Well.... I never thought that within six months of starting this photography lark that I would be shooting a wedding in France... and I still can't quite believe we did it. It has to be one of the best experiences I've had as not only did I get to capture this gorgeous wedding but me and Pete also had the mother of all road trips... and I loved every second of it!
Nicky and Dave have been together for years and planning a wedding in France is a pretty huge task but they thought hey, if they've waited this long, they might as well go for it! What I love about this wedding is that they really did rope everyone in to help them... Nicky's Dad is a builder over there (he actually built the villa/venue) and speaks French so was able to liaise with the Mayor to allow Nicky and Dave to legally marry at the local Mairie. He also managed to source things like the chairs for the reception, the catering, the booze etc which made planning a lot easier! Also Nicky's Mum used to be a florist so made the her bouquet and arranged all the flowers for the tables... they were so beautiful....
When they told their friends that they were marrying abroad everyone was up for it and friends came over for a weeks holiday and in return helped out with setting up the venue ready for the big day. Friends drove over from England with cars and vans filled with everything from DJ equipment to jam jars and whilst Nicky and Dave were married at the Mairie in town with close friends and family, the rest of the party were setting up the reception and the flowers back at the villa.
Nicky's dress was one of those amazing finds at a vintage fair and with a costume lady for a friend they were able to customize it perfectly... she added some stunning patterned shoes with a matching sash and gorgeous earrings from another friend in Hong Kong. She then got changed into a gorgeous white dress with little diamonds for a second blessing held at the villa (also conducted by one of their friends!).
Dinner was served in the large garden overlooked by trees with three long tables filled with mix match jars, gorgeous flowers and a cute clove of garlic as their name places. Speeches were relaxed and warm and guests sat, ate and chatted until the sun went down...
The evening was filled with lots of dancing (one of their friends DJ'd), the BEST wedding cake I've ever seen (also made by one of their friends), the Photo Booth and an impromptu dip in the pool (mostly with clothes on and glasses of wine)... it really was an amazing wedding... which I don't think we will ever forget. We even had an hour to kill in the afternoon whilst Nicky got changed and they set things up so me and Pete found ourselves in the pool... I don't think I'm ever going to be able to say that again!
Nicky and Dave... thank you so much for asking me to be a part of your utterly amazing wedding... it was such a beautiful day and you all worked so hard to achieve that... you, your friends and family should be so proud of yourselves...
It was really tough trying to pick which images to put into this post as there were so many!!!
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