Wedding at the Manoir des Foulons in Yvelines

Second Shooter Wedding

One of my first weddings, a Portuguese one in the Yvelines region of Ile-de-France, was less than ten years old when I was lucky enough to accompany a colleague, Karim Benhaddouche, the official wedding photographer. Accompanying colleagues on weddings as a second shooter allows me to practice and capture the moments without the constraints and risks associated with being the main photographer. In other words, it gives me regular practice in stepping out of my comfort zone, without the slightest risk to the quality of the report, since it's the main photographer who manages it. It's also an opportunity to exchange ideas with other photographers, to observe each other and, above all, to share our past and present experience.

Preparation and First Look

The bride's preparations took place in Versailles, with a hair and make-up salon for the already beautiful Sandrine, and a dress fitting at her parents' home. We then joined the groom in Villiers, in a very solemn, small group setting. Sergio got ready in style, in a setting that was perfectly suited to the occasion: spacious, bright, well-decorated and sober, with the big clock hanging on the wall and its ticking sound reminding us throughout the sequence of the pace we had to keep to be on time for the ceremony.

They discovered each other Breton-style in an impromptu "First Look" in front of the town hall. The groom is facing his guests, and the bride arrives behind him, moving slowly towards him so that he turns around. He can only get more impatient before turning around. This gives her time to get out of the car and get ready for that all-important moment when the groom discovers his bride-to-be for the first time of the day. What's more, it's the perfect opportunity to slowly but surely build up the pressure of love between the bride and groom. And for me, as a wedding photographer, it's the certainty of having magnificent reportage photos, full of life and emotion.

Civil ceremony in Neauphe le Château, Yvelines

The civil ceremony took place at Neauphle le Château town hall, still in the Yvelines department. It was a beautiful ceremony, with the bride and groom gazing into each other's eyes and saying words of love. Nearby, a park welcomed us for group and couple photos.

Cocktails and Evening at Manoir des Foulons, Yelines

The cocktail party and evening took place at the magnificent and prestigious Manoir des Foulons in Rosay, in the Yvelines region of Ile-de-France. An estate perfectly suited to weddings. There are large outdoor spaces, in the heart of nature and close to horses, and a beautiful, spacious reception room perfectly configured for a festive evening. This Portuguese wedding lived up to its reputation, with a crazy atmosphere, wild guests, folk and traditional dances mixed with electro, pop rock and hip hop. Games for the evening between dinner and dessert, speeches, and a wild dancefloor made this wedding for me an inexhaustible source of beautiful images to show you in the portfolio and in this blog.

After the article and my photo selection, there's also a slideshow video that tells the story of this wedding, set to music and laid out like a book.