Paris Je’taime: An Engagement Shoot In Paris – Part 1 – Alice & Paul

Posted on: 20/06/2012

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I’m off hosting the Brides Up North Tweet Up Yorkshire today, so I thought that I had better leave you with something special.  Or rather, knock your socks of beautiful.   

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Now, not many of you may know this, but I actually got engaged in Paris, back in May 2009.  I was on a girly weekend with some of my best gal pals and my hubby (to be) turned up, crashed the weekend, got down on one knee in front of Le Tour Eiffel, presented me with a sparkler, popped the question, popped it on my finger and promptly left for the airport – leaving me in a total whirl and wondering if it had all really happened at all.  (Note to self: I really should share the whole story with you soon!). 

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But that’s the magic of Paris: it spins even the most jaded cynic to romantic heights, and makes you feel like anything is possible.  You just need to believe in love. 

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Today’s very special engagement shoot, sent to me by Cat Hepple Photography and real Yorkshire bride Alice was too beautiful for just one instalment, so I have split the shoot into two, for a double dose of gorgeousness.  Each half is different and I can’t decide which I like best.  Come back later for part two and let me know.

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What I love most about working with Cat (have you seen the styled shoot that we worked on together?  Click here and here to see it) is her attention to detail and artistic flair.  She told me that she tried to curate Paris by colour, looking for three colours – green, pink and gold – as the team crossed the city.  I have tried to stay true to this in my editing of the features today.

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And did you spot the name of the brasserie below?  “Cafe Le Flash”?  From a photographer with impeccable attention to detail, you can bet that’s not accidental. 

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Enjoy, and a bientot!

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Cat says: For my couples I always want engagement shoots to be so much more than a wedding warm up, a practice for the big day. of course it’s a useful exercise to help overcome nerves long before the wedding day, but I want it to be really special and create new memories for them at a very special time in their lives. I want the shots to celebrate their relationship and their engagement and record the emotions and excitement of a wedding just around the corner.

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So my engagement shoots are often in really romantic places, and my couples quite often enjoy the idea of dressing up a bit too. Alice had always said she’d like to go glam for their shoot, music to my ears. Over a number of weeks we chatted, swapped ideas on mood boards and one place kept coming back over and over as the ideal spot – it had glamour, more romance than you could ever imagine and Alice loved the architecture and colours of this incredible city – Paris.

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I knew Alice really wanted a Bardot inspired look for the shoot, so I asked the very talented Victoria Farr {a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, no less} to come out to Paris with us, and create some amazing hair and make up looks for Alice. It was the best decision I made, because Victoria made look Alice look sensational and that helped give her so much confidence and relaxed the couple more.

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I planned the shoot very thoroughly, I wanted it to feel much more than a series of tourist type shots in all the familiar places of Paris on the tourist trail. Of course a few shots around the Le Tour Eiffel were essential, its quintessential Paris after all, but I also researched some quieter, lesser known parts of the city, to try to capture the romance, and the peace. I also wanted a few of the shots to have a ‘60′s vibe to them, in keeping with the whole Bardot look which I knew Alice really loved.

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We walked the streets for hours, sometimes stopping when I found an unexpected doorway or dappled light under a tree, and Alice and Paul were relaxed in minutes. The whole day was so much fun, and I think we really captured the love story of Paris, the love story of Alice and Paul.

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I could shoot in Paris for for rest of my life and never grow tired of this incredible city, and I know Alice and Paul have a set of beautiful, Parisian shots to commemorate their engagement.

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Congratulations Alice & Paul!

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Remember to stop by this afternoon for part two, and to her from real bride Alice.  

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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 Cat Hepple Photography

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