E and D have been together for years, and almost every summer they said the same thing: this year we'll go to the sea. The beaches they kept coming back to were the ones in southern Europe, the kind they had only seen in photos.
It took more than two years of planning to make it happen. This year they finally flew from Hong Kong to Europe, and the South of France was the part of the trip they had built everything else around.
The day before our shoot, D proposed. So the couple I met that afternoon had been engaged for exactly one day, and the ring was still new enough to catch the light every time E moved her hand.
We started at the harbour in Villefranche-sur-Mer, just along the coast from Nice, walking past the boats and the pastel houses. Then they changed into something lighter and we went up Castle Hill in Nice for sunset, timed so we'd catch the last of the light.
Congratulations, E and D, and thank you for letting me be part of a trip you waited so long for.
Planning a pre-wedding photoshoot in Nice or the South of France?
Couple walking hand in hand along the harbour in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Kiss by a lamp post on the Villefranche-sur-Mer harbour
Bride's veil lifting in the sea breeze beside the sailing boats
Kiss on the harbourside in Villefranche-sur-Mer, the pastel houses behind
Soft-focus kiss with the Mediterranean behind
Black and white kiss on the harbour wall
Crossing the road above the harbour, seen from above
Walking along the old stone wall, bride holding a white bouquet
Groom holding his fiancée close by the water
Kiss against a stone wall under the pines on Castle Hill
Holding hands by the colourful harbour houses in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Cheek to cheek by the sea in the late afternoon light
Kiss on the cheek beside the moored boats, bouquet in hand
Embracing under the pine trees on Castle Hill in Nice
Sitting back to back on the grass at sunset on Castle Hill
Walking along the waterfront, the hillside town behind them
Kiss under the umbrella pines on Castle Hill at golden hour
Stepping out of a French boulangerie together
Sitting on the grass on Castle Hill, the groom pointing across the park
Kiss under the pine trees on Castle Hill against a clear blue sky
Nose to nose on a quiet stone-walled lane on Castle Hill
Groom looking out over the harbour in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Bride smiling up at her fiancé by the boats
Coffee on a café terrace, both in sunglasses
Bride walking down a narrow cobbled street in the old town
Walking hand in hand on Castle Hill in Nice at sunset, the harbour lighthouse below
Bride putting her sun hat on her fiancé at sunset on Castle Hill
Black and white portrait against an old stone wall on Castle Hill
If you're planning a pre-wedding photoshoot in the South of France or anywhere in Europe, get in touch below.
