Questions and Answers

France is a secular country and you can only be legally married in a civil ceremony at the local Town Hall or sitting at a desk at the embassy of your country.

The French civil wedding ceremony is mainly a legal affair and not considered very romantic.

Typically, after their civil ceremonies, French couples choose to have a wedding blessing at a Church or Symbolic Ceremony in a style and location of their choice.

To legally marry in France there is also a 30 day residency requirement and very strict legal and extensive medical requirements to be met.

All documentation needs translation into french and depending on which country you are from notarized / authenticated by a solicitor.

(You should contact you country’s Embassy for precise details).

How do I book a wedding?

Submit a request form or schedule a call with a wedding planner to decide which package would work best for you. Once you are ready to save your date, you can easily pay the booking deposit online via credit card or PayPal (secured https transactions).

How far in advance should we book?

Wedding planning with us is very easy and straightforward, it is not the long and complicated process of planning a big wedding.

Most couples book their wedding about 6-9 months in advance, but really start their planning about 4-5 months before their wedding.

We take bookings as early as 12 months prior to the date.

How can I cancel an event?

Life can be unpredictable, even more when it comes to long distance travels. For this reason, we have considered every possible scenarios and we offer you options to cancel or re-schedule your event to a later date. For more details, please refer to our terms and conditions.

Do I need to speak French?

Everyone on our team speaks English. You will not need to learn un petit mot unless you want to.

What is the best time of year to come to Paris?

Paris is beautiful all year round. If you are looking for warm weather, then May to October are the best months. If you don’t mind the cold, then November and December will offer you a beautiful decor of Christmas lights around the city.

Wedding planning services

Can I choose my vendors?

You may have your heart set on one of our photographers or officiants based on our social media or website. If that is the case, let your planner know, your dream vendor may be available on your date! Please note that we do not book vendors outside of our team, but you are free to book vendors of your choice. Some couples come from the US with their own photographer or videographer, and that’s fine. Your planner will of course coordinate with them and inform them of the timeline.

Will I meet my planner?

Our team is based in France and we have become experts at planning everything via email. But we do understand that couples like to meet their Wedding Planner, so we are happy to schedule video calls for face-to-face conversations.

Do you help with hotel reservations?

We have noticed that people’s requirements and budget vary tremendously when it comes to booking accommodations, so we don’t offer to select or book hotels. However, we recommend Booking.com, as you can use the filters to indicate the part of Paris you’re wanting to stay in, and then read some customer reviews of hotels that have availability on the dates you require to help with your decision making.

Once you’ve made a selection, you can let your Personal Planner know and she will be happy to check with you that your hotel is well located and within central Paris.

Can I ship my wedding dress?

We usually recommend that the dress be shipped to the hotel you have booked so that you can easily retrieve it the day before and have it steamed if needed.

Vow renewals

What is a vow renewal?

A vow renewal ceremony is not a second wedding, it’s a more intimate affair to reaffirm your love and celebrate your time together. It can be just the two of you or shared with a few close family and friends

Why renew your vows?

Here are the main reasons why couples decide to renew their wedding vows:

To celebrate a special anniversary
They didn’t have their dream wedding
To rekindle the fire after many years of marriage
To share their love and commitment with their children present

The top 5 reasons why couples renew their wedding vows in Paris:

Paris is the iconic city of love
The Paris streets and monuments offer the perfect setting for romantic photos
In Paris, couples can treat themselves with fine food, culture, and attractions
It’s the perfect destination for a second honeymoon
To fulfill their dream to travel together

What happens in a vow renewal ceremony?

During a vow renewal ceremony, your celebrant welcomes you to Paris and reads a short, meaningful and romantic ceremony script which focuses on you exchanging personal vows.

Personal vows give you the opportunity to reflect on your marriage, thank your partner for their love and support and recognize everything you’ve accomplished together so far.

Your ceremony can also include the exchanging of rings and readings by family or close friends.

Finally you can sign a commemorative certificate, followed by a champagne toast to your love and continued future together.

What about a second honeymoon?

What better reason do you need than renewing your wedding vows to get away to Paris for a second honeymoon? Make it special and stay at least one night in a top Paris hotel.

Should it be a surprise?

A few couples do surprise their partners when they arrive in Paris by proposing to them again just before their vow renewal ceremony. Others leave a surprise note saying “Marry Me Again” while at home and then enjoy the whole process of planning the event together, thinking about their vows and anticipating their second honeymoon in Paris.

Ceremony

Do we need a legal ceremony in our home country first?

Your Paris wedding is about your true inner commitment. In that sense, it is very different from the legal paperwork required in your home country. For outdoor weddings, we do not require that you provide a marriage certificate. For wedding blessings at the American Church however, you will be asked to send your marriage certificate before your wedding day or vow renewal.

Do you do weddings for same-sex couples?

This is a question that we have been asked several times sadly. And the answer is and has always been YES of course. Our purpose is to celebrate love and make dreams come true. We even offer wedding blessings by a Pastor who never misses a chance of reminding people that the heart of God is vast, accepting everyone.

Can we write our own vows?

We feel that writing your own vows is a very important part of your wedding ceremony and your celebrant will provide you with guidelines of the best way to compose them. Some couples like to keep them secret from each other until their wedding day.

Will our ceremony be in English?

Our ceremonies are normally conducted in English. If however you require a ceremony in French or Spanish please ask us for furher information.

Can we get married at the top of the Eiffel Tower?

Probably one of our most frequently asked questions – and the answer is NO.

Although some couples get away with a quick marriage proposal whilst security is not looking, you can not just have a casual ceremony on the Tower.

We offer ceremonies at a variety of surrounding locations that have the Eiffel Tower featuring in your photos.

What paperwork do we need to fill out for our Paris wedding ?

For your Paris wedding, you don’t need to do any paperwork. Our ceremonies are symbolic, so… complete

The only exception is for the American Church: since they are officially recording your names on their register, you need to provide your home country marriage certificate before your wedding day.

What does it mean that ceremonies are symbolic?

It simply means that you won’t have to do any paper work! Your wedding in Paris represents the true inner commitment you are making to each other. Any legal formalities can be done in your home country. For this reason, you don’t need to reside in France to get married there, and you don’t need to the 30 day residency that is required for city hall weddings.

Can we have a male officiant?

You have probably noticed that most of our pictures present female officiants. It may be surprising, but the wedding officiant business in France is a very feminine world. Besides some (not all) of the ministers at the American Church, all of our celebrants are ladies. It may not have a traditional look, but they do know how to make a ceremony feel warm and intimate, which we believe is the feel most couples are looking for in a romantic Paris elopement.

Church Weddings

Does the American Church celebrate same-sex weddings?

Unfortunately, the American Church in Paris does not propose same-sex wedding services. However, we – at Perfect Paris Wedding – work with a Pastor who gladly celebrates same-sex weddings at our outdoor ceremony locations. So feel free to inquire about your wedding and your planner will happily help you plan your perfect day.

Does the American Church celebrate second weddings?

Yes, you can have your wedding at the American Church in Paris, even if it is your second marriage.

What paperwork needs to be done?

Our wedding ceremonies are all symbolic, except for the American Church weddings. Getting married at the American Church in Paris means that you will be officially recorded on the Church’s books. In order to do so, you will be required to provide your official wedding certificate (that you obtained at your legal wedding in your home country).

Photos (general)

How will I get my photos?

Your photographer will deliver your photos via a password-protected online gallery. You will be able to view and download them directly to your computer. Your photos will be available in HD and have no watermarks. You will be free to print them with your preferred printing service.

In addition to delivering your photos, some photographers may offer you printing services or wedding book packages. You are free to order these from them directly. Don’t worry though, you will not receive commercial emails advertising for these products.

How many pictures do we get?

In addition to a few social media friendly photos that you will receive within 24 hours, you will get 80+ photos to download from an online gallery. Photos are available in high resolution. Final photos will have no watermarks and you have full rights granted.

Are photos edited?

Images are lightly edited by the photographer – lighting, framing and contrast. More comprehensive editing, such as skin retouching or customized highlights are not included in the package price but can be discussed with the photographer and arranged for an additional fee. Our photographers do not do heavy editing like removing people or objects from the background, or making your appearance different.

Photo tours

Is two hours enough?

We consider two hours to be the ideal length of a photo tour: it allows you to cover several locations, but you will not be exhausted at the end. In two hours, depending on traffic, you can cover 3 or 4 locations. It is possible to add time/locations, this is something that you can discuss with your Personal Planner.

Can guests come along on the photo tour?

While this photo tour is ideally designed to be a romantic relaxing moment between two people, we are happy to accommodate your guests. With a Mercedes Viano car, you can have up to 4 guests coming along on your photo shoot. Unfortunately, we do not offer larger cars which would not fit some of our beautiful but smaller streets.

What happens if it rains?

Weather is unpredictable and you may be wondering “will rain affect our photo tour?”.

First, be reassured: we never had a photo tour ruined by rain. In Paris, most of the time, rain is just light sprinkles that come and go. On the rare occasions (maybe once a year) where heavy rain is forecast, we always offer an alternate time or day for the photo session.

Now, if you do have your photo tour on a rainy day, know that Paris in the rain actually opens up to another world. So many movies and writers mention how magical Paris is in the rain and it is true.

Some couples take the opportunity to accessorize with a red umbrella, which has a stunning effect on photos.

Can we choose any type of car?

Can we take a different route?

Yes, we are happy to accommodate special requests. Simply let us know the locations that you would like to cover in your photo shoot and we will design a route just for you. Please note that some itineraries may require additional time with your chauffeur and photographer.

Can we go to the Montmartre area?

You have probably noticed that the Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre is not on our photo tour map. It is of course possible to do a shoot in the Montmartre area of Paris but it is a significant distance away from the city center and the other landmarks. For this reason, if you would like to go to Montmartre, we recommend that you focus your photo tour on this area of Paris.

Can we do an engagement photo tour?

There is no convention to have a reception but as Paris is full of amazing restaurants, your renewal of vows gives you a perfect excuse to splash out on a memorable and romantic meal.

Should we book professional hair and makeup?

You are free to come as you are, and some brides are particularly talented when it comes to fixing their own hair and makeup. There are however great reasons to book a professional hair and makeup artist for the occasion:

Your makeup and hairstyle will last longer
You can send any inspiration photo and they will know how to make it (see our hair and makeup gallery)
Getting pampered offers you a relaxing time – you don’t even need to go to a salon, our hair and makeup artists will come to your hotel or apartment rental

Can we use our own photographer?

It is possible to use your own photographer. We would offer a 500 Euro deduction from the package price. You would then be responsible for all the arrangements with your photographer. Because of the number of weddings we organize we have a special long term agreements with all our English-speaking Paris based photographers and it would be unlikely that you could find such talent directly to do a similar shoot for less than 1500-2000 Euros.

Have more questions?

Our team will be happy to answer any questions you may have! We look forward to speaking with you about your special day!

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