Some Very Good Reasons
to Elope in Paris
By RACHEL KAPLAN
PARIS–If you’re the kind of person who prefers a discreet and romantic wedding, eloping in Paris may be the perfect alternative to a big, splashy, and costly wedding.
The city has lots of options to offer, especially since you can combine an intimate ceremony and reception with a followup honeymoon. Couples come from all over the world, and it is often amusing to see the number of Asians who like to pose for a photographer in wedding clothes in the midst of oncoming traffic in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Ooh la la! France Wedding Planner has had the pleasure of organizing elopements in and outside of Paris since we started our business in 2008. Our guests have enjoyed private ceremonies in public parks in central Paris as well as by the Eiffel Tower–and we are experts at sourcing venues free of charge that offer both privacy and beauty.
The typical elopement is only for a couple–rarely with other witnesses. Most elopements are arranged with our future wedded couple long distance by Skype and phone as well as email. The most important aspect is creating an original text for the ceremony that reflects the bios of our bride and groom, and also contains the respect and loving care necessary for this occasion.
All our brides dream of looking their best, and we have hair and makeup artists who can come to your hotel or AirBnB and are able to follow with the help of photos (from Instagram or Pinterest) your preferred bridal look. We also take inspiration from photos that you send us of your preferred wedding bouquet and boutonnière. Sometimes, the flowers people wish for are out of season, and so we adapt accordingly so that the color of your bouquet reflects your chosen colors and enhances your gown.
Photography and videography in Paris are wonderful options as well–and we pride ourselves on adapting to your specific wish list. Often people want us to create a road map of celebrated monuments and locations that allow you to avoid crowds of tourists and provide moments of poetic beauty that you will treasure forever.
Some of the wonderful couples we have captured have been by the Eiffel Tower, in the rose garden of Bagatelle, and even in the garden of Rodin Museum. This month we arranged an elopement in the gardens of the Palais Royal, behind the Comédie Française, which is the national theatre of France. The rose garden and lines of linden trees as well as the splendid 18th century façades, make for a spectacular backdrop.
Anyone can rent a hall or a hotel ballroom in any city of the world–but there is something unique and special about getting hitched in Paris. Where else are you going to see yourselves standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides, or even The Thinker at the Rodin Museum?
Budgets can vary–but an entry level budget with ceremony, photographer, videographer, flowers, wedding reception, as well as hair and makeup for two, is around 5,500€ plus VAT Tax. Naturally, if you want to have us book your hotel, arrange for a wedding cake and private tours in and around Paris, it’s going to be more.
But whatever you decide, we are sure you will leave the City of Light whistling the Cole Porter tune: “I love Paris in the Springtime, I love Paris in the Fall, I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles,I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles/I love Paris every moment/Every moment of the year/I love Paris Why oh why do I love Paris/Because my love is here.”