Kyle Hepp

July 19, 2011

Claudia and Manu are a special couple with a special story. Claudia is Chilean. She is friends with Sarah and Pipe, that’s how she found me. Yay, thank you Sarah!

Claudia y Manu son una pareja especial con una historia especial. Claudia es Chilena. Es amiga de Sarah y Pipe, así es como me encontro. Yay, gracias Sarah!

Back to the facts. Claudia is Chilean. Lived in Chile. Speaks Spanish. Manu, on the other hand, has lived in France almost his whole life. He was just a 10 month old baby when he moved there. But guess where he’s from…Chile! So he went back to Chile to learn about his heritage, learn the language…and find a wife

De vuelta a los hechos. Claudia es Chilena. Vivió en Chile. Habla español. Manu, por el otro lado, ha vivido en Francia casi toda su vida. Tenia solo 10 meses cuando se fue a Francia. Pero adivinen de donde es….Chile! Asi que fue de vuelta a Chile a aprender acerca de sus raíces, aprender el idioma…y encontrar esposa

It never ceases to amaze me that the world is SO BIG but somehow it’s not. Somehow, some way, the right people manage to find each other.

Nunca deja de asombrarme que el mundo es tan grande, pero de alguna manera no lo es. De alguna manera, de alguna forma, las personas adecuadas se las arreglan para encontrarse el uno al otro.

When I met up with Claudia and Manu two days before their city hall wedding in Paris, I was thrilled. Thrilled because they are just as adorable in person as they were in the Facebook photos I’d seen. Thrilled because they both spoke great Spanish and English so both Leo and I were able to communicate with them with no problems. Thrilled because they had good chemistry together.

Cuando me junte con Claudia y Manu dos dias antes de su matrimonio civil en Paris, estaba super emocionada. Emocionada por que son tan adorables en persona como lo son en las fotos de Facebook que había visto. Emocionada por que los dos hablan super bien ingles y español por lo que Leo y yo pudimos comunicarnos con ellos sin problemas. Emocionada por que tienen química entre ellos.

But most of all thrilled because Claudia said something that resonated so deeply with me that I honestly felt this incredibly strong sense of  ”This is absolutely so very right. I had to photograph this couple.”

Pero mas que nada emocionada por que Claudia dijo algo que resonó tan profundo en mi que de verdad tuve este inmenso sentido de “Esto es completamente correcto. Tengo que fotografiar a esta pareja”

She said, “I am beyond grateful for my life. For the people I’ve met, for the places I’ve been, for the things I’ve done. Sometimes I don’t believe that all this has happened to me and brought me here.”

Ella dijo, “Estoy mas que agradecida por mi vida. Por la gente que he conocido, por los lugares en que he estado, las cosas que he hecho A veces no creo que esto me ha pasado a mi y me ha traído hasta acá.

I feel that way all the time. And I love people who appreciate their life, people who don’t take the good for granted. I know it’s corny. But it’s true. Every day really is a gift. Claudia and Manu recognize that.

Me siento de esa forma todo el tiempo. Y me encanta la gente que aprecia su vida, gente que no toma lo bueno por seguro. Se que es cursi. Pero es verdad. Cada día realmente es un regalo. Claudia y Manu reconocen eso.

And Saturday was a gift. It was a beautiful day and both Leo and I were honored to be a part of it.

Y el sábado fue un regalo. Fue un día hermoso y Leo y yo tuvimos el honor de ser parte de ello.

Humongous thanks to Leo Druker, a wedding photograph in Washington D.C., who flew all the way out to Paris to come shoot this wedding with me! He took some really incredible pictures! BUT, I know he’s going to do his own blog post, so in this post the three shots of Manu getting ready belong to him, and that’s all. I’ll let him show you his own amazing ceremony shots

Claudia sees Manu for the first time. Awww.

FAVORITE. I love how this shot turned out.

Eiffle Tower! I like it’s contribution to this photo

The reception was in a very intimate small space so I tried to play around with the light a bit.

Claudia in her mask of Zorro! And penguins!

The writing’s on the wall face.

Adorable. Adore them. J’adore! J’ADORE!!!! Click on the photo below to view their slideshow. The slideshow DOES contain many of Leo’s images, so enjoy!