A Belle-Epoque Wedding Garden Party At Chateau St. Joseph in L' Occitanie
AS SEEN ON TV
A colossal production involving 26 people dressed in original period costumes, and the wonderful family owing the St. Joseph castle in L’ Occitanie. The photo-shoot resulted in a series of images inspired by impressionist painture depicting life during the 19th century Belle Epoque. The creative process was filmed by one of France’s largest TV stations and will soon air as a 3 week-long special TV show.
Featured on weddingchicks.com
& as seen on TV
Let's turn the clock back by two centuries, to the era of impressionism, Art Nouveau, the Eiffel Tower, the rise of Haute Couture and fêtes en plein air. Welcome to the Beautiful Era: “La Belle Époque”!
The visual narrative was inspired by impressionism. I wanted to create a sensationalised visual narrative capable of holding the attention of a viewer with images that resemble paintings by Monet, Seurat, Degas and Renoir. The guests are seemingly caught off guard in various relaxed poses, a part of a larger reality captured as if by chance. Photographer Andreas K. Georgiou, worked hand-in-hand with designer and stylist Aurélie Olarte y Roman and Delphine Roubieu, owner of the chateau, to bring to life this painterly vision. We intentionally placed the fête under the canopy of the chateau's park, at just the perfect time so that the sun would travel through the foliage casting dappled light on the guests. This gave the images a distinct pointillistic quality akin to the quick brushstrokes of an impressionist painting. Photographing on medium format film further allowed for this painterly effect.
The bride’s wedding dress was a perfectly preserved original 1879 silk gown (coincidentally the very year the chateau was built) with a tightly corseted bodice, as was customary at that time. The groom's suit was tailor-made for our shoot by Maison Geraci, and consisted of a double breasted six-button seersucker jacket - perfect for a warm summer afternoon in South France!
The fashion in the shoot is very accurate, from dresses to the tiniest of accessory: jaw dropping dramatic gowns of every imaginable fabric & trim, embellished with original accessories from the Arts and Crafts movement: lace-up boots, wide-brimmed hats bedecked in feathers, brooches, lavalieres, elaborate choker-style necklaces, parasols, and even original chatelaines - an ingenious device that suspended from a lady's waist and had dangling chains holding any accessories a lady might need closest at hand.
You can imagine women traveling to St. Joseph with tens of trunks for a weekend, as they had to change their clothes innumerable times a day! Designers from the top fashion houses in Paris were defining a mood of grace, beauty and femininity, and the entire 19th century witnessed an ongoing metamorphosis of fashion that enveloped the female figure in ever-changing silhouettes.
Chateau St. Joseph was the heart and soul of the shoot - a historic residence built at the very peak of the Belle Époque in 1879. Originally created as a vacation country house away from bustling Paris, this has been the setting for festivities for almost two centuries now! The bucolic chateau, with its lush gardens and private forest has been the discreet witness of a thousand whispered secrets, delicious loves, and sumptuous parties for the aristocracy looking to escape the burgeoning cities.
ORGANIZATION & DESIGNER | J' AI 2 AMOURS EVENTS • VENUE | CHATEAU SAINT JOSEPH • PHOTOGRAPHER | ANDREAS K. GEORGIOU • FILM LAB | CARMENCITA FILM LAB • FLORAL DESIGNER & DECORATION | LAETITIA CLEMENT FLORAL DESIGNER • FILMAKER | LAURENT ROSTAING • MACAROONS | MAISON LADUREE • SHORTBREAD CAKES | SADIE MAY CAKES • TABLEWARE, FURNITURES | COCOTTE ET COQUETTE • HAIR & MAKE UP | KARINE BROSSARD MAKEUP HAIR • DRESSES | GISELE ET SIMONE & MARYNEA ATELIER • OUTFITS | MAISON GERACI • WOODEN BENCHES | WOOD STOCK RECEPTION •
VIDEO SEGMENT COURTESY OF @LAURENTROSTAING (QUALITY REDUCED FOR MOBILE) | VISIT THEIR WORK AT https://laurentrostaing.com/
Beauty, hope, optimism, prosperity and charm have a meaningful place in our lives, forming the very foundation of living life to the fullest. Or, as the French call it: “L’ Art de Vivre”!
VIDEO SEGMENT COURTESY OF @LAURENTROSTAING (QUALITY REDUCED FOR MOBILE) | VISIT THEIR WORK AT HTTPS://LAURENTROSTAING.COM/
gallery
Andreas
travel the globe photographing life’s important events, weddings, and editorial shoots.
PHOTOGRAPHER, WRITER, GENTLEMAN
welcome, I 'm
I
The AKG studio was created out of my fascination for blending modern techniques with the art d'excellence from a bygone era, creating a photography of timeless aesthetic and heritage.
My photography is intimate and infused with a sense of purpose, stemming from a deep desire to advocate for diversity, empathy and empowerment.
