Elong + Marc by Oriane Baldassarre

We wanted our marriage to be a beautiful alliance between French refinement and African elegance: Afro-bourgeoisie.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We are Elong & Marc, a mixed couple filled with contrasts and beautiful complementarities. We are both French, with Beninese and Cameroonian origins for Elong.

We met in Paris about ten years ago.

Elong: I am the creative spirit of the couple. I am an interior decorator. I am passionate about architecture, design, fashion, creation, shapes and colours. I also like beauty in simple things: sunbathing, eating well, travelling… enjoying life by sharing beautiful moments with the people who matter to me.

Marc: I represent the more Cartesian side of our duo. Engineer by training, I now work in the Supply Chain for a large French luxury house. I love mathematics, crafts, know-how, and I am deeply epicurean. The kitchen is for me a playground where I love to experiment and please.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Mark: We met in a student bar in Paris in 2013. I remember being immediately intimidated by her smile, her look, and the energy she gave off. She intrigued me deeply. I wanted to learn more about her, so I quickly suggested that we meet again.

Elong: Arriving in Paris, I wanted to meet people and discover the city. Marc offered to let me visit her by his side, and I let myself be tempted. I was seduced by his green eyes, his deep voice… and his motivation!

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

We visited many places before making our choice. When we discovered the Château de Cesarges, which is the last place we visited, we were seduced. It is a castle that looks like a mansion, with a very chic country spirit, an old bourgeois family home style, which has much more for us.

We wanted our marriage to be a beautiful alliance between French refinement and African elegance: Afro-bourgeoisie. This choice of place allowed us to develop an imaginary around this theme.

We thought of all the artistic direction and were accompanied by a wedding planner, for the implementation upstream and coordination on the D-day. We particularly enjoyed creating the backdrops of the ceremony ourselves. We went to source African fabrics (wax) in the shops of the African district of Paris. A moment of fun and creativity for two. It was a centrepiece of our wedding, which we were able to reuse at different times (as a support for the table plan, or as a decor for the photo booth)

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

We particularly enjoyed meeting our service providers and inviting them to enter our universe. Transmit our imagination to them, see their enthusiasm and feel their creativity get moving. The tastings were also a highlight: a delicious parenthesis where we take the time to choose, savour, and soak up all the magic that surrounds the wedding.

Our advice: always follow your intuition. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the number of elements to think about, organise, coordinate… so keep a cool head and stay true to what really looks like you. If you have the opportunity, be accompanied by a wedding planner: it changes everything.

We got married on a Wednesday. If it was a disappointment at first because we would have preferred a Saturday, this choice turned out to be a great opportunity. We were able to work with the providers we really wanted. The festivities were also able to extend over several days, from Monday to Friday, which allowed us to organise events around the wedding and therefore to enjoy our guests over time.

Above all, don’t forget to have fun at every stage of the organisation! For our part, we photographed the key moments of the preparation as well as our work sessions, to keep memories of this adventure for two – not just D-day.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

We would like to especially thank our wedding planner for his support, patience and guidance for us every step of the way. She was able to present us with trusted partners, perfectly aligned with our vision, and ensure coordination on D-day.

We were lucky to be surrounded by a team of talented, passionate and invested providers. Whether it’s the photographer, the florist, the DJ or the pastry chef, each contribution has sublimated our day. We would like to especially thank our wedding planner for his support, patience and guidance for us every step of the way. She was able to present us with trusted partners, perfectly aligned with our vision, and ensure coordination on D-day.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

Elong — My outfits

I had the chance to wear three bustier dresses, each designed to accompany a key moment of the day: the town hall, the spiritual ceremony and the dinner. I loved this rhythm, like three chapters of the same story, where each outfit revealed a facet of my personality

Dress 1 — Town Hall
For the town hall, I chose a white dress with a cutout, minimalist, and fitted. She represented for me femininity, confidence, and self-affirmation.

Dress 2 — Spiritual ceremony
For our ceremony, I opted for a green wild silk set, consisting of a bustier, a loincloth, a scarf and a veil. This outfit is inspired by traditional Yoruba clothing, a deeply symbolic tribute to my mother’s culture. I wanted a vibrant, lively, almost sunny colour to accompany me in this solemn moment.

Dress 3 — Cocktail, dinner and evening
For the cocktail, dinner and evening, I had the chance to wear a couture dress, entirely made to measure and imagined in collaboration with my stylist friend Marie-Ophélie Nouvel. It is the result of a long and emotional creative process! When I presented my ideas and inspirations to Marie-Ophélie, she immediately loved our Afro-bourgeois theme and was able to transcribe my desires and wishes for this last dress.
Unlike the first two, I wanted to have a dress, which refers more to a wedding dress, but while being glamorous and somewhat theatrical with volume. I wanted it to reflect my taste for fashion and my playful personality! It is a dress that required many hours of work, and I thank Marie-Ophelie again for her patience. Wearing it, I felt so beautiful and sublime!

Marc — My outfits

Like Elong, I also wore three outfits to accompany him through these different moments and to create a real aesthetic dialogue between the two of us.

Outfit 1 — Town Hall
For these first highlights, I trusted my stylist friends from Saudade de Paris, Wilson and Jonathan, who make ample and minimal costumes by betting everything on material sourcing that defines the look of their outfits.
We left in an eggplant purple suit, with a cut inspired by the kimono. I wanted a chic colour and an unconventional silhouette – something that moves away from the codes that have been seen too much, in order to affirm my personality.
Outfit 2 — Spiritual Ceremony
To create a symbolic link with Elong, I exchanged my jacket for a wild silk shirt, also created by Saudade de Paris. I left on a light, bright and delicate pink, which went perfectly with the rest of my outfit and with the universe of the ceremony.
Outfit 3 — Cocktail, dinner and evening
For the evening, I wanted to show another facet of myself, more classic in mind but always personal in execution. So I chose a black tuxedo, a must – but reinterpreted. With my suit, we imagined a crossed, modern and refined tuxedo, with a single support button, a subtle echo of the kimono cut of my previous outfits. A way to be elegant while staying true to my own style.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Engagement Marc: I chose for Elong an engagement ring with an oval solitaire mounted on a cathedral set. For me, this design represented something pure, beautiful and resolutely minimalist. A way of telling Elong that, in my eyes, she is unique.

Elong’s wedding ring is a gold ring, three-quarters set with diamonds: a delicate and minimalist wedding ring, designed to harmonise perfectly with his engagement ring without stealing the spotlight. An elegant and very bright piece, which reflects its softness and refined style. For my part, it is a smooth, simple and wide ring, in rose gold. An unusual choice for a man, because rose gold is not necessarily the most traditional option. But I really like the shade, refined, almost delicate – a colour that speaks to me, and looks like me.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

We have attached particular importance to the sourcing of materials and the design of our outfits. It was essential for us: a way of telling who we are, our history and our personalities through our clothes and all the decorative elements involving fabrics (backdrop, welcome sign, etc.). Every textile, every cut, every detail, every colour had a meaning. Investing more in this aspect seemed natural to us; we wanted to make it an intimate expression of our identity.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
Honestly, the whole wedding was magical; it was really a celebration! An unforgettable moment, filled with love, joy and dance!

But if there is a moment that will remain forever engraved in our hearts, it is our spiritual ceremony. She was incredibly emotional: authentic, deep, almost out of time. We felt a very strong collective energy, carried by our loved ones and by all the love that circulated. It was a suspended moment, which we will remember all our lives.

Another moment, which was also memorable, was the surprise show of Elong’s 3 sisters, accompanied at the end by all our guests, who also knew the choreography! It was really something! Elong: “I had the impression of seeing The Supremes, in real life, in front of me! Impossible to stay seated, so we joined them to dance with her and our guests! And in the end, everyone hugged each other; it was so beautiful!”

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

For us, being married has above all a spiritual and intimate dimension. It’s something deeply personal.

This marriage represents a new chapter for us, a sincere and deep commitment to each other. It is a pact of mutual respect, listening and support, but also the desire to continue to write the lines of our history together.

During our ceremony, we integrated French customs but also rituals inspired by African culture. These traditions brought a very strong symbolic dimension to our union and allowed us to celebrate our love while honouring our roots and cultural heritage.