SHAE & MAXIM’S WEDDING IN THE CÉVENNES
Three days of celebration at Mas Nouveau in the Cévennes, from the preparations to the first dance.
Shae and Maxim gathered their loved ones at Mas Nouveau in Génolhac for their wedding in the Cévennes. Their white jackets and colourful flowers run through this story, from getting ready to the garden ceremony, dinner in the courtyard and dancing.
Follow Shae and Maxim’s day at Mas Nouveau through the galleries below.
THE PREPARATIONS
The two white jackets wait on their hangers. Black shoes, bow ties and floral buttonholes complete the outfits. Shae and Maxim get ready with people close to them: a collar is adjusted, a jacket placed over shoulders, an embrace shared before leaving. I photograph these gestures and the portraits between the final adjustments.
THE OUTDOOR CEREMONY
Chairs are set out in Mas Nouveau’s garden facing the Cévennes hills. Floral arrangements frame Shae and Maxim during the readings and exchange of rings. I move from wider views to their expressions, then prepare for their exit between the guests beneath the petals.
COUPLE PORTRAITS
Shae and Maxim walk through the garden, kiss in the backlight and pose beneath Mas Nouveau’s stone porch. One lifts the other; their shadows stretch across the ground. I suggest starting points for placement and movement, then adjust the framing to what they do. The Cévennes hills remain visible in the wider portraits.
GROUPS & COCKTAIL
A tower of champagne glasses, a kiss in front of it and the newlyweds lifted for a group portrait: the drinks reception takes place in the garden. I also photograph guests and the flowers decorating the welcome area and tables. The group portraits show who was there; the photographs around them show how people join in.
DINNER & EVENING CELEBRATIONS
Long tables fill Mas Nouveau’s courtyard beneath shade sails and strings of lights. Speeches lead to embraces; Shae and Maxim also speak to their guests. Then come the flower-decorated cake and dancing indoors. I work with movement in the framing to follow the couple on the dance floor and the reactions around them.
