Aaren and Regis planned an intimate spring wedding — just family and close friends — and chose a style that reflected who they are: no staging, no posing, just the day as it unfolded.
The afternoon started at two separate locations. Regis got ready at a downtown hotel with his groomsmen, keeping things calm and simple. Across the neighborhood, Aaren was at a boutique guesthouse with her mother Debbie, her sister, and a few close friends. There was a beautiful, unhurried sequence: details laid out, the dress, and a quiet veil moment between Aaren and her mom that carried real weight.
The ceremony took place in a lush courtyard, officiated by one of Regis’ closest friends. His parents walked him down to “La Vie en Rose,” and Aaren followed to “Moon River.” The vows were personal, the crowd was small, and everything felt close. Twenty minutes — that’s all it took, and it was everything it needed to be.
Right after, a second line broke out through the streets — brass band, umbrellas, dancing — a short, joyful burst that pulled everyone back to the venue. Then came family portraits and couple portraits just before sunset, making the most of the last golden light.
Dinner unfolded in a warm, candle-lit setting. Toasts came from Regis’ brother Brendan and Aaren’s father John — both heartfelt, both landing exactly right. After cake, the evening shifted: first dance, a father-daughter dance, then a mother-son dance, and before long the floor was full and the night had its own momentum.
The couple had traveled from Ohio for this — a celebration designed around closeness, not scale. That’s exactly the kind of wedding I love to photograph.
I’m based in France — La Rochelle, Île de Ré, Bordeaux, Paris, and anywhere in France. I’m fully bilingual (English/French) and spent five years photographing weddings in the United States. For couples planning a destination wedding in France or an intimate celebration abroad, I bring that cross-cultural fluency — and a documentary approach that stays quiet, present, and true to what the day actually felt like.
