Way, way back in 2015 I travelled to France to photograph Celine and Thomas’ Manoir des Prevanches wedding. It was awesome. Then in 2016 I had an email from Claire and Aurelien. Claire is Celine’s sister and they booked me to come and photograph their wedding in 2018. And that’s what this blog post is all about. I actually photographed both of Claire and Aurelien’s weddings – their civil wedding in the Champagne region and then a month later their wedding celebration at the beautiful Domaine De Guerquesalle, which is where we find ourselves today. Domaine de Guerquesalle is a beautiful farm nestled in a valley in Amécourt, Normandy. Having already photographed their civil wedding the month before, I arrived knowing many of the guests and all the family and it felt like a reunion. It’s always amazing to catch up with previous couples I’ve worked with and seeing Celine and Thomas and their little boy was just an absolute delight. The wedding day started off with some table football under the trees and a beautiful lunch in the farmhouse. After that everyone began to gradually get ready. Meanwhile, the barn was being decorated in style by Marina and her team from Les Craneuses, and Les Fleur Sauvages was busy doing amazing things with flowers! There was a beautiful ceremony, held by Laurence from Kosmic Day and I might have got a bit teary eyed when everyone held hands and sang along to All You Need is Love.
After that it was on with the celebrations – Aurelien is a really talented Patisserie Chef and so the food was understandably important. Amidst the canapes and the fizz we managed to find a bit of time to wander off and explore the more rustic parts of the farm for some portraits, while the guests enjoyed the amazing live music. I love French weddings. They’re just so relaxed and vibrant and full of joy. And Claire and Aurelien had put so much care and attention into what they wanted from the day and what they wanted their guests to enjoy and experience. It was brilliant. Also – pudding should always be served to the tune of Dick Dale Misirlou!!
I had an amazing time at this Domaine De Guerquesalle wedding and I hope to return one day. Thank you Claire, Aurelien, Celine and Thomas xx
Great work Sam, love a destination wedding!