When Alice Gregory got married, she decided to go without professional photos, instead relying on her friends and a horde of disposable cameras. Which got us thinking—what might the official portraits miss? The photos from Nell Diamond and Teddy Wasserman's recent wedding in the south of France are certainly gorgeous (and published in Vogue, no less), but Nell's personal pics give a behind the scenes feel that's a tad more real. She was generous enough to share them, along with her prep leading up to the big day. Read below:

Dear ITG,

The week before I got married, I was stuck in midterms. I'm in business school and as soon as my last exam was over, my now-husband Teddy and I flew to Cap D’Antibes, where we had the ceremony. I grew up in London and always had this romantic idea of an English countryside wedding—something out of a Constable painting—but when we got engaged, Teddy’s one request was to be married near the sea. So, we found a compromise in the very enchanted gardens of Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in the south of France, which also happens to be one of my favorite places in the world.

We arrived in France during a massive hail storm—the whole area's power was down. Needless to say, I was petrified that my outdoor ceremony was in peril. But, by the time guests arrived on Thursday, it was 80 degrees and sunny—and stayed that way until everyone left on Sunday! Every morning, my beauty routine started with a jump off the hotel’s iconic diving board straight into the ocean—the best way to wake up! Other than that, I can't say I did much to prepare. Teddy and I are obsessed with Juice Press, so we tried to drink a green juice every day before the wedding. I could definitely feel my skin getting healthier. I also made sure to wear tons of sunscreen because I wanted to keep my complexion pale. Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense is the only one that that doesn’t make me break out.

The dress design process was a little more involved. I had three meetings with my good friend Olivier Theyskens, who graciously designed my gown. When he first sketched it for me, I got so excited that I spilled my tea all over his drawing! The second and third meetings were at his studio in Paris, where I had the dress made around me. Olivier arranged for two of his friends—Mayumi and Luciano—to try out some makeup and hair looks. My brother actually got married two weeks before Teddy and I did, so I got a chance to test drive some some of that.

I’ve always thought it’s strange how some brides look completely different on their wedding day—all contoured and bronzed. I just wanted to look like the best version of myself. Having a French makeup artist was a dream—she had bags and bags full of my French pharmacy favorites, Bioderma and Embryolisse. Mayumi did an amazing cat eye and kept my lids light and shimmery. I love to look really pale, so she just used a little bit of pink blush and added some pink lips. When I changed after the ceremony, she added a little more liner and a smokier shadow that lasted all night.

My hair was a story in itself. I love wearing it down but also wanted it out of my face for the ceremony. And, of course, it had to balance out that crazy full skirt. I test-drove a few styles—Olivier ended up commissioning a hairpiece that matched the embroidery on the dress and Luciano wove a ribbon through my hair to create a flat ponytail. The day-of, it took four hours for them to get my hair to stay in place. In the end, they had to sew it into the veil with a needle and thread! My hair is long and heavy, so Luciano gave me a lot of lift on top (just look at that teasing!). After the ceremony, he brushed my hair out so I could wear it down for the reception with my second dress by my friend Prabal Gurung.

Before we left for France, I went to Valley Nails and got the brightest manicure I could dream up. But, before the ceremony, my friends gently suggested that glow-in-the dark neon nail art might not look great in wedding pictures, so I went for a more neutral light pink instead. Nail dilemmas were nothing compared to the stress of walking with that ten-foot train. I was just thrilled to make it to Teddy at the end of the aisle, and to look like me while doing it.

x Nell

Photos courtesy of the author.