Wedding | Abby & Skip

Tell us a little about yourselves. 

I am an eclectic, extroverted, city girl with an old country soul. Though my impulsive nature was the source of much of my trouble growing up, my enrolment in beauty school on a total whim remains the best decision I have ever made. My career as a hairdresser has been the perfect avenue for my artistic and ambitious spirit to embark upon entrepreneurship. It’s also what led me to my love— Skip.

He is the quintessential Scandinavian– natural athleticism, love for the outdoors (he worked as a canoe guide in the Boundary Waters), folk-artsy (he can knit!), quiet-reflective type. He grew up in a historic, small town in Southern Minnesota along with his 3 sisters. At 19 he joined the Army. 

We had many mutual connections prior to meeting (including my best friend, Molly), none of whom would have ever thought to set us up as we are opposites in nearly every way. 

I formed a friendship with Skip’s stepmom Amanda when she became my client about two years prior (and I hers, as she is an aesthetician). We spent her hair and my facial appointments laughing and “talking shop” – all I knew about her stepson was that he was in the military and that his name was Skip (because what young guy is named that?!). Somewhat last minute, she and I planned that I would spend a night one weekend at her cabin. 

She and his Dad lovingly joke that they looked on at us throughout the day and night saying “Bye Skip!”. Everyone at the little townie bar kept asking how long we had been together. A true gentleman, he didn’t even kiss me that night! We went out on a date a week later and were together from that moment on.   

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

It provided the options, flexibility, and accessibility (direct flight from Minneapolis) our crazy > 70 day timeline required. Paris is also iconically romantic and I knew it would serve as the perfect backdrop no matter the weather. The day we decided on Paris I found Le Grand Mazarin and basically built the entire thing around that hotel and neighborhood. 

How many guests did you have?

Just a few close friends. His best friend and boss, married us. 5 people total.

What was your budget?

We decided to forgo most of the traditional aspects of a wedding and spent more money on the experience of being in Paris, and of course – attire! 

Tell us about your outfits. 

Everyone thinks that I dress Skip but he actually has great taste and needs very little direction from me, ha! His suit was vintage Givenchy, late 70s, he got it on ebay for $68 USD including shipping. He got it fitted at the Haberdashery in Saint Paul – all they had to do was take out the sleeves and pant legs. It fit like a glove and the tailor was shocked at what he bought it for, as was I! He wore vintage Gucci loafers (also sourced online).

His ring was a random vintage Ebay find as well. My engagement ring we designed in New York

My dress was Maison Margiela. I bought it at the store in Soho a month before the wedding. My favorite designer is John Galliano so it was super special to me that I was able to get a dress from his final collection as creative director of the house. The shoes were Loewe and were incredibly comfortable (They withstood me running in the train station and our speedy museum exit!). I incorporated my Grandma’s pearl necklace the night before and the matching bracelet for day-of. I found a red, vintage Maison Martin Margiela bolero at James Veloria and just kind of rolled with the red theme from there. I did blue and red hearts and stars on my nails. I wanted to feel a little camp and poke fun of the fact that we’re Americans getting married in Paris who don’t speak French. I switched into a multi-colorired, mini Pucci dress at night which I will totally wear again. Throughout the day and night I also wore this 80s bridal jacket I got for $30 USD on Etsy. 

We designed my ring in New York — we walked into a random jeweler on 47th street with the intention of getting sized (I had never tried on any rings before). We walked out with a custom modern ring I absolutely love. My wedding band is a vintage Yves Saint Laurent ring from Ebay. 

What was the most important aspect of you in terms of planning your wedding?

I didn’t want to do anything that felt like the normal pomp and circumstance of a wedding. We both wanted to have a fun, beautiful day with friends. 

Other than memories, photos are all you have after the day so finding a photographer was major. I owe that all to Bree, my client since 2018, who is an amazing and experienced planner. She connected us with Martina Boggian, who traveled to us from Italy, who couldn’t have been a better fit. 

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate? 

We just wanted every detail to feel like us. We wrote our vows on 70s notebook paper and read them from the balcony. With all the old, beautiful architecture it felt very Romeo & Juliet, professing our love from the rooftop to the street below. 

I also didn’t want to have to be a host or worry about taking care of anyone. This wasn’t an event for every single important person in our lives to attend and that was OK with us. Keeping our guest list very small made our quick timeline and somewhat wild plan workable. 

Our photo destinations were also insane. We weren’t supposed to ride the Metro to Palais de Tokyo but it ended up being the best because it was just Martina Boggian with us for that (we had to take two transfers and literally run so we could make our apparently unmovable dinner reservation, ha!) and we got to have this real-life and also so not real-life moment throughout the entire experience. 

Any tips for couples getting married? 

Do what you want!

Photographer: Martina Boggian @martinaboggianph | Flora: Studio Maison Ciero @studiomaisonciero | Planning: Archifête @archifete | Ceremony & Reception Location: Le Grand Mazarin @legrandmazarin | HMUA: Larissa Wernek Beauty @larissabeautyparis | Hair Stylists: Stephanie Jenson & Abby Shofner @blondeluxe | Catering & Beverages: Boubalé @buobale.paris | Cake: Macaron Tower from Maison Ladurée @maisonladuree & Jojo and Co Pâtisserie @jojoandco_patisserie | Dress: Maison Margiela @maisonmargiela | Shoes: Loewe @loewe