After the decision to ditch big wedding plans in Vancouver, Nicole + Kurtis packed their bags and flew to Paris to celebrate their love. They even wrote in their first message to me that they both had a very definite ‘Screw it, Let’s get Married in Paris’ moment. I’m so happy I got to capture this one.

Kurtis proposed on their first trip to France at the gardens in front of the Eiffel Tower at Champs de Mars. When they began planning their wedding they knew they didn’t want to have a big cookie cutter type of event. Paris became the obvious choice in their beautiful and intimate elopement. Paris has an array of options to have an intimate ceremony, the couple chose the Jardin du Luxembourg in the 6th arrondissement. This is a charming, more artsy side of the city and these gardens are open daily, year round.

I met Nicole in the early afternoon at the Hotel LA Belle Juliette in the Marias. She was just finishing makeup and her mom helped her get into her dress. I was so taken with her gorgeous red hair and beautiful, old world soul that was just like mine. After she was all ready, we took a short drive over to the gardens for a quick first look. The ceremony spot was overlooking the palace and blooming gardens, officiated by local Laura, The Paris Officiant who always does a wonderful job. I appreciated the little details that made up the day. Nicole’s bouquet came from a shop down the street, her dress flew over in her carryon bag on the plane. Her jewelry was a collection of family heirlooms and the groom rented his tuxedo from a local shop in the Marias. They really wanted the day to be intimate and only the brides parents were in attendance to watch their nuptials [along with other picnickers, day-dreamers and readers in the park].

After the ceremony, we strolled through the gardens, looking for quiet places for some portraits. We took a car to the Eiffel Tower, coming full circle to where Kurtis had proposed on their previous trip. Trocadero is one of the most iconic and popular spots for tourists and photographers. The place was packed but we wandered through the grounds, enjoying it all.

As part of my destination packages, I try to include a mini session the same week. This is a great way to get more portraits in another set of locations in the area. Since Paris has so many wonderful photo options the only dilemma was picking where to go. The couple decided the Louvre and bridges along the Seine would be best. They were right. The morning light and almost no one around made this little session the perfect way to top off their Paris wedding weekend.

Below are just a few of my favorites!

Captured in 2018, be sure to check out some recent galleries and inspiration for other destination weddings in France.