Paris has our hearts. We’ve said it over and over again – it is no wonder that couples flock to this incredibly passionate and romantic city for their adventures together. These two beautiful (inside and out!) people celebrated a very special anniversary in the most Parisian way possible – galavanting around the city with Carla Gates, Simone Gebsattel, and Floresie capturing the sweetness of their love story. They were high school sweethearts who endured a long distance relationship and even a little break at one point… meant to be as they say…
From Carla Gates Photography: “They call Paris the city of lights or the city of love…I might also call it the city of passion ; ) The history, the architecture, the beauty…it’s ever flowing river of inspiration and oh so romantic! I have wanted to do a shoot there for quite some time and finally this year, decided to bring my dream to life!
Little did I know that started as an inspiration shoot with some incredibly talented vendors turned into so much more. I couldn’t have been more thrilled when during our vision and planning, I received an email from some of my very favorite clients who’s wedding I captured the year before, saying that they would love to be a part of it! I was elated. They have such a precious love and were a perfect match as their anniversary was quickly approaching! What better way to celebrate? I couldn’t wait to have the honor of getting to continue to be a part of their love story….But even better, in the city of lights…the city of love! Everything took on a new life as they are an absolute joy to be around and getting to center the day around them and their love made it come to life in a way far beyond what I had imagined.
Since I love hearing stories of how two lives meet and join together in a beautiful story of love… you’ll find a bit of theirs at the bottom of the post…”
From the bride: How it all began…
“Jarett and I met in high school at friend’s party. He was 17, played lacrosse, and was the sweet, funny guy everyone loved. I was 16, the Yearbook Editor, and a perfectionist to a fault. We were in different grades, and had different friends and interests, but the one thing we had in common was Calculus. Jarett used this to his advantage and days after meeting, asked me to join his study group. We became fast friends. I loved how he was unapologetically himself, and he loved that I could crush him on our Calculus tests. I suspected he had feelings for me, but it wasn’t until 5 months later that he finally told me he wanted to be more than friends. Countless dates and wonderfully unproductive study sessions later, Jarett asked me to be his girlfriend. Little did we know that we would be married exactly six years later from the day we met.
For a majority of our relationship, Jarett and I were apart more than we were together. We attended different Universities and Jarett worked in New York for several months. The biggest test for our relationship though was Jarett’s two year mission to Oaxaca, Mexico. He gave me a promise ring before he left and we wrote more letters and emails that I can count to try and stay in touch as much as possible. When he arrived home in May of 2013 we were still very much in love and it was incredibly natural for us to pick up where we left off, so we did.
It had been five years since meeting and we both knew we had been given something special, so after much thought and prayer we decided to take the next step to becoming one and take on all of life’s blessings and trials side by side. Halloween weekend I flew up to New York to visit a friend, and that night we went to her boyfriend’s place for dinner. She had been raving about his rooftop view all week so naturally, the moment I got there I was excited to see it! As we headed to the roof Anna (one of my closest friends and bridesmaid) told me to close my eyes for the “full effect”. When I opened the door to the roof I was overwhelmed not only by the incredible view of the Brooklyn Bridge…but there was Jarett dressed in a full suit, surrounded by rose petals and candles, standing a few feet in front of me. He gestured me to come over, embraced me, said a few short words (which I had him reiterate later because I forgot every word in the excitement) and finally, my best friend got on his knee and asked me to marry him!”
Vendor Details
Photography: Carla Gates Photography | Film Lab: Richard Photo Lab | Stylist / Planner: Simone Gebsattel | Floral Designer: Floresie | Dress Designer: Mascara Collection | Accessories: Crowns: Olga Delice | Venue: The Louvre | Hair & Makeup Artist: Nastasja Gietl | Calligraphy & Stationary: The Little North Sea Studio | Ribbon & Table Runner: Silk & Willow | Vow Book: Wedding Story Writer | Veil: Something Tulle | Cinematography: JD – filmmaker
