I love to travel. I love experiencing everything else that’s out there in the world. I love seeing the history all around me when I walk through cities in Europe that stood long before any man made structures we see in America. And I love photography. The thing that was always missing for me was someone to take pictures of, with all of these beautiful (and sometimes crumbling) pieces. It has been in the back of my mind for many years, that these two passions, needed to coexist. This was the year. An airfare price drop sparked the discussion and made my dream into a possibility. And with one mom on board, a reality. From one mom to four, this trip wasn’t as easy to plan as I had envisioned in my naive brain, but short of one little mix up that was easily remedied, I’d say it couldn’t have gone better.

Paris has the allure to women that will get them out of our country, even with our current political climate. I was very proud of these women, that despite the terrible things that keep happening in the world, they were not deterred and I never heard a word or a worry about it. So I gave them the very best that I could, having had no prior experience traveling with a group. From the streets of Paris, to the Eiffel Tower, from adventures in subway travel, to the Arc De Triomphe, Notre Dame, The Louvre, and even to Montmarte, I tried to fit as many areas as I could into 2.5 days.

Each day allowed for the girls to sport a completely different look, and all of it was planned and prepared for in advance. I took many shopping days to stock the BSC Style Closet with looks that I knew would shine in the big city, with all of it’s natural and man made wonders, so that finding 7 looks wouldn’t be as overwhelming when they have no starting point or frame of reference. Having organized their looks into similar color pallets made it easier for me to plan what days we we would head in which direction, and the results of these group shots make me insanely happy! And having different hair and makeup looks to really make a statement with each outfit, something that’s not entirely possible with even a 4hr session, was really the icing on the cake!

I hope you can at least live a little vicariously through our adventure in Paris… and soon… the second half of our trip!

Ginger saying “wow”. I loved it cause how she said it just made you laugh
and then it started to become a thing in the whole group! – Olivia

My favorite “WOW” moment was when I first saw the Eiffel Tower because I just looked at it and it just amazed me.
The details on the tower were just so interesting to look at. -Abby

My favorite meal was Mcdonalds the last day lol!
Because I didn’t exactly enjoy the food at other places whereas this McDonald’s had the best Big Mac out there!
And the food wasn’t as greasy as usual. – Olivia

My favorite was, “One check. Me and her. Her and I. One check.” – Claire

I think finding my “WOW” moment was a little harder for me because I had seen almost everything before…
but either way I think it was walking into our apartment in Paris,
having not given the girls more than a hint of what it would look like.
I was completely obsessed with it from the moment I saw the listing, and it did not disappoint.
It was a place meant for dreams and movie stars, it’s still unreal that we got to live there even if it was only for a few days! – Leslie

The little French restaurant on a side street.
They put the 8 of us at a table for 10 then sat a lady and her friend at our table also.
The one lady is from the states and has lived in Paris for 22 years. She translated for her friend.
They were fun to talk to. The dinner included wine and dessert.
The wine was good. A couple girls really enjoyed it! Abby, not so much.
The dessert was a custard dish with a liquor tasting sauce which Missy drank out of the bowl.
It was tasty. So many laughs that night!! – Chris (Abby’s Mom)

I love the banks of the river in Paris.
I feel good just being next to any water on a beautiful day and having a constant stream of boats going by.
I love that this path feels like a completely different world from the one that’s just up the stairs.
Next to the water everything is tan stone, blue skies, and landmarks like Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower,
and what used to be the lock bridge… but at the top of the stairs you find the blacktop, dirt,
and noisy traffic that makes it a bustling city. – Leslie

The “mom” shoots were some of my favorite times.
We felt the girls had enough of the spotlight and decided to have some fun of our own.
From leaning against stone walls to hanging upside down in a park we laughed so hard
and had a wonderful time. – Missy (Olivia’s Mom)

My favorite memory was when Ginger told us a story about her name tag mistake [name blocked to protect the innocent]
and we just kept calling her that and joking around with her. – Abby

My favorite dinner was the little restaurant in the alley of Paris. We shared so many laughs, the food was amazing,
and I loved talking to those 2 fashionable French women. And the walk back home with Leslie screaming the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody was so funny! – Hanna

The restraunt in Paris when we were all together at the same table
and those 2 really nice and interesting women were seated with us.
The food was fantastic and so was the wine. That was a great experience. – Ginger (Hanna’s Mom)

I loved taking the metro down to the Eiffel tower at night with Olivia and Claire.
We sat in the square and ate crepes while staring at the Eiffel Tower. – Missy (Olivia’s Mom)

My favorite look/location combo was my pink off the shoulder shirt that I was wearing. It went well with many backgrounds, especially the green leaves one. – Abby

The shots with the Eiffel tower in the background. I look at those and think
“holy crap, we are in Paris, France. We are in Europe!!”.
Those are special to me. – Chris (Abby’s Mom)

So many [inside jokes] but I guess Hanna’s many years of speaking French
and our family’s French lineage that includes Pope John Paul!!!! – Ginger

My favorite inside joke was my mom’s “WOW.” It just described everything. I love it. Lol! – Hanna