What happens when a charming British chap marries his beautiful, long time love in the southeastern Côte d’Azur region of France?
Pure magic.
Lisa and Ben were married last Saturday in Antibes, France in what amounted to a true destination wedding for almost everyone involved. While Lisa was born in France {she speaks both perfect English and French}, she moved down the Caribbean island of Saint Martin with her Mom when she was two and has grown up surrounded by those amazing green waters, scuba diving and the relaxed island lifestyle. Whether it was destiny {my thinking} or simply good timing that drove Ben to St. Martin 9 years ago out of a desire for a change from his life in England, it has worked out quite well for them. Ben and Lisa knew they wanted their wedding to be on the French Riviera, as it has been one of their favorite vacation spots over the years and the sheer beauty of the locale made it a no brainer for them.
Their wedding was specifically at a cliff side villa in Juan les Pins (sort of like a ‘suburb’ of Antibes, but I don’t think you can refer to it as a suburb) which is nestled in the hills right above Antibes. For some geographical perspective, Antibes sits between Cannes (where Chris and I put down our roots for the week) and Nice, both of which are just a little west of Monaco. The old, original Roman town of Antibes was our favorite spot (or one of two favorites), and it where Lisa and Ben wanted to go to do all their bride and groom portraits, much to my sheer delight. It is what you might imagine when you think of France and the little towns with cobblestone streets, narrow alleys, lots of street side cafes, shops and Boulangeries. It was also here in Old Antibes {at La ‘Enoteca restaurant} where Chris and I had our very favorite meal of the entire trip, but I digress.
I feel so thankful that Lisa found and hired me to photograph her wedding in this amazing place. My husband and I decided to combine this destination wedding into a long-overdue vacation for us on the front end, so we spent the week before the wedding exploring the area, sitting on the beach, parasailing, eating good food, reading several books between us, and of course sleeping in…. but more on that later. I have a lot of personal photos to share from this trip, but let’s now get to the best part, which was their wedding. It’s safe to say this is the longest post in the history of my blog, despite the fact that I normally don’t like it when photographers post a gazillion images of one shoot or wedding, but I did try and post a wide variety. We took so many images that day that we filled all 50 gigs of compact flash cards, so there are just so many favs.
One more quick note about my husband Chris, who shot their wedding with me: he was a rockstar who got some fantastic images! This is not what he does by trade but he is actually quite a good photographer so I knew I could very safely count on him. But he even far exceeded my expectations and was a stellar second shooter. Now, if I can just get him to quit his day job…. just kidding ;-)
I ADORE these shoes. Must. find. these. And. buy. them.
Chris hung out with Ben while he was getting ready and got these 4 shots of him
Lisa flew in her favorite hair and makeup artist from the islands
Lisa’s adorable ring bearer (1-1/2 year old son of her best friend/maid of honor)
If you follow me, you know I always love a timeless, grainy black and white image of the bride getting ready
Chris snapped this of Lisa’s friend walking out the door – love it.
Ben works for Luxury Diamonds, so he knows his stuff :-)
Chris took this of Ben and his Mom, right before they walked down the aisle.
Lisa’s Great Uncle walked her down the aisle
Some ceremony moments. In France (maybe all of Europe?), they incorporate the signing of the marriage license into the actual ceremony itself, unlike here in America where couples typically sign it after the ceremony.
I loved this little series of them while their parents were signing the license
Hi.
Husband and wife!
Details, details
There is Antibes, down in the background
After the ceremony, we left for Old Antibes and spent about 45 minutes walking through the streets and alleys
Lisa is a model, so my job was really hard here ;-)
An outtake from Chris. The streets are indeed narrow!
I have such a thing for European doors
Lisa very wisely wore flip flops for all the walking portions of our bride and groom time … in case you were worried she was walking barefoot ;-)
Ben working his mojo.
Bottom left shot above by Chris – love it!
Chris’s angle below
I know this one is completely blurry, but I still like it.
Then we headed back to the villa for the reception…
A few more details
Little Kym wanted nothing to do with us until Chris gave him his iPhone. I guess they really are the universal child-attention-getters.
Another outtake Chris got of me
Chris’s angle below of these sweet moment during the toasts.
Another image Chris took during the toasts that I love love.
Some first dance moments
One of my favorite parts – they brought out the cake right before they cut it WITH SPARKLERS ON IT! How cool is that? I think some more American brides should try this tradition. It was such a cool way to present the cake and everyone came over to check it out.
Lisa requested a painting with light image so I attempted it. I’ve done this only once or twice just playing at home but this was a first for a wedding. Aside from the fact that the motion of Lisa moving her arm has rendered it completely gone in the image, I kind of dig it. They held small votive candles and I just kept the bulb open on the camera for the amount of time they drew the heart with their arms.
The grand finale, sparkler exit
Words cannot express what an amazing time Chris and I had photographing and being a part of your wedding Lisa and Ben. You guys are just awesome and make the perfect couple. Remember, drinks are on us if you ever make it to Arizona!
by jenjoaz
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