Celebrating an important event in life, such as an engagement is so important. What’s even better is celebrating an engagement in a beautiful place like Nice, France. Situated in the south of France, the cornerstone of the French Riviera, and France’s fifth largest city, Nice is a real treat for all who visit. That’s why I was so thrilled to be contacted by this dynamic couple for a Nice, France engagement photoshoot. I absolutely love photographing couples in Nice, and I knew the morning would be beautiful.
Meeting the Couple in the Morning
Photo sessions in the morning are really key for several reasons, and being a night person myself, I prefer afternoons and evenings, but realized shortly after beginning my photography career photographing couples, that morning is really ideal. First off, you have that soft and gentle light in the morning, and also, it’s not too hot yet, if you’re visiting Nice in summer. The sun in Nice is quite strong, and it can get quite humid. Aidan contacted me about a Nice engagement photoshoot as he and his love Juliana were visiting Nice as part of their August vacation. We met in the old town of Nice at 8:00 am, and as I usually do, asked the couple if they had any particular requests or ideas they wanted to implement, and they indicated that they’d never been to Nice, so would like to see a bit of the heart of Nice. In the morning there were definitely people out and about, including people swimming in the sea, but we even had a bit of cloud cover, so it was not too hot and not too crowded. Perfect conditions for this engagement photo session!
Let’s Start at the Sea
Given that visitors to Nice like to get out really early to swim and lay on the beach, we decided to start there too. The shimmering blue of the Mediterranean Sea is so beautiful, on this day the blue wasn’t as blue as usual due to the slight cloud cover, but it’s still a beautiful place to spend time and a must-do while in Nice.
Many visitors are shocked not to see a sand beach in Nice. Indeed, most of the towns on the French Riviera are pebble beaches or in the case of Nice, large stones. You can find some sand beaches, in Cannes, for example and the beach of Ramatuelle near St. Tropez. I actually like the large stone beach in Nice because it feels cleaner with no sand sticking in your toes.
I learned that Aidan and Juliana had met in high school and had known each other, and had become friends. But at some point, friendship blossomed into love, and just the week before, Aidan had presented Juliana with a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. She said “yes” and they headed on a plane from Toronto to Nice, excited to celebrate their engagement on the French Riviera.
Aidan is handsome, and Juliana is adorable, with bright, kind and friendly eyes, and of course, a gorgeous head of hair. As someone who once considered becoming a hairdresser, I love hair and hair styles, and of course had to complement Juliana on her gorgeous tresses, which at the beach, she left free flowing, along with her cute white dress. They make a gorgeous pair, and it was clear from the outset that their love story is sweet and very special. Their affection was a delight to photograph!
I photographed them along the sea, and while it’s not easy to walk on these stones, they did a great job!
Next Stop, Old Town Nice
After we concluded our time at the beach, we headed into the nearby Old Town, also known as Vieux Nice, in French. This is an old part of Nice that is completely colorful and completely charming. Its one of my favorite places for several reasons.
First, you have the colorful buildings, which are so charming. The neighborhood has narrow little streets, too, which are fun to navigate, and there are tons of restaurants and shops. In this area, you’ll find burgers, pizza, steaks, as well as Indian, Thai and Italian cuisines. Nice, being an international city, caters to a wide variety of tastes.
I walked around the labyrinth of streets with Aidan and Juliana, taking them to some of my favorite spots. Colorful apartment buildings in all shades of pastel surrounded us, along with steps taking us up, down and around this historic neighborhood. There are so many cute places to stop and just take in the atmosphere, and in the morning on a weekend, the area is usually pretty quiet, and gets busier as the day goes on. During the week, it’s a bit busier earlier as people go to work, run errands, and get freshly baked bread at the local bakery.
Aidan and Juliana danced, walked, laughed, held hands, embraced, kissed, and were an absolute joy. Kind, friendly and fun, at times I wondered if I was in a movie myself. Juliana had added a cute white ribbon to tie her hair back as it had gotten warmer, and it added so much to the beautiful scene we were creating, a perfect finishing touch.
At one point, when I was waiting for some local residents to pass through our scene, I spotted a motorcycle and saw that Aidan and Juliana were perfectly reflected in the mirror.
Closing out the Morning at a French Cafe
When many people think of France, they think of the cute-as-can-be French café. In my mind, Paris has more cute cafés per capita than any other city on earth, however, Nice has some nice cafés too. We stopped at Hobo, which also serves delicious breakfasts, traditional breakfasts North Americans are used to. Aidan and Juliana orders two espressos and then sat back and enjoyed the conclusion to their romantic Nice, France photoshoot.
Karina Leigh Photography
Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes me happier than to meet and photograph fun, open, kind, romantic couples in love who visit Nice, France, and to walk around the most charming and beautiful parts of this iconic city. If you’re planning to visit Nice, even if it isn’t a special occasion per-se, consider capturing your memories here to cherish forever. I look forward to meeting you!
