WEDDING | Clément & Sébastien

Tell us a little about yourselves!

Sébastien is from Corsica, Clément from Switzerland, nothing predicted our meeting, but Paris brought us together. We met just before Covid in France and the lockdown was a revelation for us: 24 hours a day together, we couldn't keep our hands off each other. 5 years later, the same day, we decided to unite our love. Sébastien is a psychologist and Clément is a makeup artist, two totally different worlds, but we're both very curious by nature, so we love learning about each other's professional worlds on a daily basis.

At the end of the day, we're both creative people, we paint, we write, we document, we make things happen. We have joint projects and now the desire to work together is calling us, so this is the continuation of our book, after having already written a few chapters like the one of our marriage.

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

We decided to get married in Paris because that's where we met. As well as being our home and the city of love, the idea of bringing our families from Corsica and Switzerland together at our place seemed like an obvious choice. We're both very metropolitan people, so a city wedding really made sense for us! Paris offers a billion possibilities too. We were looking for venues with character that we could transform as we wanted to create truly unique experiences - and inviting our guests into our world was our priority. Le Consulat, our ceremony venue - a raw and metropolitan place, allowed us to create, with the help of Studio Dario, a real experience for us and our guests! What could be more beautiful?

How many guests did you have?

There were 70 of us.

What was your budget?

Our initial budget was obviously exceeded. When you start organising your wedding, you don't necessarily realise what you're getting into. But after the first few quotes, we quickly realised that we were going to have to increase our budget if we wanted to have everything we'd imagined. (Not to mention getting married in Paris, where everything is prohibitively expensive!) In the end, for three days of celebrating, we came to around €50,000.

Tell us about your outfits.

Oh, the outfits! Long story short: The first thing was to keep them a secret and not show each other anything! 

When it came to choosing an outfit for Friday, Saturday, Saturday evening and Sunday, Sébastien was in a panic. The day before the wedding, he went out to buy the last few things he needed.

For Clément the vision was clear, very few fittings but very specific wishes, and 6 months before the wedding it was all set. Not knowing each other's direction, we opted for relatively neutral colours and more atypical cuts with coloured or patterned details. It was impossible to go wrong with this guideline, we were bound to make it work.

You're beginning to understand that we find balance in our differences as a couple, and we think that's the magic recipe. So, in the end, constant support and help without knowing what the other was up to. The emotion of discovering each other's outfits throughout the weekend was incredible.

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

The most important thing for us when we started thinking about organising our wedding was that we wanted to work with the right people. Not just suppliers but real people - artists. We wanted each of them to be able to express themselves freely and to be their own person. To choose each person for their personality and talent, without setting any limits, and to open the doors to creative collaboration with them. We wanted them to express themselves and have fun, so that the overall result would also transport them for a weekend. (For example, we didn't taste our meal, but we trusted our chef, and today we have a real friendship with several of our vendors). 

So, in our opinion, it's essential to take the time to discuss and meet several different service providers. It took us almost 2 years to organise our wedding and we're so glad we had those two years. Some of our suppliers were approved one and a half years before the wedding, like the photo and video suppliers for example, because we had a very precise idea of what we wanted. It just goes to show that when you find the right people, you can't put a price on working with people who are rich in talent and heart.

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

It was really important to us that every guest felt included and that they felt that their presence was essential for us. We started by announcing our wedding and handing out our invitations to everyone, we wanted to feel an emotion every time and mark every moment. We then wrote personalised words just before our ceremony. We also placed decorations on the tables to match the person seated, a vase or trinket bought together for example. Each table was unique and different, reflecting us and our guests. The moments shared with our loved ones were so important to us that we also decided to watch our wedding video with each person to mark the moment once again and close this chapter of the wedding.

Any tips for couples getting married?

The only advice we can give is to listen to your heart, do things for yourself and don't want to please anyone but yourself. Take the time to meet, discuss and exchange ideas. The moments shared beforehand are just as precious as the day of the wedding.  

Also, have a clear vision, don't be afraid to go against the grain of a traditional wedding, go all the way with your ideas and give a part of yourself to your guests through the wedding celebration you create.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

We could sing the praises of each and every one of them, but we'll remember for the rest of our lives the incredible set design by Studio Dario for our ceremony, the culinary journey by our chef and now friend Laura Ait Si Amer, who knew how to work with seasonal produce and flavours unknown to most of our guests - the dedication of our florist Ali, the editorial images by our photographer Marie Malandain and the timeless memories in Super8 by Andy, our videographer Long Live Super 8. Not forgetting, of course, the timeless atmosphere created by our 1NSONGE DJs. We can only say a heartfelt thank you to all of you!

Photographer: Marie Malandain @mariemalandainphotography | Flora: AK  Fleuriste @ak.fleuriste | Videographer: Long Live Super 8 – Andy Green @harrera_images | Ceremony Location: Paris - Le Consulat @leconsulatparis | Reception Location: Paris - Le Solaris @lesolaris | Celebrant: Guillaume Moglia - Popslay @popslay | Ceremony Set Design: Studio Dario @njdario | Hire: Options 

@maison_options | Catering & Beverages: Laura Ait Si Amer @laura_aitsiamer | Cake: Crush Cake 

@crush__cake | Stationery: By the couple | Entertainment: 1NSONGE @1nsonge | Sebastien’s Suit: Jacquemus @jacquemus | Clément’s Suit: AMI @amiparis & Louis Gabriel Nouchi @louisgabrielnouchi| Other Outfit Details: Mans Concept @mansconnceptmennswear | Engagement Ring: Tiffany and Co. @tiffanyandco | Wedding Rings: LOYAL .E PARIS @loyaleparis | Shoes: Prada @prada, Kleman @kleman_france & Camper @camper