Les Temps de l’Amour

When Paola Coriat first met Patrick de la Guardia, it was at a friend’s house party in Miami — the kind of night filled with good friends, convivial antics and an air of possibility. “He came up to me with a corny pick-up line and it worked on me somehow,” she recalls with a laugh. “We hit it off that night, but then we didn’t see each other for months.” Their paths crossed again at another gathering and this time the timing aligned. “We reconnected and we’ve been together ever since,” says Patrick.

Raised in Miami, they have called the city home throughout their nine-year relationship. Paola reflects that they grew up together throughout their twenties, telling me “it was a transformative period of our lives, transitioning into adulthood with major changes and character-building experiences that we went through together.” In that sense, their relationship has not only been a love story but a real journey: two people navigating who they were becoming, side by side.

For Paola, it is Patrick’s charisma, motivation and protective nature that she has loved from the start and that continue to inspire her. “I admire how he shows up for his loved ones, his dependability, his humour and, most importantly, his integrity and character.” For Patrick, it is Paola’s loyalty, open-mindedness and strong values. “I am especially attracted to her intellect,” he says, “but she is also fun, loving and always down for a new plan.”

Speaking with this couple, it would seem the secret to their success is simple: “Appreciating the differences in our backgrounds and upbringings rather than pitting them against the other,” Paola explains. “Overcommunicating so as not to let anything fester. Keep dating, keep having fun. Tackle life as a team.”

When it came time to take their relationship to the next level, the proposal came in Paris, a city that has always carried meaning for Paola. “I’m half-French and Paris is my favourite city, so it was a special place to get engaged,” she says. Patrick’s younger cousin was studying abroad, and so they decided to visit him and also take Patrick’s younger brother along for his first trip to the City of Light. “Upon landing, we dropped our bags at the hotel and went on a stroll to show his brother some of the sights. When his brother and cousin went to get wine at a kiosk, Patrick took advantage and proposed on a bench in the Parc des Tuileries.” There are no photos of that moment. “It was just us, privately sharing it until Chris and Mia returned to celebrate in cheers,” she says. The simplicity of the proposal — the bench, the quiet park — makes it all the more cinematic.

As far as the wedding was concerned, Paola was clear from the start: “I wanted a big party with all our loved ones. We figured it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to fill a room with our most prized people. Family and friends are extremely important to us, so sharing this moment and enjoying the weekend together was the main priority.” Her aesthetic idea was to bring “the fun, tropical Miami vibes to the South of France — blending both cultures and energies in the décor, music and food.” With the help of Lucy Till French Weddings — particularly planners Rhiann Janak and Anaïs Faucon — that vision came alive in spectacular fashion.

And so, in June this year, at Château de Théoule in the Côte d’Azur, Paola, Patrick and their nearest and dearest gathered for a celebration that stretched from vows to sunrise. “A heat wave had spread across the Mediterranean that week; the day was scorching hot with not a cloud in the sky,” Paola remembers. “I stayed calm and focused on remaining present. We had a quick ceremony and cocktail hour, followed by dinner and lots of dancing by the beach, ending at the hotel restaurant for the after party and eventual sunrise before finally getting to bed.”

The ceremony itself was their favourite moment. Patrick’s uncle officiated. “It was extremely short but sweet,” says Paola. Their beloved dog, Hugo, travelled with them from Miami to France to act as ring-bearer, a moving addition. “The ceremony was an intimate familial moment for me and Patrick where we pledged our love and commitment with our favourite people as witnesses.”

For Paola, fashion played an essential role in the day, which saw her wear three dresses: a vintage Oscar de la Renta gown from Happy Isles for the ceremony and cocktail hour; a Danielle Frankel look for dinner and reception; and Tory Burch for the afterparty. “Funny story about that Oscar de la Renta dress,” she tells me, with a smile. “I bought it over a year before getting engaged because I loved it so much.” She kept accessories simple, borrowing diamond pearls from her mother and opting for no veil. Her Manolo Blahnik shoes added just the right note of traditional glamour. For hair and make-up, she entrusted Alejandra Nerizagal, who she now calls a friend. “Her chair was a place of calm and fun amid the festivities,” Paola says. Patrick wore Hugo Boss — timeless, understated, effortlessly sharp.

Every styling detail mattered. “I picked almost everything at the wedding. I wanted it to feel formal and classic but cosy, laid-back and intimate at the same time,” Paola says. Flowers by Lettre a Elise brought lushness to the setting, and the team at D&X Events created the production that framed the day. Ashleigh Brooksbank (Sapphire Studios) captured it all in timeless images that Paola says she and Patrick will cherish forever.

Music was central to the atmosphere. “We like to party and dance,” Paola says, and so the soundtrack spanned reggaeton, salsa, hip-hop, R&B, oldies and disco. She walked down the aisle to Françoise Hardy’s Le Temps de l’Amour, while their first dance was to Sade’s Kiss of Life. “Music carried the whole day — it gave everything its energy.”

Looking back, she insists: “No regrets!!!” The joy of the day lay in the way it paired grandeur with intimacy, where small, significant moments were stitched together to create something unforgettable. It felt an apt representation of the couple's approach to life in general, as Paola tells me, “from travelling to watching a good film cuddled with our dog on the couch, to sharing a delicious meal at a new spot — we make a point of cherishing the small moments as well as the big ones, of embracing the tough times as well as the good ones.”

This underpins their philosophy of commitment and presence. “Love is an active choice every day,” Paola says. Turning to the future, it is a family of their own that they hope is their next step. “We’re looking forward to seeing one another in our children,” she says, “and seeing each other into our old age.”