The drawback was that because Joe and I were not Parisians, we couldn't legally be married there. We had to have a legal wedding in the US first. This is actually how we ended up with two weddings. Originally, I thought we could have a simple legal ceremony at City Hall or in a chapel in LA with our friends and his immediate family present (only 20 people). We actually looked at a chapel together but Joe felt that it was too much like a cheap and tacky Vegas wedding. He suggested we get married on the beach or in a park. As long as you don't put any chairs or equipment down, it's free to get married in a public place. I did some research for local gardens and found the Los Angeles Arboretum which was only $500 to rent as long as we didn't put any chairs or equipment down. I really wanted to include my friends in my wedding so even though there was only going to be 20 people, I still wanted a bridal party. Joe wanted to invite several family members so the guest list ended up being 30. Of course we had to feed everyone so we decided to have a dinner reception. I wanted a place with a nice view for the guest and was thinking of a downtown LA rooftop restaurant but they were all way too expensive and required a roof buy out for a private event. We found The Castaway Restaurant which had a small outdoor patio with a beautiful view of Burbank and had decent prices (I was prepared to pay $100 per person and it ended up being a little less). Everything was so perfect for our legal US wedding we contemplated actually canceling our Paris ceremony.
I'm glad we didn't though because it was really nice in a different more intimate way. We arrived in Paris for our honeymoon on Sunday and our wedding was on Wednesday. We spent the first few days enjoying the sites and taking in Paris. My best friend and her boyfriend were also in Paris. She wanted to come to our ceremony and neither she nor her boyfriend had ever been to Paris so they decided to come for our wedding/their vacation. On the day of our ceremony, Joe left our hotel with her boyfriend so she and I could get ready. We decided to make this ceremony more traditional so he wasn't going to see me beforehand. We would meet them both at the Chapelle for the ceremony. Ciara and Charles came to the hotel room. She and I were both getting our hair done but only I was having my make up professionally done. The front desk lady threw a fit about having too many people in the room. Though centrally located, it was a tiny closet hotel room (expected for the price it cost) and I guess it was a fire hazard to have more than three people in the room at a time. Charles and Ciara were so funny and personable. I felt very comfortable with them and they did my hair and make up exactly as I wanted.
Once we were ready, we took a taxi over. Lindsey was already there so we took a few pictures outside pre-ceremony and then started. Our US ceremony was a very to the point, one page, 2 minute ordeal. This was more traditional so it did involve an actual reading and vows that were symbolic to us. Afterward out celebrant gave us a love lock to put on the Pont des Arts bridge next to the Louvre. Then Lindsey took our wedding pictures around the Chapelle grounds, by the Eiffel Tower, on the Love Bridge, at the Louvre and ended at a park. She was so nice and fun to work with. She had a lot of fun ideas and we enjoyed shooting with her. Joe thought it would be great to have wedding pictures taken in Paris even if we didn't have a second ceremony. Paris was always my favorite city and we always wanted to go back. The first trip Joe and I ever took together was to Paris in May/June of 2009, so having a second wedding in Paris was fun and memorable.
As far as buying a new dress goes, I wasn't sure if I was actually going to buy another one or not. At first I figured I'd just bring my dress from our US wedding but as I thought more about it, I really wanted to surprise Joe. He'd already seen my lace dress and we decided to be more traditional (him not seeing me before the wedding) for this ceremony so I wanted to wear something different and do my hair differently to make it a true surprise. I had only spent $300 on my lace dress when I'd budgeted 1K so I figured if the price was right, I could splurge on a second dress. Might as well since we were going ahead with two weddings anyway. This was actually my second choice dress from David's Bridal. It's called Organza Trumpet Gown With Embellished Lace. Style #WG3121. Size 4 in Ivory. It has a zip up back (no corset). The front has a silver beaded design right below the bust and a layered organza bust line. There's white beading in a design around the bodice. Shell and lining are 100% Polyester. Netting is 100% nylon. Made in Sri Lanka. I ordered it online for $550 which included a $100 off coupon code. It fit perfectly so I didn't have to have it altered at all. I love the organza material. It's light and flowing. Plus, it doesn't puff out as much as my lace dress so it fit in my luggage easily. I really felt this dress embodied Paris in a way and was perfect for our Parisian ceremony. When I saw the look on Joe's face, I knew it was totally worth it. My friend was surprised when I pulled out my second dress (I'd mentioned to her I was thinking about it) but I told her, "You know what they say, you only get married twice!"
*Photos by Pictours Paris.
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