Ashley and John's Paris elopement
Photo: French Grey Photography
What is an elopement?
Elopement literally means “running away”.
This wedding trend consists in hosting an intimate wedding with a handful of guests, or even just the bride and groom.
What are the advantages ?
This type of ceremony has many advantages, here are a few:
Intimacy
Finding yourself with only your fiancé or surrounded by the people that are the closest to you is a great, unique and completely intimate experience.
Less stress
A wedding is a happy event, but the organization is really stressful.
Finding the ideal location, the caterer, managing the guests list, etc.
It is far from easy and can generate incredible stress.
Preparing for marriage can be very exhausting for some.
A smaller ceremony can be a good way to reduce the stress of the wedding planning.
A solution after the lockdown ?
At the time I am writing this blog post, we are a few days from the end of the lockdown in Paris.
Gatherings are limited to 10 people so the idea of a big wedding is to be put aside for now.
In this case, elopement can be a solution for love birds who cannot wait to celebrate their union.
More budget to have fun
The budget of a wedding with 10 guests is way different from the budget of a 100+ gests wedding.
This allows the bride and groom to allocate their budget differently and have more fun.
It’s time to choose an original place, the dress you have been dreaming of and book the best beauty and hairstyling providers.
More time to enjoy the day
The bride and groom generally try to devote some of their time to their guests.
Between the ceremony, thanking the guests, photo sessions, etc. the day runs extremely fast.
The simple fact of having fewer guests gives the possibility to the newlyweds to live the day differently and to enjoy each moment.
Ashley and John's elopement in Paris
Ashley and John came from Washington DC to elope in what is known to be the most romantic city in the world.
To make those magic instants unforgettable, they organized their couple photo session in the streets of Paris.
They chose Brian Wright from French Grey Photography as their photographer, a guarantee to have magnificent photos.
And you, would you consider eloping abroad?
How to find foreign wedding service providers?
Finding wedding professionals in a foreign country or another city is far from simple.
Asking recommendations from wedding professionals you already booked will make you save time and make the decision-making easier.
Ashley went for this solution.
She asked her hairdresser, the talented Ciara Costenoble, for recommendations.
Ciara sent her list of Parisian makeup artists, including myself, to Ashley.
I must admit that I was very flattered that Ashley liked my style of natural makeup.
That's how I had the chance to meet this adorable bride (yes, I have the best brides, I know it!).
Ashley’s makeup for her elopement
Ashley being in Paris only for a few days, we have not planned a makeup trial as I usually do.
She sent me all the elements I needed design her beauty look.
Ashley sent me:
pictures of her so that I could analyze her morphology
pictures of her gorgeous dress
her hairstyle inspirations.
I proposed two different looks to Ashley:
a nude and subtle makeup
a gold and brown smokey eye
Ashley wanted her makeup to be as natural as possible so she chose nude look.
We went on warm colors to highlight her beautiful features and give her this “je ne sais quoi” that she wanted.
Different shades of brown on the eyes and nude lips were chosen to blend perfectly with her pretty complexion and her elegant dress.
As Coco Chanel said, “Simplicity is the key to true elegance”.
Ashley’s before and after
We went for natural colors to enhance her beautiful features and give her this “I woke up like this” look.
Different shades of beige and browns on the eyes and nude lips were chosen to complement her gorgeous skin tone and match the elegance of her dress.
As Coco Chanel said “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”.
The photoshoot
Here are some of the splendid photos of Ashley and John for their elopement in Paris.
My best wishes to these two beautiful souls.
Do you want to know what Ashley thought of her first experience with me, as her professional makeup artist in Paris?
Ashley's testimonial
“I can't say enough words to express how grateful I am that Francine made me up for my wedding photos.
Coming from Washington DC, I was very anxious to find the perfect makeup artist who could give me that natural look that I wanted.
She has a way to highlight your natural beauty without this charged makeup effect that I don't like.
What sets her apart is that she wanted to get to know me and bring out my personality in her work. I believe that by doing so, natural beauty is revealed.
In addition to her magnificent work, Francine is a true professional.
Whether through our first call, phone messages or emails, Francine reassured me and answered all my questions.
Francine recommended colors that would go best with my skin color, my dress and my style.
I am extremely happy with my makeup and I highly recommend Francine for your wedding, events or any other service she offers.”
Yours in beauty,
Francine
P.S.: Want to know which questions you should ask to your potential bridal makeup artist?