A destination wedding in Paris, whether it is an elopement or an intimate wedding, is always a good idea ! Paris, known as the City of Love, is the perfect location to celebrate your love, everything leads to a unique experience. Many couples have chosen to get married, elope in Paris or propose in Paris : the City is magical and there is romance at every corner. We share with you what you should know before planning your elopement in Paris, as well as our best tips and recommendations.
What eloping means
An elopement is a special event designed for the two of you to create an intimate couple-centered experience. Sometimes couples invite family members and close friends to travel with them and witness their love. It is an elopement if you have less than 10 guests for your intimate wedding. If you have more than 10 guests, it will be a destination wedding.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have a beautiful reception with all your loved ones surrounding you at home. It’s a time that you’ll just share the two of you, and you’ll take full advantage of every moment, focusing on each other. We love elopements because they are so unique, and we can create an unforgettable experience based on you and your wishes. If you have already married in your home country, you can combine your honeymoon with your elopement. It is an adventure, a sweet escape where all that matters is your love for each other and you have a true connection. Elopement is exclusive and intimate.
Advantages of an elopement
Obviously, an elopement is also a good way to reduce stress and pressure, compared to a large wedding, because you don’t have to deal with family expectations. You create your own traditions and focus on the most important thing : you as a couple. You can have more flexibility and freedom during the day. The other advantage is that you don’t have to plan it years in advance, you can elope whenever you want, without having a guest list to notify. We can plan an elopement in a shorter time frame than a large wedding.
Planning an elopement abroad is a must, so you can create new memories while discovering a new destination. And Paris will always be the most romantic city and the perfect place for it, with the iconic Eiffel Tower sparkling at night ! At Cher Amour, we specialize in creating bespoke events that reflect the French Art de Vivre. Needless to say, Paris offers the perfect atmosphere to enjoy a lifestyle à la française.
The reasons why Paris is the ideal place for an elopement
In our opinion, you should at least make a stop in Paris to celebrate your love. You can propose in Paris, throw an engagement party, plan an intimate wedding or a high-end event for more than a hundred guests, and of course, you can also elope in Paris. We promise you, you will never regret it !
Paris will be the perfect backdrop for your love affair, with its breathtaking architecture, romantic landscapes, cobblestone streets and magical places. But it will not only be a pleasure for your eyes, you will also have amazing culinary experiences !
From its beautiful gardens and palaces, the capital of gastronomy offers endless possibilities to create a celebration that fits your style as a couple.
Could you dream of a more beautiful destination to start your married life than Paris?
How to get legally married in France
It is possible to get legally married in France if you are not French citizens, but it is quite complicated and involves a lot of paperwork ! One of you will have to prove a minimum of 40 days of residence in France before filing a request. Then, the legal ceremony will take place at the town hall of your residence to make your marriage official. The ceremony lasts about 30 minutes and you cannot choose the location. This is why most destination weddings have a symbolic ceremony and couples get legally married in their home country, after or before their wedding in France.
We find that the symbolic ceremony is perfect for an elopement because it is very personalized and that is the main reason for the day ! Your officiant will guide you in creating a unique elopement ceremony based on your beautiful love story and we can choose your favorite place to celebrate. If some permissions are required, we will take care of obtaining them for you.
What is the best time of the year to get married in Paris
Paris is so magical ! You can elope in Paris whenever you prefer. Every season has its own magic, its own energy, so it will depend entirely on your preferences.
Summers are dry and warm, perfect for an outdoor elopement in Paris. The days are longer, allowing you to enjoy the sunlight and beautiful gardens. The falls have incredible colors and temperatures are still mild and the springs have cherry blossom and beautiful flower gardens. Winters feel more intimate and cozy, the lights are magical with nights falling earlier.
Spring and Autumn will give you more freedom to have your ceremony at the Trocadéro, in front of the Eiffel tower for example, there will be less tourists than in summer. We personally recommend an elopement in April when blooms are out or in autumn, from October to the end of November, and even during the holiday season if you love this time of the year like we do.
Our favorite places to elope in Paris
When you elope in Paris, you will probably also want to discover amazing places to experience unique romantic moments that your photographer will capture for you to remember. We will create a tour for you and with you to immerse yourself in the Parisian lifestyle, French culture and architecture. History is around every corner with breathtaking monuments. Paris offers endless possibilities. And we’re not just talking about taking great pictures of the two of you, we’re also talking about having a wedding ceremony with a breathtaking view and a romantic setting.
For your elopement wedding ceremony, you can choose between a public and a private venue.
Public Locations
There are many amazing public locations, but you won’t have exclusive use and you may have people around you. To make the moment yours, it’s best to plan your ceremony early in the morning. It’s worth it to have an amazing location for you, with the perfect light to capture the moment.
Some of our favorite public locations are the Medici Fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens and the Trocadero, whether it’s the square, the gardens or the fountain. Of course, the Eiffel Tower tops the list, being the most iconic elopement location in Paris for many couples. Whether from the Trocadero, from the Seine or from the streets of Paris, there are many places, sometimes hidden, to capture the beauty of the Eiffel Tower.
Private Locations
This is what we recommend if you are looking for an upscale experience. Having a private venue allows us to go further in terms of decor, adding candles and flowers for your ceremony for example. This way you can have your ceremony without having to get up too early to have the venue to yourself ! Private elopement venues are ideal for exclusive and intimate weddings, where no one will disturb you.
We will propose you rooftops and terraces with a breathtaking view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower, such as the Shangri-La, a Palace with beautiful suites and terraces with a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower or the Peninsula Rooftop. Depending on your wishes, we will suggest chapels or churches (for a religious ceremony), museums, private gardens or hotels. There are so many options and breathtaking locations in Paris !
Your Paris elopement planner will also arrange a photo shoot in Paris for some iconic memories. We will show you different public places to choose from for your photo shoot, in front of the Louvre Pyramid, Petit Palais, Pont Alexandre III, Jardin des Tuileries and more.
How long does it take to plan an elopement in Paris
We can plan and design your elopement 12 months in advance, but typically couples contact us 6 to 3 months before their arrival in Paris. This is the perfect time to make sure your wedding team is available and to offer you the best options for your stay in Paris.
If you decide to get married during the summer and a weekend or if you have a specific venue or location in mind, we recommend that you contact us 12 to 6 months before your wedding, as this is the high season. We create a unique day for you, and even if you don’t have hundreds of guests, we carefully select every professional and detail to match your vision.
We also love couples with a fast-paced lifestyle. You can decide to get married 1 month before or 2 weeks before, you can always count on us to make this day unforgettable !
What cost for your Parisian elopement
The question we get most often is the cost of your elopement in Paris. As with weddings, this will depend on your wishes and needs. We will examine together how you envision this perfect day or stay and your budget. Based on that, we will find the right balance between your expectations and your budget. This is where our elopement planning journey begins and we will bring new options and ideas to your vision to make this event even more special !
What we do for you, as your Elopement Wedding Planner
It’s exciting to elope in Paris, to have a sweet escape just the two of you, and you may think it sounds simple to organize. But there are always details to work out and plan. Getting engaged or planning a wedding in Paris from abroad, whether it’s an intimate celebration or an elopement, is a real challenge : choosing the right professionals, creating a schedule and a visit to a city you don’t know, anticipating traffic, having a backup plan in case of rain, and staying relaxed and focused on each other without having to deal with last-minute unforeseen events. Your Paris elopement planner will take care of everything for you. Not to mention that like all big cities, things move fast in the capital and if you’re not there, you can’t know what’s going on and if the place you have found on the internet is not under renovation.
Planning and Professionals Curation
As your destination event planner in Paris, we will give you tips on how to make your day special after we get to know you and understand your vision. The professionals we propose will have the same vision of the day as you and we will create the perfect team. Depending on what you want, we will find venues and hotels, photographer and videographer, floral designer, hair and makeup artist, officiant, musicians, wedding cake designer, vintage and modern cars and even stationery. Yes, stationery ! Even if it’s just the two of you, we recommend that you opt for personalized stationery that you can keep as a tangible memory, even if it’s just your vows and a special announcement of the wedding to your friends and family, where you can share with them some of the beautiful photos taken by your photographer.
Design
Your elopement wedding planner and event designer will curate bespoke details to bring your vision to life and exceed your expectations. Our goal is to create meaningful moments by incorporating authentic design elements for the couple and creating beautiful scenery.
Coordination
Your wedding coordinator will make sure that the day runs perfectly so that you can enjoy a bespoke celebration with ease and love : logistics, airport shuttles, transportation during the day… We will be by your side throughout the day to meet your needs.
We will also suggest amazing accommodations, to live unique getting ready moments in exclusive palaces and hotels. If you are looking for a more intimate and home atmosphere, we will suggest a beautiful Haussmannian apartment, with French style architecture, to capture those precious moments.
We will guide you through the wedding planning and design process so you can enjoy every step of it. We love sharing our best addresses in Paris for your other events, restaurants, museums, tours, shows… the Parisian experience will be complete.
Your elopement in Paris – Timeline
There are so many options for designing the perfect day in Paris and we like to offer you choices based on your personality, wishes and expectations. An elopement in Paris usually involves a symbolic ceremony and beautiful shots of the two of you in the city of love.
This is the timeline we can imagine for a perfect day
- Start the day with a cup of tea and some French pastries before experiencing sweet getting ready moments of preparation in a suite with a breathtaking view of the city.
- You both discover each other with intimacy for a first look on the magnificent stairs of a Palace or in a beautiful garden.
- Let’s celebrate ! Your bespoke wedding ceremony in one of the most beautiful locations and say “I do” to the person of your life.
- After your ceremony, go for an incredible photo shoot and discover the beauty of Paris.
- It’s time to enjoy a private lunch while cruising on the Seine.
- Return to the hotel for a glass of champagne and macaroons.
- Candlelight dinner in a Michelin starred restaurant or private experience and finish with a slice of your tailor-made wedding cake. Why not with a breathtaking view of the sparkling Eiffel Tower ?
Our advice : tell us your dream and treat yourself to a unique experience ! It’s your day, your wedding, your elopement.
Choose your Paris elopement wedding planner
Be sure your Paris event planner understands your needs
Before hiring an elopement planner, you should definitely talk with them and know if there are the right fit for you. You’ll make big decisions together, so you’ll want to make sure you are aligned. You also need to know if they have well understood your wishes and if they will be able to create that unique elopement you are dreaming of.
And we are completely in line with that ! As an wedding planning and event design agency, we give every project all the time and attention needed and provide the best services for our couples. It is therefore very important that we are able to understand them and that our personalities match to give them the best !
We offer 3 complimentary meetings before our couples decide to go forward with us. These 3 complimentary meetings allow us to know your project and all your wishes and needs, et to establish your Elopement Project Book, all this before signing ! During these meetings, you’ll share the style and vision you have for your elopement, your budget, if this is just the two of you or few guests and the date or period. Your Elopement Project Book will present an overview of your day with an estimated budget. This Booking Process is perfect to know if we are a match and a great opportunity to get to know each other. We’ll spend a lot of time together in the coming months. You’ll be reassured to know we understand your vision.
Searching for your elopement planner in Paris ? Contact us to book your first consultation, it would be a pleasure to hear your story.
Cher Amour loves to plan and design elopement in Paris !
Getting married in Paris is the epitome of romance. As a Paris event planning & design agency, we create bespoke private event such as wedding proposals, engagement parties and of course, wedding elopements !
At Cher Amour, we believe that every wedding is unique and we will propose professionals based on the style you are looking for and your budget. We pay attention to detail, playing with color palette and texture to create a tailor-made experience and go beyond your expectations. Elopement are extremely personal, bringing everything down to a micro level requires great attention to detail and an understanding of the couple’s vision.
We specialize in creating bespoke events that reflects the French Art de Vivre, with elegant and timeless design.
Discover An elopemet in Paris in our Portfolio.
If you have question about this article, send us a note, it would be a pleasure to chat.
