This was my first time in the South of France. I’d been to Paris, but always dreamed of visiting the small towns and beautiful landscape of Provence. When I began my research for the trip, I stumbled across the unique history of the Camargue Horses. They are all white, and roam the salt marshes and flat territories along the coast. Not far from the beautiful cities of Saint Remy and Les Baux, where I’d be staying and photographing on my trip. The horses are a celebrated fixture of Provence history, and equally mysterious, as it is not known exactly how they came to be there.
I wanted to avoid the classic Provence stereotypes for this shoot, so I did not focus on the lavender fields or Grand Chateau’s in the countryside. Instead my inspiration would be the beautiful white Camargue horses, and old stone walls and alley-ways of the ancient towns. The soft greys and creams of the old stone, and the wild flowing mane of the Camargue horse perfectly complimented the pale pink, flowy J.Mendel dress. The stunning white stone staircase inside the Hotel De Tourrel in Saint Remy made for a beautiful location, as well as the ancient alleyways outside. Then for sunset, we trekked to the top of the Ancient Ruins of Les Baux in the hills.
For the table inspiration, I chose pale pink hues and stone to mimic the rest of the shoot. Romantic, and a bit wild. Yonder design made beautiful custom equestrian invites and I purchased the most beautiful petrified wood chargers from Terrain.
Photography and Styling: Larissa Cleveland | Hair and Makeup: Ylva Langenskiold | Locations: Hotel de Tourrel and Les Baux Ruins | Dress: J. Mendel | Bridal Boutique: Jin Wang | Invitations and Paper Goods: Yonder Design | Florals: Purchased from Aux Bouquets de Jules in Saint Remy, arranged by Larissa Cleveland | Petrified Wood Chargers: Terrain | Place Settings: Crate and Barrel and Terrain | Ribbon and Cloth: Silk and Willow | Horse Figurines and Ring: Vintage | Models: Francesca and Laurent | Film Lab: Richard Photo Lab
