Wedding in Provence at Chateau L'Escarelle • Niki M Photography

When Steph and max contacted me to photograph their wedding in Provence, I had no idea just *how* much of an adventure this trip was going to be! It fast evolved from a stop on my annual Eurotrip, to one of the most incredible trips to France we have had.

After a late night flight to Paris we found our way to Steph and Max’s apartment with the help of friendly faces (in a coordinated effort by the couple), and woke up bright and early to a view of Sacré-Cœur at sunrise. It was the most spectacular start! We wound our way down to their wedding venue in the South of France, soaking in the history and wandering through quaint little towns… all whilst consuming our weight in pastries (as one does).

When we finally met Steph and Max at their chateau wedding venue, Château de l’Escarelle, the night before their wedding. It was like meeting old friends. The kind you are just so excited to see and chat to for hours! And just like that we were all set for the big day: scheduled, planned, and allllmost executed.

However, rain happened. Despite the fact that France were in one of the most severe droughts ever experienced. It was the (rather inconvenient lets be honest haha) miracle that the people of the area had been praying for. Steph and Max took it all in their stride. The ceremony was quickly moved into their reception tent, and after a solid downpour which left everything hours behind schedule, the show got on the road.

You’d never guess anything out of the ordinary had happened when you look at these photos! That was the beauty of this day and the beautiful, calm souls that we got to photograph.

Steph and Max, thank you for putting your trust in Neil and I. For being the incredibly kind-hearted humans that you are, and for being absolutely down to earth and chilled on your wedding day. You made it so easy for us to capture these incredible images for you, and we love them just as much as you do!

A huge thank you to my fiancé Neil for joining me at this gorgeous wedding as a second photographer <3

A few words from Steph and Max:

In some ways, our wedding venue in Provence chose us. When Max proposed in late January, we knew we wanted to get married that same year and in the warmer months. We also knew we wanted to have an outdoor space and room for Steph’s American family for an extended stay… to make the trip over to Europe for our destination wedding worth it. After lots of searching for villas and places that would have room for our international guests in an accessible and interesting location in France, with the right price point, a nice outdoor space AND allow weddings, AND provide locally made delicious wine, l’Escarelle was truly the perfect fit.

Remaining true to our ethics was important to us. We didn’t even tell people we had a completely vegetarian wedding. We wanted that to be a norm and let people just enjoy good, quality food. Our flowers were local and supporting a local business, also important to us.

Before the big day, Max’s brother gave us some advice. He said, “Pauline (his partner) and I have been to a LOT of weddings and there are 2 types of couples. The stressed ones. And the ones who have an awesome time.” From that moment, we knew what category we wanted to be in. We both wanted to just enjoy this special life moment, stay present, stay true and let it all unfold as it would. It feels like we succeeded! We got the rain, the collapsing decor and power outages, yet we had the best time!

Our advice to other couples: Take your time. Process logistically and emotionally. Then slow down. Be the couple that has fun at their own wedding. Once it starts, flow. It’s going to be beautiful no matter what happens. Enjoy it, all of it. It goes so fast. Bask in the glow… this is truly a core memory.

“Niki, we loved how seamlessly you floated between the space and the guests while getting ready. You felt like a friend and not at all intrusive or uncomfortable, you had a really nice, calm, collected presence. I (Steph here) also felt like you had my back, whatever I needed: calm, a pep talk, reassurance, space. I really felt I could count on you to be there. With unexpected weather, a longer than we (and you) ever anticipated evening, and having you fly around the world to work with us, we wish we could express our gratitude more for your flexibility and willingness to meet us where we were. We are so very grateful to you both for your gentleness, calm energy, and hard work to capture such a special day. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”