Meet Celine, my most multi-talented friend.

You have to meet Celine – the incarnation to me of creativity (on top of many other things). For logistics reasons, I know many of you can’t just do that so here is an introduction to a dear, oh very dear friend.

She seamlessly blends her roles as a wedding photographer, designer, and student of psychology. Our friendship started during our days at Toulouse business school, when I was 19 - we had this shared love for running at the time. Before class, we would meet at 7am a few times a week for a run along the Canal de Brienne and as simply as that, we forged the foundation of a lifelong friendship. During school holidays we would drive up to Andorra, explore, hike and ski. I do believe you encounter people for a reason. Through the years, Celine has been a rock, supporting me through milestones like my first marathon: I will never forget the voice notes that she had carefully pre-recorded so I could listen to them every 5km delivering exactly what I needed to hear at the time. She has been weathering life's storms by my side big and small ones. We share similar personality traits and she gets me without the need me to formulate anything. 

Today, nearly a decade later, Celine remains an integral part of my life, contributing her creative genius to projects like my brainchild, Victoria Lane. Her unwavering belief in my vision and relentless encouragement have been instrumental in shaping Victoria Lane in the form you know of it today.

But what I admire most about Celine is her boundless creativity and DIY spirit, evident in everything she touches. Whether behind the lens, at the drawing board, or in her therapeutic work, Celine infuses everything she does with a unique artistic flair.

In her, I've found not just a friend, but a kindred spirit – a beacon of creativity, compassion, and unwavering support.

On Victoria Lane Journal, I am committed to share with you inspiring people in my life, Celine is one of them and she is also - you need to know that - the one behind la pepite that is the logo Victoria Lane.

How would you describe yourself in a few words?

Probably energetic, brave, with a wide open heart but also anxious and sometimes weird.

What a day in your life looks like?

I like to live each day as if it was the last, making sure I am getting pleasure in every activities I chose and never forcing myself to do something I don't fancy. My days never look like each other, sometimes I chill and think, seating on a chair in the sun for hours, sometimes I accomplish a million tasks in one hour. I try each day to have an activity for the mind (reading, thinking about a problem, playing games), an activity for my body (walking, playing badminton, running) and an activity for my heart (spending time with people I love, helping people, volunteering).

Celine making it to Aus.

Together in Coogee in 2023.

What are your rituals?

I don't have any specific ritual, except when I play badminton in competition. Then, I like to get myself ready listening to motivational videos, warming up in a very specific way, focusing on my own before I get on the court.

Where do you find your inspiration? How do you find your rhythm as a creative?

That's a very good question, I never really thought of it! I guess my inspiration comes from within, one day I just wake up and I can feel the urge inside me of creating something. I know immediately if it's a painting, a digital drawing, a photograph, a furniture, a piece of clothe or anything else. I can tell if it's going to be sad or happy. Then I go on Pinterest, and I look at other people ideas to create my own.

Magical wedding setting in Montpellier, at one of the many weddings Celine photographed last year.

How do you organise your weeks to leave a bit of time for each of your passion projects?

My weeks are most of the time very busy, since I alternate between uni, my freelance business, badminton and all my creative projects on top of my friends, boyfriend and family. Either I take things as they go (when I am not stressed) and organise my time on the go, either I overrelate on Google Agenda and checklists (when I am stressed) to free my mind as much as possible.

What is your opinion on weddings now? After having photographed so many of them?

After having photographed +50 weddings, I sadly feel disenchanted about them. Witnessing a wedding every weekend 20 weekends in a row is tricky, because it makes you believe you are watchin the same film with different actors. Watching such an exceptional event so many times in a row smoothes all the feelings, making the extraordinary ordinary. I can hardly picture myself getting married this way now, because I will never feel special again. Now I can feel I almost lost the sparkle I had inside every time at the beginning, which also was making me a better photographer, and this is why I want to stop my photography business next year.

What is your opinion on making your passion your work?

As for now, I cannot imagine working in something I don't have a passion for. I would last 2 hours in the job!

Follow Celine’s photography work via her website and Instagram.