I’ve always loved the idea of an elopement, taking away all of the fuss of wedding planning and just focusing on the couple. The intimate marrying of two people, minus all the glorious chaos of a normal wedding.After traveling for most of the winter I came back to Montreal with a clearly defined mission for my wedding photography. I really wanted to focus on shooting some intimate weddings in Quebec.
Don’t get me wrong. I still love a big wedding. The energy, the atmosphere, the hundreds of loving friends and family members – but some brides and grooms need something small, intimate, a guest list of 50 people. Or 10.
Or maybe just the two of them. The guest: ME
That’s when I came across Victoria and Leïla’s new offbeat wedding concept launching soon called PopUpMariages! I had worked with Victoria before, and I always loved seeing the rentals from her company (La Mariée Bohème) at the weddings I was shooting. So I knew it would be the perfect chance to team up and see what we could create.
So we decided to create a styled wedding shoot that would show clients in Quebec what to expect from an intimate wedding done differently. A styled shoot brings together a handful of incredible vendors for a photo shoot. It usually involves models standing in for real couples, or real couples who aren’t actually getting married.
As a result, a styled photo shoot lacks the emotions that I love to capture in my photographs. For this shoot I wanted things to be real.
Therefore, I decided to go out on a limb. I went to my Instagram account and asked my followers if there was a couple willing to get married and entrust every single one of the wedding details to our team. There was a big catch, though. The wedding would have to be held in 2 weeks time. The couple would not know any of the major plans. They wouldn’t even get the details of the location until the day before the wedding.
We had dozens of couples write in. We were completely overwhelmed with how many people felt comfortable trusting us with the planning of their wedding day. Ultimately, we ended up choosing Ophélie and Etienne because they had a genuine connection, an incredible story and the best kind of plus one, their little daughter Éléonore.
On a weekday in May, we all came together for a beautiful, bohemian-chic elopement in the forests of Quebec.
Finally, please make sure to check the links below to the incredible vendors that were involved.
Thanks to the fabulous vendors who made this elopement all the more magical
Location – Le Couvent Val-Morin
Event planning and styling and all around badassery – Victoria with La Mariée Bohème
Event planning and co-ordination – Leïla Simard
Hair and make-up – Chelsea Dawn Chawsky Locks to Lashes
Officiant – Pascale Charbonneau
Florals – Astilbe
Jewellery and head piece on Ophélie – Eugenie Bee
Wedding dress – Ma chérie bleue
Baby clothes – Boutique Alice Buchanan
Deserts – Bayard Gateaux
Wedding Cake – Sweet Savour by Felicia
Paper goods/Invitations etc. – Papier Velours