Paris is always a good idea. And Lawrence and Fiona thought the same thing when they chose it as their location for their destination elopement.
Enjoy some Q&A with the couple and gorgeous photos below!
Photography: Pierre Torset, My Paris Elopement
Officiant: The Paris Celebrants / The Paris Officiant
Venue: The Ritz, Paris
Second Photographers: The Parisian Photographers
Bridal Attire : Zara
From the couples:
“Neither of us have been to Paris before. It was not until my recent years that I began to develop an interest towards this popular destination. The reason is because of the rich history of Louis Vuitton. Working for the company, I naturally became incredibly familiar with the brand and its heritage. Ever since I can remember, I have always had a fascination with fashion.The Devil Wears Prada is my ultimate favorite movie and the plot centers around Paris Fashion Week. To me, Paris is couture, luxury, and elegance – everything I aim to be and adore. The movie is mesmerizing and leaves me feeling wonder and awe.
Our venue is truly what sealed the deal for us. The Ritz is, by far, the most beautiful hotel I have ever laid eyes on. Their parisian charm and famous ties to some of the world’s most historical figures absolutely amazes me. I cannot believe I will be wedded to my future husband in such a prestigious space…”
As you can see, I wore a suit. This speaks volumes to the type of modern wedding I envisioned. However, the pressures of what our friends and family wants/expects for our wedding day really overwhelmed me. We wanted to celebrate this special day selfishly and lavishly. This elopement was the most romantic and memorable thing we’ve ever experienced together. Not a day goes by when we don’t reminisce our magical day without getting choked up.
We did want our closest friends and family there, but the thought of the politics and unwanted opinions quickly settled our decision. We decided to have a reception dinner after our elopement to celebrate with our closest friends and family instead. We also took this opportunity to share the beautiful photos we took of our intimate wedding.
WE LOVED EVERY ASPECT OF OUR ELOPEMENT. We can honestly say that that was the best day of our lives. Absolutely nothing could and will ever top that very moment. It was pure, genuine, undeniable happiness. There was not a single challenge – Laura and Pierre made our lives so easy. We just needed to pick out what we want to wear and show up! This was the BIGGEST reason why we chose to elope, it truly took away all the impending stress away from the planning. We got to skip straight to the fun while fully enjoying the process. Laura’s moving words brought Lawrence and I to tears on multiple occasions. She captured our love story perfectly with such poise and elegance!
LOVE STORY
Lawrence and I met in 2011. I don’t remember the specific date because it was an unplanned meeting. I had always heard his name in passing because we had many mutual friends in our small city. Everyone, at one point or the other, knew of one another — especially if we were of similar ages attending high schools in the area. It was not until we began our relationship did we realize that Lawrence had messaged me once upon a time, way back in 2008, on Facebook! He introduced himself expressing interest in becoming friends and I completely ignored his message! Looking back, I truly believe that we were always destined to meet, but we never got the timing right.
In June 2011, Lawrence asked me to dinner at a fancy seafood restaurant with a cascading view of Vancouver’s waterfront. I just freshly turned 17 years old and this was the most adult thing I have ever experienced. My nervous chatter managed to guide us through most of the evening. When it came time for dessert, the server brought out a small box to accompany my treat. Inside the box was a small, Swarovski crystal bear, holding a heart. I was astonished and confused by the gesture and politely said thank you. After dinner, he led me to the pier of the waterfront and we stare quietly into the ocean. Finally, he comes up behind me, spins me around to face him, tipped my chin to match my gaze to his, and asked me: Fiona, will you be my girlfriend? I burst into my largest, silliest, grin and ecstatically said YES!
His proposal is the most accurate depiction of us, as a couple. It was filled with nervous laughter, sweaty palms, and runny eyes and nose. I had a full blown nervous breakdown. After being with him for 7 years, my only request for him is to surprise me. I didn’t want to see his proposal coming – I wanted to be caught completely off guard and be incredibly impressed by his stealthiness. Unfortunately for me, Lawrence has zero poker face.
On February 14, 2018, it was like any other Wednesday for me. The only out of the ordinary thing we had planned for the day was to have Chinese New Year dinner with his dad. We arrived early to the restaurant, so we decided to sit in the car in the parking lot like we often do to kill time. Then I felt and saw something in his pocket. THE BOX! He was so annoyed that I spoiled his proposal, but at the same time, he didn’t do the best job of concealing it: He’s like a little kid, he can’t contain his own excitement and wants to share the big secret because he couldn’t wait to see the look on my face when he tells me.
We giggled at each other for a good 15 minutes before he popped the big question. The moment he placed the ring on my finger, the tears began rolling down my cheeks and all I could muster up was, “Oh my god”, which I said about a million times. I don’t know how, but he even managed to capture my total state of shock. It was not glamorous or grand, but it was perfect to me. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
So my advice: Don’t let anything hold you back from having the wedding of YOUR DREAMS. While many people place too much emphasis on the wedding and not the marriage itself, this is a day that you want to look back on with tears happily streaming down your face regardless of how it may look or what the outcome will be. Have no regrets, soak it all in (because it’ll be over in a blink of an eye), and most importantly, have fun!
