Mark and Sia's Wedding in Brest, France

The story of our wedding

I’m a big fan of simple weddings. They’re (generally) less expensive and just as meaningful and memorable as weddings that pull out all the stops. And they’re less stressful. When there are less details to worry about, there is less anxiety. Also, simple weddings don’t usually take as long to plan – which is perfect for couples who don’t want a long engagement.

We both agreed that we wanted something super small, for budget reasons but mainly because we're both very shy. We got married on a perfect day at the end of August. We spend a lot of time in the park bike riding and having picnics, and it felt like a nice spot that would mean something to us.

The story of this day:

After the ceremony, the bride and groom and their guests feasted on an Italian lunch at Jules Verne restaurant.

Later that afternoon the newlyweds returned to the house yard, where they capped off their wedding day with a picnic. My friend, Galina Repeko, was the photographer. Because we were having such a low-key wedding, we were not going to get a photographer at all. We left a lot of the traditions out, making the wedding even more special to us as a couple. It was just a really magical day and it definitely exceeded our expectations, we had a ball.