You'll Love This Ultra-Chic Destination Wedding in Paris

Krystal Tate knew of Kevin Hulten before they started dating, but she was better acquainted with his brother, Kyle, who she knew from work. “I remember seeing Kevin’s Facebook profile on Kyle’s computer once, and being completely taken with his looks,” Krystal admits, and she was delighted when Kevin popped by an office party and the pair finally met in person. Her opening line? “I suavely said, ‘I know who you are — I’ve seen your Facebook!’ Fortunately he didn’t automatically assume I was a stalker.” They became friends on Facebook, she says, and the rest was history.

After Kevin popped the question on a trip to Lake Tahoe, the pair began to plan an epic but intimate September 16, 2015, affair in Paris. The couple has an affinity for the City of Lights and the movie Midnight in Paris, so they dreamed up a wedding that would take their 20 guests back to the roaring ’20s. “Paris is the perfect city for such time travel — it wears every era so flawlessly,” the bride says. The ceremony was held at 6 Mandel, the same boutique hotel where Christian Dior once lived. Later, guests had a chance to enjoy the city by yacht during the couple’s dinner cruise reception. “There were quite a few people in our group who had never been to Paris before,” says Krystal, “and the Seine is truly the heart of the city since many of the landmarks are right off its banks.”

With these flawless images from Dan Petrovice, you’ll feel like you visited Paris with this happy couple, too. Just read on.

Krystal chose a fit-and-flare lace wedding dress by Eve of Milady, complete with a sheer bodice. “I must have tried on 75 dresses,” the bride says of finding the one. “I knew exactly what I wanted, but I couldn’t find a single dress that incorporated all those ideas and was still in my budget.”

With that stunning gown, the bride wore crystal-embellished Badgley Mischka pumps, chandelier earrings, and an Art Deco-inspired hair pin, and carried a bouquet of pink and cream blooms created by the mother of the groom.

Of her dress shopping experience, Krystal has this advice for soon-to-be brides: “Don’t be afraid to tell your seamstress what you need to make your dress fit perfectly,” she says, admitting she wishes she had asked for a tighter-fitting alteration. “When I needed to use the bathroom, it was so easy to just hike it up over my hips to go. That might sound like a good thing, but I wanted a ton of va-va-voom in the shape, and I think I gave up some of that by listening to the seamstress instead of my instincts.”

Kevin looked dapper in a classic black-and-white tuxedo and bow tie. But instead of a traditional boutonniere, Kevin and his two groomsmen wore vintage French lapel pins. “Kevin’s was sort of spear-shaped, so it was barely allowed back on the plane because it did look somewhat dangerous,” Krystal says, “but we managed to talk our way into getting it home.”

Krystal’s sister and sister-in-law served as her bridesmaids. “I wanted both of them to feel fabulous and to choose something sequined and metallic that they loved,” says Krystal, so the women ended up in mismatched rose gold gowns with sequins. “They were different enough to show their personalities and similar enough that they totally complemented the overall scheme,” says the bride. The couple’s flower girl also wore a rose-gold dress, and carried the rings down the aisle.

Krystal and Kevin were supposed to tie the knot outside, but rain derailed their plans. “This turned out to be for the best because we were having all sorts of problems trying to figure out how to decorate the garden, how to make all the chairs fit, and how to get my fluffy dress through the shrubbery,” the bride says. “The rain made it simple, and we got to stand in front of a giant fireplace, which was amazing for me because I’m always chilly.” After the couple exchanged vows they wrote themselves, they recessed to John Legend‘s “All of Me.”

Before guests boarded the yacht, the couple whisked them off on buses (where they could drink champagne) and took them to see the Eiffel Tower and the Thinker at the Rodin Museum. On the yacht, guests were asked to sit at a single oval table, “so that everyone could sit together and be one family,” explains Krystal. That table was decorated with floral arrangements the bride and groom made themselves the day before, and topped with a sequin champagne made by the mother of the groom.

“Even though I’m an attorney now, my true passion is for poetry,” says Krystal, “so for each guest, I found the perfect love poem to place inside a tiny vintage frame with their name and the date of our wedding.” The bride chose poems by Rumi, e.e. cummings, Neruda, Walt Whitman, and more. “I think it worked out beautifully and was meaningful to the guests,” she says.

The couple skipped a traditional cake and opted for a French croquembouche as a sweet treat, after a dinner that included other French specialties, such as foie gras and beef confit.

Following the wedding, the newlyweds enjoyed a honeymoon in Italy, Greece, Czechoslovakia, and the United Kingdom.

Ceremony Venue: 6 Mandel || Reception Venue: Yachts de Paris || Bride’s Wedding Dress: Eve of Milady || Shoes: Badgley Mischka || Hair & Makeup: Allison Depriestre || Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alice and Olivia; Badgley Mischka || Groom’s & Groomsmen’s Attire: The Black Tux || Wedding Bands: T. Anthony Jewelers || Invitations: Minted || Music: Tess and Alex || Catering & Cake: Lenotre || Transportation: Rent a Bus France || Photographer: Dan Petrovice

Can’t get enough of this beautiful wedding? Then check out another couple’s Parisian wedding in the video below.