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Why getting married in France?
A Paris wedding or destination wedding in France is the right fit for you if the following ticks all the boxes:
• Traveling and discovering new places together is what you both love. And you have always dreamed about visiting Paris, the most romantic city in the world. So your wedding is the perfect occasion to finally travel to France and celebrate your wedding in Paris or in another beautiful region in France!
• A destination wedding in Europe is what you always wanted. Especially a French chateau wedding or Paris wedding sounds like a dream to you. Well, dreams do come true! So why not getting married in France in French fairytale castle or beautiful wedding venue in Paris.
• Luckily your loved ones are adventurous enough to follow you halfway around the globe to witness your Paris wedding. How beautiful that you will be all together celebrating in Paris or feel like kinds and queens in a French wedding chateau.
Destination wedding in Paris France
Do I hear at least one loud “YES”? Well, then you just decided for a Paris destination wedding or a destination wedding in France – whoop!
And now you are spoiled with choice: Either you choose one of the beautiful wedding venues in Paris for your wedding ceremony. Or you celebrate your dream wedding in a elegant and romantic French chateau. You find countless fairytale castle around Paris and in many other beautiful regions in France where you can host your destination wedding in France.
Destination wedding ceremony
As your celebrant in France I will create a personal, romantic and meaningful wedding ceremony that feels perfectly you. Your celebration of love should be just like you have always envisioned it!
As English speaking Paris officiant I am based in Paris. But I also officiate wedding ceremonies taking place anywhere else in France and Europe. I would be happy to travel to your wedding venue for you – wherever you need me!
My bespoke ceremonies for your Paris wedding or wedding in France include:
• A bespoke and unique wedding ceremony script. I will create a ceremony for you that pays tribute to the uniqueness of your couple, your individual personalities and your beautiful love story.
• Romantic thoughts, quotes and readings about of love and marriage – with a little French touch!
• The heart of every wedding ceremony: Declaration of intent (the “I do’s”), wedding vows (standard or personal) and exchange of wedding rings.
• We can also include a modern wedding ceremony ritual if you wish. In this case we will choose or create a ritual together that feels perfectly you. Feel free to have a look here to see my favorite destination wedding rituals
• If you like your loved ones to be part of your ceremony we can include (e.g. wedding reading, wedding ritual, other contributions)
• I will help you coordinating all elements and participants of your ceremony (e.g. musicians, processional & recessional, contributions etc.)
• You will sign a symbolic wedding certificate.
• You will receive a keepsake copy of your ceremony.
“Laura made our wedding very personable and memorable for us, paying special attention to details and to our needs.
Laura conducted our ceremony in English with a few parts also in French with even citing quotes from our favorite poet, Maya Angelou, and lyrics from a romantic French song that brought tears to our eyes.
We were also astonished by the way Laura spoke with eloquent demeanor and passion. Laura really surpassed our expectations.”
Need more for your dream wedding in Paris France?
I also offer additional services that you can book on top of your wedding ceremony:
Wedding rehearsal
During a wedding rehearsal we practice your wedding ceremony. We work on the line-up, procession and positioning during the ceremony together with your wedding party. Moreover we will go through the timeline and overall flow of the ceremony and practice key elements of your ceremony.
If your ceremony and processional is rather complex and includes many elements and/or people and/or your wedding party consists of 10+ people then a wedding rehearsal makes a lot of sense and will put you at ease.
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Bilingual wedding ceremony
If you are an intercultural couple and a significant part of your guests does not understand English then a full bilingual wedding ceremony may make sense. In this case I will write your entire ceremony script in two different languages and will perform your wedding ceremony by constantly switching between these two languages.
Possible languages for a full bilingual ceremony are: English, French and German.
If most of your guests understand English then a partly bilingual ceremony may be sufficient and will ensure that everybody understands the most important parts. In this case I will only translate and perform the most important parts of your wedding ceremony into a second language (e.g. welcome, I do’s, wedding vows, ring exchange, pronouncement)
Symbolic wedding ceremony
PLEASE NOTE: Your Paris wedding ceremony or wedding ceremony in France performed by a Paris officiant or celebrant in France is not legally binding. In France only in a city hall you can have a civil ceremony and get married by law. But this is extremely complicated (close to impossible) for foreign couples who are not living in France. The government has very strict rules for residents of other countries who want to get married in France. So most of my couples get legally married back home before or after their Paris wedding or wedding in France. Read more here about getting married in France.
Paris wedding planning: How to get started?
Now that you have decided to get married in Paris France let me run you through the most important steps you need to take to make your dream wedding in Paris France come true. As your English speaking celebrant in France I’d be happy to help you along the way with tips and advice.
1. Paris wedding or French chateau wedding: Where to get married?
There are basically three main places or types of venues to get married in France: Paris wedding venues, French chateaus and wedding venues in other beautiful French regions:
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Paris wedding venues
There are countless beautiful Paris wedding venues if you both have decided that the French capital is were you want to celebrate your destination wedding. Paris is know for it’s elegant historical venues such as the Shangri-La Paris, the Ritz Paris or the Peninsula. Feel free to have a look here at some of the most beautiful Paris wedding venues. But you can also find more modern wedding venues, reknown Parisian restaurants for more intimate weddings, rooftop wedding venues or you can also get married on a riverboat cruising down the Seine river. The sky is the limit.
PRO TIP: The advantage of a Paris wedding also is that you have Paris at your feet and can take wedding photos at all the famous landmarks. Moreover Paris can be easily reached by your guests with a simple flight or train ride. And you can visit the city of love together with your loved ones.
French chateau wedding
If you are aiming more for the princess feel or want to feel like the king of the castle on your wedding day then you should consider a French chateau wedding. You won’t believe how many wedding castles exist in France. You mainly find them in the area around Paris (not in Paris though!), the Loire valley and Champagne and Normandy region. They are absolutely gorgeous and a great place to celebrate your destination wedding in France.
PRO TIP: A French chateau wedding is especially a great fit for your if you plan a larger wedding. Because most Paris wedding venues may not be able to accommodate wedding with much more than 100 guests. Another great reason is that you can rent many of the French wedding castles for an entire weekend and spend time with your loved ones there.
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Beautiful French regions
France has so many beautiful regions to offer and really just need to pick what you would love most for your wedding. Just to name a few: The endlessly purple lavender fields of Provence regions. The famous beaches of the French riviera. The beautiful mountains in the East of France. The island feel of Corsica. The sublime coastline in Brittany and Normandy.
2. Get help planning your Paris wedding or wedding in France
Now that you have settled on the region where you want to get married in Paris you should get some help. As your Paris officiant I can help you with some tips, advice and recommendations for some other vendors. But that won’t be enough to plan and coordinate your entire event!
Therefore I would warmly recommend to get help of a wedding planner or coordinator. Why?
• Because you are planning a wedding from the other side of the world. You may not know France and you may not speak French. Also most likely you don’t really know much about how all things wedding are working here.
• Because you could really need help finding your ideal wedding venue in Paris France, awesome wedding vendors, accommodation for your guests…
• Because you want to enjoy your wedding day instead of coordinating it and you feel that your maid of honor or loved ones are also here to have a good time instead of working for you.
• Because you are not great in planning huge events yourself.
• Because you are planning last minute.
Your Paris wedding planner or wedding coordinator in France will make sure that you don’t need to feel stressed but can just enjoy your wedding day.
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3. Get a great team for your destination wedding
Every wedding is different and therefore also the vendors and services you will need to book to make your dream wedding come true. However it’s safe to say that there are certain vendors that are kind of a must-have. Most of my couples book the following vendors for their Paris wedding or destination wedding in France. I’d be happy to help you with recommendations for these wedding vendors if needed:
Wedding celebrant in Paris France
I don’ want to toot my own horn. But there are many great reasons why you should really consider hiring a professional Paris officiant or celebrant in France to officiate your wedding ceremony. As opposed to have a loved one officiate your wedding.
If you are still hesitating please feel free to read my blospost: Why do you need a professional wedding celebrant for your wedding. To sum it up, here are also here a few reasons in very short.
You need a professional wedding officiant for your Paris wedding because they are professionals. That means they know know how to write a beautiful ceremony. Moreover they also know how to perform a ceremony as trained public speakers. Professional celebrants in France are experienced and can give you great advice and guidance. They have officiated many weddings already. That means they know what needs to be done and keep their cool in unexpected situations. Professional Paris officiants have local knowledge and speak the local language. They are “neutral” instead of partial (as your besty may be). That means they will get to know each of you equally and incorporate both your ideas and wishes. Also they won’t impose their own ideas, traditions or customs (as some family members sometimes try).
“Laura is simply outstanding! Professional and personal, charming and witty, culturally sensitive yet international in her approach. Our guests flew in from all corners of the world and were in awe with her. We recommend her 100%.”
Wedding photographer in Paris France
You also definitely need a wedding photographer for your Paris wedding or wedding in France. Because when your celebrate a once in a lifetime-moment. And you want to make sure that a professional photographers is capturing all these beautiful moments and provides you with precious keepsakes.
PRO TIP: If you are deciding for a Paris wedding make sure to incorporate a wedding photo shoot in Paris into your wedding day timeline. You don’t want to miss having photos of the two of you at the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre or Alexander III. If this feels too tight on your wedding day consider having your photos shoot on the day after or before your wedding day. The day before of course only works if it’s ok for you to see each other in wedding attire before the ceremony or if you simply wear something else that day.
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More beauty for your Paris wedding
Videographer: Consider also hiring a wedding videographer. We are completely on the same page that wedding photos are the absolute must. But it is also so beautiful to have a film that is capturing your wedding day in a different way: For instance you can hear yourselves exchanging vows, maybe part of your ceremony or the speech of a loved one. You can see yourself and your guests dancing, celebrating, crying or strolling the streets of Paris.
Hair and makeup artist: Start your wedding day with a hair and makeup session for yourself and maybe also your wedding party. This is a great way to spend time with your girls and to have someone prettify you for your wedding day.
Florist: Flowers are an important elements for most weddings. Most brides carry a beautiful wedding bouquet, sometimes even a flower crown. Also floral ceremony decoration is absolutely gorgeous. And of course a flower petal toss at the end of your ceremony.
Musicians: Nothing is more beautiful than having musicians play your favorite song when you walk down the aisle. This will make the tears of your guests flowing and add the extra touch of romance.
PRO TIP: Make sure to communicate well in advance with your wedding vendors. Share with them how you envision your wedding day and what is important for you regarding their respective service. Your wedding vendors will make sure to play their part in creating your dream wedding. Also trust and consider their advice. They are experiences professionals and great in what their doing – otherwise you wouldn’t have hired them, right? (lol)
Paris wedding with your celebrant in France
This also applies to my services as your Paris celebrant. So let me know how you envision your Paris wedding ceremony or wedding ceremony in France. I can’t wait to get to know you and hear all about your ideas for your destination wedding ceremony. Don’t hesitate, get in touch with me!
Photo: Paris Wedding Photographer Pierre Torset, The Joee, Rouge Weddings, Le Secret d’Audrey, Studio Cabrelli, Maria Tezikova, Motiejus, Julie Lim; Video: Paris wedding videographer 2P Paris Pro