.

this is just a beautiful shot of Aurleia as she was getting ready at her mom & dad’s house.

inside the Ritz, overlooking the plaza at Place Vendome. Gorgeous views from their room.

I never get to be a part of moments like this, this was Eric carrying Aurelia over the marital threshold. It was so sweet!!!!

Here’s some more fun images. This one of them leaving the city hall from their civil ceremony on Friday.

they were so cute when we stopped here. They literally ran to the end of the platform. They were so excited that it was official, they were now husband and wife.

this taken just outside the Louvre. We had about 3 minutes before the guys with machine guns took over.

here we are at Aurelia’s favorite building in Paris, the Opera. A spectacular building in sheer size. It was incredible.

A lovely surprise arrived in the mail today. I am always excited to read all the fabulous articles in Rangefinder. It’s any photographer’s dream to be recognized in a professional journal of this magnitude. In this particular issue of Rangefinder, they wanted to highlight what the unique benefits have been for me since I won the Buzz Award earlier this year. It was fun to see it in print like this. Huge thanks to Mitche Graf for putting that together so quickly!

What I loved about this picture was the 3 in the background. Courtney and Ram were married on the 3rd of November. I thought it would be fun to take pictures on the 3rd floor of the parking garage. Thanks for indulging me you guys. The picture is adorable. Congrats!

I’m so excited. I am featured in the current issue of Design Aglow magazine. It’s an excellent resource for photographers. I’m so honored to be a part of it. There are some wonderful articles in this edition, including both amazing photographers I am doing workshops with, Lena Hyde and Laura Novak. Thank you Design Aglow, I love everything you guys do.