I am very proud to finally be able to show you one of my favorite moments of 2018. I present to you » In the shade of the Olive Trees » – an inspirational elopement in Ardèche. This day was the culmination, or rather, the convergence of several stories. First there was the story of Séverine & Gregory and their beautiful family {our married couple}, they have loved each other for years, they got married and had 3 beautiful children, then they lost each other, got divorced, and life finally brought them back together again. Hidden behind my lens, I witnessed moving hugs between parents and children, gestures of love and smiles of joy. I saw children’s eyes sparkling with pride. The married couple who, after moving along their life journey, committed to each other, once again. Mindful of their past, life, and future.
There are other stories too, like the one I shared with Sabrina the Florist. That sweet blue-eyed girl and I have known each other for 11 years, I believe. We went to school together. We were paired up during our studies for our bachelor’s degree in construction management. {Yes, being a photographer is my secondary activity…}. You know what? At first, we couldn’t stand each other. Then time did its job. We stuck together, we got to know each other, we got closer and we ended up liking each other. I witnessed the beginning of the relationship that turned her into a married woman and a happy mother. Both of us realized early that the construction industry wouldn’t allow us to express our bubbling creativity. So she taught herself how to understand flowers like the beautiful sunflower that she is. Two years ago, we told each other that one day we would have to travel the kilometers that separate us and create something together. The idea had just been born…and you know me, when I get an idea, I can’t think about anything else!
This brilliant idea was to bring together the best service providers in the Rhône-Alpes region in an exclusive and secret location {Château des Oliviers de Salettes}. More specifically, we wanted to gather all the talented wedding service providers of the Drôme Provençale, Ardèche and Isère regions. Luck and wonderful encounters did the rest. We believed that it would be perfect to hire someone local who could highlight the beauty of this elopement. Yes, in the meantime, this photo shoot had turned into an elopement. Our duo then became a trio when Clara from the Giacomelli Weddings agency joined the adventure of Séverine & Gregory. Solange, a friend of Sabrina’s, accepted to officiate the secular ceremony wholeheartedly and in good spirits. That’s how the team grew to cater to Séverine & Gregory’s elopment, including the Petits Inclassables who designed the outfits for the children. We would like to thank Aurélie Mey who exceptionally accepted to entrust us with one of her most beautiful dresses. Thank you Mickelson for dressing up Grégory, Margot and of course thanks to Elsa for her outstanding know-how in beauty enhancement. Dessine-moi Un Soulier and Colonel Moutarde also trusted me once again. Emilie was able to delight our taste buds with a cake that was as beautiful as it was good! She even used candied apricots in the wedding-cake! What a treat! The invitations, menus and other stationery that Marie-Eve customized for the occasion were made of art paper, olive green and wood veneer, setting the tone for this day!!!
Obviously, we needed a video maker that is artistically close to my work to ensure that all the visual supports are coherent. Video production is still often neglected by the bride and groom today. We had to give it its rightful place for this event. Five years ago, wedding video-making was not yet developed, and my husband and I were not interested in it. But today we regret it. Hearing the sounds, seeing the gestures, remembering the emotions and the joy in the voices is priceless. Luckily, I met Mehdi, a talented video artist who came from far away for this project. He was enthusiastic from the start! In retrospect, without even knowing it, our lives all met that day at a huge crossroad. We celebrate life through this day and these photos. Newly born loves, hopes, projects, joys, disillusions, cries and clashes, tears and separations, compromises, reunions, love and hope again. All this converged in the shade of the Olive Trees – an elopement in Ardèche. In the end, this is the story of a couple who, thanks to the work of a team of inspired professionals, were able to experience an event they did not expect, as significant in their life as a couple as in their family life.
It was a busy day. The thunderstorm delayed the set up and the photo shoot. But we managed to stay the course. It was important to put every wedding service provider to good use and show the bride and groom the importance of every detail, every shot. This way, they could realize what a day they had ahead of them! But we managed to pop the champagne and enjoy delicious cake under the stars! We all had a wonderful day. Thank you all for participating in this project, and for making it a success and a meaningful day. This elopement wedding was an inspired shooting like no other. Thank you for reading and making it this far. I will let you enjoy the pictures of this beautiful landscape! The video can be found right after. Take advantage of these few relaxing minutes to drink a nice cup of coffee. If you are looking for the providers who participated in this project, scroll down to the bottom of the page!
In the shade of the olive trees – An elopement in Ardèche
In the shade of the olive trees – An elopement in Ardèche
THE FILM
We were selected for a publication on Zankyou, a big international wedding blog, thanks to the tremendous work that everyone did for this shoot. Thanks to Zankyou for giving us this opportunity! I also had the honor of being rewarded for 2 of my pictures! Thanks to the Wedisson Jury!!!! 
Find all the pictures of the shoot » In the shade of the Olive Trees – An elopement in Ardèche » in my photo gallery! Did you like it? Leave me a comment. Are you getting married? Write me a short message so we can talk about working together!
In the shade of the Olive Trees – An elopement in Ardèche
SERVICE PROVIDERS
Artistic direction: Giacomelli Weddings, +33 698 40 69 51 / www.giacomelliweddings.com / clara.p@giacomelliweddings.com / Video director: Mehdi Adraa – Kino-filmmaker, +33 6 42 41 46 28 / www.kino-filmmaker.fr / kinofilmfrance@gmail.com / – Make-up: Margot Dumas – Margot Dumas Make-up Artist / +33 7 82 37 75 39 / www.margotdumaquillage.com / margotdumaquillage@gmail.com / Hairdressing: Elsa Perreaz – Cut by Elsa / +33 6 19 45 43 51 / www.cut-by-elsa.com / cutbyelsa.coiffeuse@gmail.com / Bridal styling: Aurélie Mey / +33 6 36 92 42 26 / www.aureliemey.com / showroom@aureliemey.com / Bridal shoes: Emeline – Dessine moi un Soulier / www.dessinemoiunsoulier.com / emeline@dmus.fr / Groom’s styling: Mickelson Shop / +33 4 75 02 27 10 / www.mickelson.fr / boutique.mickelson@wanadoo.fr / Groom’s accessories: Clémence / Le Colonel Moutarde / www.lecolonelmoutarde.com / contacterlecolonel@gmail.com / Jewellery: Julien Garcia-Marti – Boutique Bel’argent / +33 4 75 02 25 21 / www.bel-argent.com / contact@bel-argent.com / Florist: Sabrina Naglieri & Soraya Merluzzi – Le Bourge’on / +33 4 75 02 51 13 / www.fleuriste-bourgdepeage.fr / lebourgeonfleuriste@gmail.com / Venue: Dominique Berger – Château des Oliviers de Salettes / +33 4 75 00 19 30 / www.chateau-lesoliviers.com / www.teatimepatisserie.com / Cake Designer: Emilie Van Der Vliet-Voghera – Tea Time Pâtisserie / +33 6 27 03 33 89 / dominique@chateau-lesoliviers.com / www.save-the-date.fr / Calligraphy: Marie-Eve Thomé – Save The Date / www.mapetiteceremonie.com / boutique@save-the-date.fr / Ceremonial Officer: Solange – Ma Petite Ceremonie / +33 6 32 44 81 33 / teatimepatisseries@gmail.com / mapetiteceremonie@gmail.com / Stylisme enfants : Angélique – Les Petits inclassables / +33 4 67 41 91 24 / www.lespetitsinclassables.com / contact@lespetitsinclassables.com / Décoration : Julie Peyre – Rosanna Spring / +33 4 78 39 25 18 /
