A destination wedding was always on the cards with the groom hailing from France, and the bride from the United States. A region rich in history with magnificent Châteaus aplenty, it made sense to marry in the Auverge area where Alex was from. the couple share with us, “From our first visit we were blown away and knew that it was the perfect venue for us. It was also a very unique way to show to our friends and family traveling from overseas the beautiful French countryside. We wanted a venue that had character, charm and beautiful views. CHÃTEAU DE MAULMONT checked all the boxes!” MARION PINEL captured their beautiful nature inspired celebration that had a soft and romantic pastel colour palette.
HOW DID YOU MEET? Alex works for a French winery and had just moved from Provence to Miami for work. I was living in my hometown outside of Atlanta, Georgia, helping with events for the same winery on the East Coast. We met in May 2018 in Nantucket, Massachusetts during a Food & Wine festival – both sent there for the same wine brand. Throughout that weekend, our paths crossed several times and our conversations flowed naturally like we’d known each other for years. Before leaving, we exchanged phone numbers not realising that this chance encounter would lead us to where we are today. For the first 5 months, we hopped on a plane to visit each other in Miami and Atlanta every few weeks. After racking up miles (and flight delays), I took the plunge, quit my job in Atlanta and moved down to Miami with Alex. The next few years were an adventure – moving to New York City, Los Angeles, and now, back to where it started in Miami.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: We got engaged on September 9th, 2022 in Sea Island, Georgia. We were moving from Los Angeles to Miami and decided to make a two week road trip out of it to see a few friends and cities along the way. Alex surprised me with a romantic weekend at The Lodge at Sea Island. We had planned to take a walk by the water to catch the sunset before dinner but it had been raining on and off all afternoon. Alex insisted so we set off under an umbrella. As soon as the rain let up, Alex got on one knee and asked me to marry him!
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS/ATTIRE: Alex wore a custom made Montella wool cotton silk three piece suit in olive green by Indochino. Along with a light champagne tie and white shirt and my grandfather’s gold cufflinks. With cognac leather loafers with a gold horse bit from Mezlan. The theme was pastel and this attire perfectly matched with the venue and the flowers. I was never the kind to dream about my wedding or wedding dress, so I went into the process with no idea of what dress style I wanted. I was looking for a dress that went with our garden party theme and was unique while also comfortable. Based on many recommendations from friends, I took an appointment at The White Magnolia boutique in Buckhead, Georgia. My mom and sister came with me. After only trying on four other dresses, I found my dream dress – the Hazel gown from Ti Adora by ALLISON WEBB. It is a modern A-line gown with floral applique on the bodice and leafy applique extending to the chapel length circle train. On the rack, it was strapless and had a shimmer tulle underlay. I modified it to add straps matching the leaf applique from the skirt and replaced the glitter tulle with plain ivory tulle. Veil: My seamstress in Miami, Lully Arias Atelier, made a custom chapel/floor length veil with matching floral applique on the bottom to extend the pattern on my dress.
