The day unfolded between two boutique hotels in Montmartre. Föla Styling helped bring a vision to life that leaned into romance with boldness. Red velvet rooms. Vintage opera coats. Candlelit dinners and dramatic drapes. The vibe was less countryside garden, more sensual, cinematic Paris.

When we photograph in Paris, especially in the city centre, we try to evoke that distinct Parisian mood: moody, editorial, a little bit sexy. This couple brought that energy. And they gave us plenty of creative freedom.

We planned ahead: scouting locations, pulling references, mapping the light, but once the day began, we allowed our intuition to take over. That’s how we prefer to work. Checklists are fine, but wedding photography is about quick response.

Photographer: Nicole Plett

We worked with a full film kit: Leica M6, Canon 1V, Fuji GA645GII, Contax G2, and some digital backup on the Canon R5. Lens-wise, we kept things mostly wide: 24mm and 35mm helped us embrace the intimacy of tight hotel rooms and narrow Montmartre streets. Flash-wise? We brought everything: Leica, Contax, Godox, Canon.

My husband and I shot the day together, as we always do. There’s a rhythm we’ve built over the years that allows us to move through a wedding intuitively, sometimes together, sometimes splitting off to catch different angles or energy.

The getting ready portion of the day gave us time to slow down and explore. A&J had taken over a Parisian hotel suite, and we spent the morning making portraits that felt playful and composed. Red curtains. Room service. Designer dresses. We leaned in to really dial into the feeling of a film set.

For the groom, we approached things differently. Jack wanted to walk to a cafe with his groomsmen, and we followed them through the streets. That simple act gave us some of our favorite portraits: ones that felt unforced and full of life.

The ceremony was small and close. Tight spaces with only a narrow aisle to shoot through meant we had to be inventive.

I stayed wide, leaning on 24mm and 35mm, while my second shooter got a top-down view from the hotel’s balcony. The light was tricky, the space was intimate, but I wanted the moment to feel huge.

We photographed portraits in layers: some inside with directional flash against dramatic drapes, others in the streets of Montmartre in grainy black-and-white film. The contrast in locations and tone helped us build a gallery that felt like it had dimension.

We wanted our couple to move through each scene with ease and not feel rigid and awkward. So we directed and led accordingly.

Reception

Dinner was served in the garden of Hôtel Particulier, with lace tablecloths and flickering candles. We kept the flash to a minimum, shooting mostly Portra 800 to let the ambient light lead. The entire scene was soft, romantic, and textured. We did bring in flash for some dinner portraits to freeze expressions in the low light, but even then, we tried to let the natural atmosphere of the night speak for itself.

Afterthoughts (and Aftermath)

After we said our goodbyes and packed our bags, I noticed the red velvet room now empty, quiet, undone. I couldn’t resist. I unpacked the Fuji, loaded a new roll, and took a few last frames. Those shots of the aftermath became some of my favorites.

I’ve been thinking lately about how those in-between, “b-roll” photographs hold so much meaning. They round out the gallery. They show what surrounded the couple: the textures, the mood, the moments that weren’t quite moments. The hotel itself felt like a character in this wedding, and I wanted it to have its place in the story.

Shooting in tight spaces forces creativity. Shooting with film forces presence. Together, they create a gallery that (we hope) does justice to this couple’s love and this city’s electricity. And maybe most importantly: it’s a gallery that feels like them.