Town Hall of Angoustrine, French Catalonia Elopement Photo Story Award

Town Hall Angoustrine, French Catalonia bride groom - Catalan Turkmen traditions at small civil wedding

The couple stood close together, showing off a combination of their family traditions, at the intimate Town Hall ceremony; the bride beamed a big smile as the groom proudly showed off his new wife

This bride and groom show off a combination of Catalan and Turkmen traditions during their small, fall civil wedding nestled in Catalonia, right between France and Spain. While the bride is from Turkmenistan and wore a traditional outfit and the treasured shawl of her grandmother for the occasion, the groom took this opportunity to show his bride his hometown; before their big wedding day, the bride and groom decided to have a small civil celebration in a small mountain village in The French Pyrenees close to the Spanish border. They enjoyed the ceremony in the Angoustrine town hall, officiated by the French mayor with a few of the groom’s closest family members in attendance. The groom did his best to serve as translator, which inspired numerous laughs.

For the reception, everyone moved to the Torre del Remei, a modernist palace, located in Spain in the mountainous landscape of Cerdanya, 150km away from Barcelona. It was a rainy and foggy day with no views, but it was the last thing in their minds as they were dancing in the rain. You can see the joy clearly present on the bride and groom’s faces in this image as they exchange rings.

Angoustrine, French Catalonia, France bride focused applying her makeup

French Catalonia Wedding Elopement Photography | The bride is focused on applying her makeup

The bride is focused on applying her makeup in a handheld mirror in the groom’s family home.

French bride wears a traditional Turkmenistan bridal dress

Catalonia Wedding Elopement Getting Ready Photo | the grandmother’s treasured family bridal shawl upon the bride’s shoulders

The bride’s brother and cousin help situate their grandmother’s treasured family bridal shawl upon the bride’s shoulders while her cousin helps readjust the bride’s hair. To compliment the shawl, the bride wears a traditional bridal dress from Turkmenistan.

the groom translates the ceremony for the bride - performed by the French mayor

French Wedding Elopement Ceremony Image | the bride does not speak French, the groom attempts to translate

Since the bride does not speak French, the groom attempts to translate the ceremony, which is performed by the French mayor. All of the guests, the bride, and even the groom himself laugh about the experience.

Townhall wedding elopement in Angoustrine, French Catalonia - bride gets emotional

Townhall of Angoustrine - French Wedding Elopement Picture | The bride gets emotional, holding a tissue in her hand

The bride gets emotional, holding a tissue in her hand as she hugs the groom’s grandmother, who herself had been very emotional during the ceremony.

French Catalonia, France wedding elopement ceremony image of tear wipe

Angoustrine Town Hall - French Wedding Photo | The bride’s sister-in-law, holding her young daughter in one arm

The bride’s sister-in-law, holding her young daughter in one arm, uses her free hand to dab away some tears from the bride’s face when she became emotional at the end of the ceremony.

France elopement couple at the town hall after the ceremony

French Elopement Photographer | The bride and groom walk hand-in-hand down the stairs outside town hall after the ceremony

The bride and groom walk hand-in-hand down the stairs outside town hall after the ceremony while rose petals, picked from the bride’s grandmother’s garden, shower down around them.

Torre Del Remei, Puigcerda, Spanish Catalonia, Spain wedding elopement guests at reception

French Wedding Photographer at Torre Del Remei, Puigcerda, Spanish Catalonia, Spain |  The groom’s aunts and grandmothers share some champagne and appetizers

The groom’s aunts and grandmothers share some champagne and appetizers at the Torre del Remei, a modernist palace from 1910, in a sunny venue before the ceremony.

Torre Del Remei, Puigcerda, Spanish Catalonia, Spain bride and groom dance outside in the rain

France Wedding Couple Portrait - The bride and groom are unphased by the weather as they dance outside

The bride and groom are unphased by the weather as they dance outside in the rain in front of the Torre del Remei. After celebrating their union, they wait to welcome their guests to their afternoon reception at the Torre del Remei.