A wedding photographers dream – last year I went out to Provence to photograph the most stunning destination wedding and oh my goodness, you are going to love it!!
When I first met Christian & Alison – via Skype as they live in Switzerland – I just knew it would be a showstopper of a wedding. Alison already had so many ideas for the look and style she wanted whilst at the same time both being super down to earth, friendly and with a great sense of fun. The wedding was planned for the beautiful Domaine Les Roullets in Provence, a B&B surrounded by vineyards and lavender fields and it really didn’t disappoint. Alison & Christian held their legal ceremony in Zermatt underneath the Matterhorn, (which Alison had climbed few years earlier). It was beautifully intimate with just the two of them hence they also wanted a symbolic ceremony in midsummer with all their friends and family and to party late into the night.
The wonderful Sharron Gibson joined me for the trip as my 2nd shooter but she is also my go to destination wedding travel companion for great chats and fun adventures! We both fell in love with the region, the venue and the couple and spent the day prior to the wedding at a wine tasting event at a nearby vineyard getting to know all the guests and being made to feel like guests ourselves. We also documented the evening including a sunset shoot in amongst the vines that I will share with you all soon.
The weekend was planned and co-styled alongside Alison herself by the super lovely, smiley Stephanie of Wep in Provence who was just a dream to work alongside. Her attention to detail and her passion for bringing Alison’s vision to life was infectious. The talented Celine of Flowers By Celine produced the most wonderful floral displays, bouquets and centrepieces, making my job so easy.
The showstopping part of the day for me was the ceremony. Held under a 700 year old oak with the most beautiful provence light filtering through – it all felt like a fairytale. When Alison walked down the olive tree-lined aisle I was in absolute heaven and with beautiful music, the lovely Caroline conducting the ceremony and extremely personal, heartfelt words it was truly magical. Alison found Caroline Roux online and after meeting her in person in Avignon they knew she would be perfect.
Alison looked sensational and didn’t have just one but THREE dresses for the weekend from Marchesa, Ana Campbell and My Eden. All three were stunning but my personal favourite was the Marchesa with an elegant, intricately beaded neckline. The hair and make-up was done by the talented hands of Yvla Langenskiold and and Agnes Caneri.
Getting married on or nearly on Midsummer’s eve was important to Alison & Christian and having Saturday 23 June was the best option. The ancient tree was Alison’s church. As soon as they saw Domain Les Roullets with it’s gardens and vineyards and heard the birdsong around Domaine Les Roullets they knew they had found their place. And it really is a very special place. The lovely Vanessa who manages Les Roullets was also so helpful and it meant Alison & Christian could drink the wonderful Les Roullets rosé wine for their aperatifs and red wine for their wedding breakfast.
One of the loveliest memories for Alison was hearing the nightingale singing after the party finished at around 4.30am as they were walking back to their cottage on the grounds.
The day had a very relaxed yet elegant and joyful vibe. The wedding breakfast was set outside under an open air marquee from Be Lounge surrounded by lavender and Celine’s amazing floral creations with heart-warming, funny speeches, especially from Alison herself who merged a number of song lyrics to form an extremely witty yet beautiful ode to her beau Christian. The food by Brunet Fréres was to-die-for delicious, the sparkler tunnel into Croquembouche onto champagne fountain poured by the happy couple AMAZING and the party lead by band Trio Combo was super kick ass!
Finding the right musicians in Provence was one of Alison’s biggest struggles but after lots of research she found Trio Combo who played acoustically during the ceremony, as a band in the evening followed by a DJ by the pool until 4.30am. They were fantastic and even learnt 4 new songs for the newlyweds – “At Last” by Etta James for Alison’s entrance, “Bright” by Echosmith and “Ain’t Nobody” during the ceremony. They walked back down the aisle to “My First, My Last, My Everything” by Barry white whilst being showered in lavender.
All in all it was a wonderful experience for Sharron and myself in the most beautiful of settings with the loveliest of people. Alison & Christian planned a dream wedding and they executed the weekend to perfection, making me wish I could get married all over again. Thank you both for a magical experience and I wish you both a life full of laughter and smiles, exploring the world and continuing your adventures together, Helen x
Her laugh was their first step down the aisle
His hand would be hers to hold forever
His forever was as simple as her smile
He said she was what was missing
She said instantly she knew
She was a question to be answered
And his answer was “I do”
Away from the noisy crowd
When I see the pale
Stars rising, blooming over the oaks
I’ll pursue solitary pathways
Through the pale twilit meadows,
With only this one dream:
You come too.
Wonderful Supplier Credits:
Catering : Brunet Freres
Venue Domaine Les Roullets
2nd Shooter : Sharron Gibson
Planning : Wep in Provence
Wedding Gowns : Marchesa, My Eden, Anna Campbell
Flowers : Flower By Celine
Band : Trio Combo sourced through Scarlett Entertainment
Celebrant : Caroline Roux
Shoes : Emmy London
Jewellery : Tiffany
Bridesmaids Dresses : Adrianna Papell
Make Up : Yvla Langenskiold
Hair : Agnes Caneri
Marquee : Be Lounge
Suits : Marc Anthony, Hamburg
Invitations : Anon Design Studio
