Destination wedding Paris

FAQ – The Paris Officiant answers your questions

If you are currently planning your destination wedding in Paris France, your Paris elopement or vow renewal ceremony then you must have a lot of questions right now. Have at look these FAQ (frequently asked questions) and you’ll surely find some answers.

Your symbolic ceremony in Paris performed by wedding celebrants in France is not legally binding. In France you can only get married by law in a city hall. But that is very complicated and in most cases nearly impossible for foreigners who want to get married in France. So what most couples do: They enjoy a personal and romantic destination wedding Paris with a symbolic ceremony. Before or after their Paris wedding they make the marriage legal back home.

Read more here: about how to get married in France. The great advantages of a symbolic ceremony are: You can choose almost any location (did someone say Eiffel Tower?) + your personal, romantic and bespoke ceremony will be completely you and just as you imagined it. There are no rules but your rules!

Yes, I am an English speaking Paris celebrant and will write and perform your ceremony in English. As your destination wedding Paris or Paris vow renewal will take place in France I'd be happy to also include a little French touch if you wish.

I am also a bilingual celebrant in France, or actually trilingual. I speak English, French and German fluently. My Italian, Spanish and Chinese are a little rusty but it'll be enough for a few words: such as a warm welcome to your guests, a wedding reading or the wedding vows.

So in case you are a multicultural couple and/or your loved ones come from different countries I'd be happy to include other languages as well.

Yes, I do! I live in Paris hence my name The Paris officiant. But I am very happy to travel anywhere for my couples.

As English speaking celebrant in France I often travel all over France for weddings and elopement (e.g. Loire Valley, Normandy, Champagne, Provence,...). I also already had the pleasure to officiate weddings in Italy, UK and Germany. So wherever you are planning your ceremony, I could be your officiant if you want me to!

The sooner the better! Some weeks/ weekends are booked far in advance. However I may be able to accommodate last minute bookings as well on dates that remain free or weeks that remain less busy.

So just let me know as soon as you have your (approximate) travel and ceremony date so that we can hopefully confirm and celebrate your destination wedding Paris, your Paris elopement or Paris vow renewal together.

Yes, with pleasure! I am happy that you two have found each other and that you are so crazy in love that you want to get married. Nothing else matters!

As a lgbtqia friendly celebrant in Paris I am for marriage equality because I think that there should not be any obstacles for people who commit to care for one another. So bring your sweetheart to the most romantic city in the world and elope in Paris, get married in France or renew wedding vows in Paris!

Yes, absolutely! Same as for weddings and elopements I offer bespoke ceremonies for vow renewals to make your renewal of wedding vows in Paris personal, unique and soooo romantic!

Yes absolutely! You are two unique individuals. Your couple is one of a kind. And your love story is unrivaled. So you should certainly celebrate your love how you both imagine it. Your ceremony should be perfectly you!

As your officiant in Paris or celebrant in France I will create a personal and bespoke, meaningful and romantic ceremony for the two for you. I believe that your ceremony should reflect your beautiful love story, the uniqueness of your couple and your individual personalities.

So contact me: Tell me a bit about the two of you! Share with me how you envision your wedding, elopement or vow renewal ceremony! I can’t wait to start creating your bespoke ceremony.

Yes please, I even encourage you to write personal wedding vows! Saying your personal promises is one of the great advantages of celebrating a symbolic ceremony. You have the chance to express what your partner means to you and to lay the foundation of your marriage with your personal promises.

In case you have trouble finding the right words. As your Paris celebrant I will be here for you. Feel free to read my tips on how to write personal wedding vows, romantic sample vows and just ask me anytime!

And no worries at all in case you are not a wo/man of words! Writing personal vows is of course not a must. We can also use standard vows, they work perfectly as well.

I create and perform wedding, elopement, vow renewal and baby naming ceremonies as your English speaking Paris celebrant.

Celebrants in France are usually not ordained with any religious community but non-denominational, independent and humanist wedding officiants. That does not mean that your ceremony with me cannot include religious elements though. I am happy and open to create non-religious/ humanist ceremonies as well as interconfessional or slightly religious ceremonies.

Cole Porter sang: "I love Paris every moment, every moment of the year." And I agree, every season in Paris has it's charm. Also as celebrant in Paris I officiate ceremonies all year around.

However for an outdoor ceremony the most agreeable time of year is late March/April to October. Temperatures in spring and fall can still be rather cool and drop in the morning and evening. But you may also experience cherry blossom or autumn foliage which are beautiful moments to be in Paris. The warmest/hottest months in Paris are July and August.

Here you find temperature and rain fall averages for every month to give you a better idea about the weather in Paris.

Early morning, sunrise time is ideal! Sounds crazy, right? But believe me it’s worth it!

When we plan an outdoor ceremony at a public location (e.g. Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Tuileries) in the early morning we got the best chance to beat the crowds and share an intimate moment for your ceremony. Paris quickly gets busy and crowded later in the day – especially around the famous Paris landmarks.

If we schedule your ceremony later in the day it wouldn’t be the first time that a spontaneous audience is gathering around us. Believe me, Parisians love weddings and all things romantic – Paris isn’t called the city of love for nothing. They won’t hesitate to participate at your ceremony as uninvited guests: listening to your vows, applauding and snapping pictures of your destination wedding Paris. Some couples love this attention, for those who don't I recommend morning time.

Feel free to read more tips for eloping to Paris and reach out if you have questions!

Where should I even start? There are so many! Feel free to check my overview of places to elope in Paris first thing. If you already know that you want your ceremony as intimate and private as possible then have a look at my recommended romantic locations. If you an iconic Paris landmark is a must for you have a look at my best Paris elopement locations.

Whatever the event you are planning - Paris elopement, vow renewal or destination wedding Paris - you can also always book a private venue for your ceremony.

No problem! First let’s plan your ceremony in the early morning hours when Paris is still quiet and rather empty (see above).

Second let's choose an intimate location! The famous Paris landmarks Eiffel Tower & Co. are stunning and beautiful. But they are also quickly crowded and busy. So I would recommend to rather choose a romantic park or garden or a ceremony location that is off the beaten tracks. Feel free to check here: to see some of my recommended intimate ceremony locations. And just get in touch! As your Paris officiant I would love to recommend you which location would be a great fit for you.

Please note! In order to be completely private and undisturbed you can also always look into private venues - even for an elopement or vow renewal!

In case the weather is bad for your outdoor elopement ceremony there are two things we could do: I know a few covered and protected ceremony locations. So even if it’s raining a bit we could switch there to have the ceremony and a few pictures at a covered location. If the weather is too terrible we could also try to reschedule the ceremony (e.g. later/earlier in the day, the day before/after) according to your vendor's and your own availability. Please note! The weather forecast is not reliable weeks in advance. Especially as the weather in Paris can change very quickly. So I would recommend to wait until 1-2 days before your wedding date before deciding a change of plan.

More questions about your destination wedding in Paris?

Feel free to contact me and ask me everything. As your English speaking celebrant in Paris I would be happy to help!

Photo: Paris Wedding Photographer Pierre Torset

The Paris Officiant - Featured on

Join me on Instagram