I can’t believe I get to share this Paris engagement session! Mostly because I can’t believe I actually got to shoot an engagement session IN PARIS. Even better, it was an engagement session that spanned two days, meaning we had plenty of time to explore the city and just take photos along the way. Best of all, I brought Sam along with me, so it truly felt like vacation rather than work.

Thomas is one of my best friends from college. I’ve known him since my freshmen year of college, and have been lucky enough to watch his relationship with Jocelyne unfold throughout the years. They were actually the very first couple I ever photographed way back in 2012. I remembering practicing posing and lighting on them and thinking that I was probably cheating a bit, because they are both just SO attractive, haha!

Thomas called me the day after they started dating and basically immediately began telling me about their wedding plans. So I’m thrilled that they are /finally/ getting married in April 2017!! Though, I have to admit… I am actually selfishly glad they waited a few years because now I can be their wedding photographer, haha. I am pretty much counting down the days till their wedding. I am so honored they are trusting me to document the beginning of their lives together.

Being able to photograph their engagement session in Paris was definitely a pinch me moment. I haven’t been to Europe since I was two, so it literally felt like a first for me. In June when Jocelyne and I were chatting about the wedding and she asked if I might want to come to Paris to photograph their engagement photos. I pretty much started jumping up and down immediately and packing my bags!

It was a bit of a whirlwind trip because Sam and I flew to Cape Cod right after. Since Sam couldn’t take too many vacation days, we had to tag it on to our week in Cape Cod, meaning every extra day we spent in Paris was a day away from Cape Cod. We compromised on three days, flying in Friday morning and leaving Monday morning.

Paris was incredible, but the best part was exploring it with Thomas and Jocelyne. Jocelyne had been working there for several months, but she had been so busy she hadn’t explored much. Thomas had just flown out to join her the day before Sam and I got there, so it was all new to him too. It may have been a “Paris engagement session”, but it really just felt like a vacation in Paris with friends. We had an incredible time incorporating the stunning Parisian architecture without being too obviously touristy. We avoided the Eiffel Tower and started our exploration at the Petit Palais, Jocelyne’s favorite palace in Paris. We then spent some time in their adorable apartment (photos from that part of the session to come), grabbed some pizza along the Seine, wandered around the Tuilleries Gardens,  and wrapped up the day at the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, which you might recognize from Inception. And this was only the first day!

Contact me or email me at alice@aliceche.com to book your Paris engagement session now and keep an eye out for Parts Two and Three from this engagement session.

Alice Che is a San Francisco Wedding Photographer based in the Bay Area specializing in intimate, emotional wedding, engagement, couple and boudoir photography. Serving the South Bay, Peninsula, and East Bay: San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Carlos, Burlingame, Los Altos, Milpitas, Union City, Fremont, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz and surrounding areas. She is available for destination weddings and engagement sessions! Contact her for more detailed pricing.