Alissa, born and raised in the Bay Area had always loved Paris.  She took French classes in Bordeaux and accepted a job as an English teacher in Lyon (France) then returned to the US to get her Law degree.  Paris was calling her back, and she knew she had to return.  Years later in Paris she would meet the person she was destined to be with…Emmanuel, who coincidentally was born on July 4th!

It all began on July 7, 2012 (the middle mark between Alissa and Manu’s birthday) at a friend’s wedding in France (clichés are sometimes true!). During the cocktail hour, he saw her, she saw him, they saw each other…both wondering how they could find a way to speak to the other. It just so happened they were placed next to each other at the dinner table (coincidence?) and spent the night getting know each other, playing with confetti, laughing about everything and nothing.  As the clock struck 12 midnight, each went back to their normal lives without exchanging an email or number…Nevertheless, two months later, Alissa and Manu’s paths crossed again at a Hillsong church worship night. Manu arrived late (shocking!), thankfully a place was reserved for him…three seats down from where Alissa happened to be sitting. A couple days later, Manu finally decided to contact Alissa.  Alissa wanted to learn the guitar, Manu humbly offered his services as her first (and final) guitar teacher, just to spend a little more time together…After a couple friendly “dates”, the relation evolved and on New Year’s Eve, they declared their feelings for one another.

This couple is just amazing!  They are bursting at the seams with creativity, musical talents, and personalities that are magnetic.  When I met Alissa and Emmanuel during one of their trips back to California, I knew Alissa and I were destined to be friends.  We literally had a laugh attack that left us both in tears and breathless.  Laughter is the way to my heart and she sailed right in!  During their wedding ceremony I learned so many more wonderful qualities about this couple that had me wishing I lived in Paris.  Their wedding was filled to the brim with unexpected twists and turns including hired dancers, surprise serenades, flash mobs, of course a surprise performance by all the guests dancing in full costume to “What Does the Fox Say?”  UMMM.  I need to be friends with these people.  Right NOW!  Halfway through the reception I started to wonder if I should have bought a ticket to this wedding…it was that good!  Here is a little preview of the creativity, the fun, and the beautiful love that brought together France and the United States.

Holy Cow, did this shock me!  I did not see this coming when they all dropped their pants as a shout out to the US!  Hilarious!!

After Emmanuel’s vows, he surprised Alissa with a song he wrote…not unlike how he surprised her on their favorite bridge in Paris with a serenade right before he proposed.  So Romantic!!

Right in the middle of their first dance, the record changed and all the groomsmen burst out in a choreographed dance for the bride!

But wait, there’s more!  Alissa and her girls fired back with a little booty shaking as well!

And, back to conclude the first dance 🙂

Little did Alissa’s mom know…The Harlem Shake would soon break into their first dance complete with horse heads and acrobats!

This is where it got even more awesome than I ever could have imagined!  Totally unexpected and a complete surprise to the bride and groom, all the guests got in full costume and danced to “What Does the Fox Say.”  I thought I had died and gone to Wedding Heaven!

As a token of her love for her new husband, Alissa surprised him with a serenade!  It was beautiful!

Hey Single Ladies!

Married 61 years and they couldn’t be happier!  This is what it is all about.

A magical ending to the most magical night.

Venue: Wildwood Acres Resorts events@wildwoodacres.com http://wildwoodacres.com

Wedding  Coordinator:  Tiffany Francies Wedding & Event Planner

Caterer: Wildwood Acres Resort events@wildwoodacres.com

DJ: Mark Welch Entertainment events@mwedjs.com

Photo Booth: Photoboof photoboof@gmail.com

Florist: Megan Haney Designs megan@meganhaneydesigns.com

Videographer: CineMatt info@cinematt.com http://cinematt.com

2nd Photographer: Meghan Faith www.meghanfaithphotography.com

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