Well! It's been a little more than a month that I returned from my romantic tour of Tuscany for a stunning wedding in those famous rolling hills and a little 'sejour' in the South of France with my family, that culminated in a glorious week in Paris with a mid-week jaunt to Versailles. I had been only once before to this famed chateau on my first trip to Paris, and that was in the dead of February, which, while not as cold as Canada, was still pretty cold!
Though the 'winter Versailles' gave me a chance to visit the inside of the castle, the gloriousness of the perfectly manicured grounds, the triangular shaped shrubs and spherical shaped trees (shaped by expert gardeners!), blooming flowers and spectacular statues and fountains at every turn, were not lost on me this time. The sun was 'au rendezvous' for us and shone so perfectly in a cloudless sky over the palace of the once named 'sun-king', it was all rather glorious!
Accompanied by my favourite Toronto wedding photographer Whitney Heard, Paris model Cindy B. (KARIN) rocking full hair and makeup I did before we got there, and a large bag stuffed full of some dresses by local Toronto designer Catherine Langlois, and gorgeous jewel encrusted, handmade pieces by our good friend, Toronto milliner Blair Nadeau, we giggled/ made our way through security for a little bridal beauty creative! It was actually hilarious/nerve wracking as the security guards guessed correctly, and asked Cindy if she was a model, whereupon we all started sweating a little! They chuckled when she answered 'yes', and in a very typical french manner, nodded admiringly and knowingly, and let us in, practically clapping for her beauty! Well deserved, we thought, feeling like the *sheroines* of Ocean's 12!
The palace and garden grounds were slightly overwhelming in their summer splendour: motionless poetry as far as the eye could see. Whitney cleverly led us to the back area of the gardens, saving the best shots for later, though we wanted to stop at every turn. Versailles is truly inspiring in it's beauty- it represents the finest form of man's attempts to hold dominion over nature and worship the sun- the geometric perfection and layout facing the sun are a testament to this. Strangely, there were not as many tourists as expected that day and we really lucked out, getting shots in magnificent enclaves all around the garden.
Cindy was an absolute stalwart, super-modelling in the most tasteful lingerie and a full wedding gown, with grace and elegance, despite not wearing shoes sometimes and being gawked at by some tourists!! We LOVE her and as you'lll see in Whitney's sublime photos, this girl cannot take a bad photo! Merci pour ta patience Cindy, on t'aime beaucoup!
Here's a sneak peak, a glimpse into the magical day we spent there. I am so grateful to have collaborated with such an amazing team of women on this dreamy, oh-so French-girl-chic, romantic bridal beauty shoot. Thank you all for your creative talents and staggering handmade creations that brought this work to life!
PHOTOS and STYLING: Whitney Heard
MODEL: Cindy B. (KARIN models, Paris)
H&M: Maya Goldenberg
GOWNS: Catherine Langlois Bridal
HAIR ADORNMENTS: Blair Nadeau millinery
LINGERIE: The Lace Atelier
VERSAILLES:
This photo was featured in Vogue Italia's online Photo Archive. YEAAAAAAAH WHITNEY!!! #dreamcometrue
