Working with Cecile & An was one the most memorable moments of my career so far! On top of them being madly in love, awesome people… they had one of the most unique weddings I’ve ever seen! You may have remembered them from their cemetery engagement session that went low key viral and was published by Green Wedding Shoes!
Here’s a few words from Cecile on how she made this event come to life!
“The overall style reflects my own and how much it has rubbed off on An. I think of it as a compromise between the rebel goth I am at heart and the minimalistic modernist I was raised to be. The engagement ring, which I helped design being the forward bride that I am, is the best representation of this: a single black diamond set in a plain black band, with a pointed chevron shape to break the mold. The white ceremony gown also marries the simple with the risqué. Then a black reception gown because I always imagined myself wearing black on my wedding day. An wore a short-suit because, why not! The blond wig, though it may seem like just a fun thing to throw in, is actually a sentimental nod to the start of our relationship. I first bleached my hair days after meeting An when we were only teens and remembered being nervous about what he thought. When we eventually got together years later, I happened to have just gone blond again.
Throughout the planning process, I had a very “stick it to the man” sort of attitude towards the wedding industry. After planning my sister’s wedding, I told myself that whenever it was my turn, I wouldn’t let other people tell me how I wanted things to be and I wouldn’t let them bully my wallet. That’s when I started to make a joke that I would throw a backyard crawfish boil if I were to ever get married. A few years later, I helped my architect father design his dream home, which An then helped us build. When it was all finished, he proposed in the driveway! The house has a gorgeous backyard and so we squeezed about 150 people outside and I got the crawfish boil wedding I secretly always wanted.
Together, the outfits I had planned out for us and the home where we hosted the reception, dictated the details of the day. Where I could use only the color black, I did. From the invitations to the table settings and even the black and white photobooth. And where I could throw in my love for modern architecture, I did. From the chair-adorned escort cards to the house-shaped centerpieces and even forcing my photographer and videographer to use my favorite chair as a prop, because yes, I have a favorite.
With the help of family and friends, I DIYed almost every aspect of the day. I used to work at a craft store and learned early on that if you can buy it, you can probably make it. And since I am a detail-orientated person, I almost always choose making something exactly the way I want it rather than buying it. So I printed and foiled my own invitations, melted every wax seal, punched a hole in all of the ceremony programs, folded each escort card, personalized the menus, sealed each dessert party favor, and even arranged all of the flowers. My mother, who went to school to be a fashion designer, made both of my dresses. My sister, who organizes many events at the school she teaches at, pulled everything together. Our friend who recently graduated from Vanguard College of Cosmetology, cut and styled my hair…and the wig. My cousin, who watches makeup tutorials on YouTube without end, did my makeup. Our friend who worked as a sushi chef, served hors d’oeuvres at the cocktail hour. Another friend who works at a bakery, had our king cake favors made. A family friend who owns a seafood shop, boiled and delivered 500lbs of crawfish! And everyone else that we met along the way became like family. The team at Aucoin Heart who remembers me as “the girl with the black ring.” The owners of the local fabric shop who helped find the perfect threads for both gowns and have been patiently waiting a year to see how they turned out. The creative behind Lonely Eskimo Productions who turned out to be a friend of a friend. And Farren, who we booked partially because she owns a Boston Terrier, and trust me, you can always trust a creative person with a Boston. We loved working with her so much since the engagement shoot that we convinced my sister to book her!”
Vendor Love:
Videographer: Lonely Eskimo Films Venue: St. Martha’s Catholic Church Hair: AshVu x Hair, Makeup: Noelle Bui, Gowns: Bride’s mother, Church: St. Martha Catholic Church, Crawfish Catering: Cajun Corner Seafood New Orleans, LA
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