Oh Happy Happy Valentines Day BlogForBride readers! We’re sure that the flowers are going to start arriving at the office/house any minute now so before the loveliness begins, we thought we would squeeze in some of our own. Given that today is all about love, we couldn’t think of anywhere better to spend it than in the City of Love – yes, today we are happily back in Paris to celebrate the super cute engagement of Dean and Rachel who flew all the way from New York to mark the special occasion, so get the box of yummy chocolates out and enjoy La Ville de L’amour.
Paris, with its never ending list of stunning locations, has long been (and will probably always remain to be) one of the most romantic places in the world to get down on bended knee …but my personal favourite has to be the Pont des Arts. I know, I’m a wicked romantic at heart. For those of you not that familiar with Paris, let todays’ photographer Olivier, from Wedding Light explain.
“The Pont des Arts is the most romantic pedestrian bridge in Paris. With its wooden walkway, it connects the Institute de France to the Louvre museum. Lovers’ stick cadenas d’amour (love padlocks) to the railings of the Pont des Arts bridge to seal their eternal love before throwing of the key over the bridge into the River Seine.”
“Two and a half years ago, Dean fell for Rachel’s charming personality, witty sarcasm, unparalleled intelligence, disarming beauty and her quiet modesty” … Have you guessed who’s writing this?! “Since the beginning of our relationship, Dean and I have shared a strong, team-like mentality. We have used this to build a successful business from the ground up and start a second business as well ( yes, it is possible to be in business with your significant other for all you doubters out there!)
About 8 months ago, we started speaking about getting engaged. I had my sights set on a beautiful Tacori ring. Dean, being the clueless male about these types of things, asked me what type of ring he would get when we get engaged. This cracked me up so much, I had to share his question with my mother and grandmother, who also found it really funny. My mom said to me, ‘Start a new trend, buy Dean an engagement ring’. I took it into consideration and decided it was a cute and unique idea”. – We think it’s really cute (not to mention gutsy) too Rachel!
“In the beginning of September, we kicked off a three week vacation to Paris and Israel- a welcomed respite from our hectic lives and businesses! A couple days before the end of the Paris part of our vacation, we planned to have a fancy dinner at the newly-opened Shangri-la hotel. We had an 8:30pm reservation, but Dean insisted on us getting ready very early. Decked out in our finest, we started out at 3pm. Dean took me to Laduree (my favorite dessert place in Paris) for a macaroon and hot chocolate.
After our dessert, we made our way across the Seine via the Pont des Arts. We stopped a little over halfway to admire the view of the Eiffel Tower and the thousands of ‘Love Locks’ attached to the bridge. As I was inspecting a love lock, Dean pulled something out of his pocket and got down on one knee. After I accepted, I opened my clutch and pulled out HIS ring! I think he was more surprised than I was!”….. And here it is, the beautifully romantic bridge.
Olivier showed Dean and Rachel all the sights Paris had to offer, taking photos of them at the Louvre, Pont des Arts, Pont Neuf, Jardin de Tuilleries, and Place de Concorde. He also captured the entire proposal. Now, rings on fingers.. “Dean and I can relive one of the happiest days of our lives through our pictures!”
What a great way to spend a day of holiday. If you are considering Paris for an engagement shoot or indeed your wedding, check out our Wedding Guide to Paris.
Congratulations to Dean and Rachel on your engagement and we wish you the very best for your wedding this June in France. And finally, a big thanks to Olivier at Wedding Light for sharing these lovely images with us today.
