Planning the most romantic destination wedding in Paris

Working with VOGUE may be the honor of a lifetime, and we are overjoyed with how every detail for this chic wedding in Paris turned out! We began talking with one of our favorite influencer couples, Isabel and Felix. Hearing them discuss the romantic, elegant, and fashionable wedding dreams they had was absolute heaven. Immediately, we knew we had to get VOGUE on board.

These two married when Isabel was pregnant with their adorable son, Carlo. However, as a fashion icon, Isabel had big dreams for a fashion-forward wedding day. We cannot think of a more perfect setting for Isabel and Felix than Paris, France. This romantic city had the exact style Isabel dreamed of, so we got right to work!

Oh, Paris. This city is full of romantic locations perfect for weddings! Although we knew the ideal wedding shoot location was right here in this city, we had our work cut out for us! After exploring multiple locations, we settled on three of the most stunning: The Eifel Tower, Le Bristol Hotel in Paris, and the Seine River. This shoot with VOGUE was going to be flawless.

Planning a wedding in Paris requires knowledge of the city, and we are here to provide you with just that. Today, we are giving you a complete mood board for inspiration and sharing all our wedding planner tips for a perfect Paris destination wedding.

A Paris destination wedding: planning ahead

Wedding planning can be challenging, but a destination wedding requires a few more specific details that you want to check off your list as soon as possible. Making decisions for your wedding in Paris means choosing from so many incredible vendors in this city! So, where should you start? We recommend you nail down the following first thing: your France wedding planner, wedding venue, and photographer. Make these your priority! Finding reliable destination wedding vendors with experience may be tricky, but these popular vendors will book up quickly.

Before you secure these vendors, you will want to double-check the time of year you are getting married. We highly recommend hosting your Paris destination wedding during the peak seasons of May through September. Temperatures are moderate, and skies are typically sunny! You cannot go wrong with a wedding during these months. However, it's important to note that this will also be peak tourism season! So, booking your flights and accommodations should be high on your priority list if you want to be mindful of pricing and availability.
Reminder: check up on your passport! If you are traveling to Paris, or any European country, make sure your passport is valid and will be for three months after you visit the country. Check the status of your passport as soon as you can so that you have ample time to renew it if necessary.

If you’re ready to begin planning your wedding in Paris we recommend checking out a few of our absolute favorite wedding venues! Not only are these ideal locations but these venues are absolutely stunning and will provide you and your guests with the ultimate Parisian experience.

white flower bouquet at a wedding in Paris

Paris wedding venues we love

As a France wedding planner, we have fallen in love with many beautiful venues in the city of Paris. We brought Isabelle and Felix to one of our favorites in the city, Le Bristol Hotel in Paris, but have many other locations that we adore. Here are four locations we recommend for your Paris wedding venue.

Shangri-La Paris

This luxury hotel features breathtaking views of the Eifel Tower and river Seine. With 100 guest rooms, this hotel is the perfect place to stay with your wedding party and family. They even have different wedding packages to choose from!

Four Seasons Paris

This 5-star hotel is located just off the Champs Elysees and features massive suites and beautiful views of the Eifel Tower. Dine on delicious food and drink some of the finest wines as you celebrate the most important day.

Hotel Plaza Athénée

A dream come true for romantics, Hotel Plaza Athénée is an incredible option for your wedding. With luxurious rooms and an extremely talented in-house floral team, your wedding day is bound to be memorable.

Chateau de Villette

Located 40 minutes away from the center of Paris, Château de Villette is one of the most remarkable châteaux in France, classified as a historical landmark since 1942 by the French government.

Finding the perfect location for your destination wedding in Paris is important, but so is finding the perfect design and theme to fit your style! We have many ideas to share, as well as recommendations of experiences we’ve seen previous clients and guests adore!

bride in a white wedding gown in the hotel balcony at her wedding in Paris

Choosing a wedding theme

You have secured your Paris wedding venue, now it is time to decide on the perfect wedding theme. Thankfully, in Paris, the sky is the limit when it comes to romance. It is the City of Love, after all! Any wedding in Paris is bound to be beautiful, but choosing a wedding theme can be difficult. There are countless styles and themes that would work well here, but we know a few that work better than the rest.

We recommend your wedding theme feel elegant, modern, and timeless. When planning a Paris destination wedding, you want to stay true to your personal style while embracing the natural beauty and culture of the city itself. Our beautiful bride and her groom are extremely fashion-forward and knew they wanted this shoot to have an elegant and modern feel. To elevate your design consider using soft colors and romantic elements. Some of our favorite Paris weddings have taken place on rooftops featuring stunning views of the city's historic charm. We also have always admired when our couples plan weddings with their guests in mind.

Couples planning a Paris destination wedding will often design wedding weekends for their guests that give them the full Paris experience. Whether that means organizing multi-day affairs around iconic Paris locations, one of the favorites that we have seen is chartering a Yacht for a champagne cruise!

In order to articulate this theme, we prepared three different settings. To invoke a traditional touch, we started out the shoot at Le Bristol Hotel in Paris. The traditional Parisian style of this hotel allowed us to really embrace the authentic love and beauty of Isabelle and Felix’s relationship, as well as their love for one another and their son Carlo.

For a modern touch, Isabelle brought her fashion background and stunned in some spectacular wedding gowns. When capturing bridal shots in front of the Eiffel Tower, Isabelle wore a form-fitting square-neckline gown featuring a high slit on the side. It felt effortless, modern, and beautiful. To add a little romance to her look, Isabelle changed into a flowing gown. For this look, we took a trip on the most adorable boat on the Seine river in front of the Eifel Tower. This gown had a ton of texture and ruffles and moved perfectly with every step Isabelle took.

Isabelle and Felix naturally landed the timeless style with their wedding attire but also through the gorgeous photos. When planning your wedding, it's ideal to have a photographer who can nail your style and theme. From traditional bridal shots to editorial-style images, Isabelle and Felix were captured timelessly for this VOGUE bridal shoot.

Words of wisdom from a Paris Bride

As professional wedding planners, we can give you all the advice in the world; however, we know sometimes it means more coming from a bride themself. Our beautiful bride and model, Isabelle, had some great tips to share with future brides.

Stay true to yourself:

Your wedding day is going to be overwhelming, Isabelle allowed herself to stay calm by staying true to herself, and her style. Both through her beauty routine, wedding attire, and getting ready in a gorgeous Paris hotel, Isabelle could relax and enjoy every moment.

Isabelle wanted her wedding photos to reflect who she is as an individual, wife, and mom, she told us "I wanted to face my husband as he knows me and not with glued-on XXL eyelashes, which I usually never wear."
Isabelle also recommends not trying new beauty or makeup products before the wedding, stick to your tried and true beauty items. You already love them and know how the results will turn out, now is not the time to experiment.

Let the pros do their work:

Isabelle loved doing her own hair and makeup for her civil marriage to Felix, but if she could do one thing over again she would have hired a professional. Though she loved how everything turned out she notes how the entire experience is completely different when you have the job done by a professional.

Isabelle shares great insight for brides mentioning that “A make-up artist works the products in completely different and has the setting experience so that the products stay on the skin for a long time.”

Though doing her own hair and makeup for their civil ceremony, Isabelle recommends having a professional artist for the big wedding day. Where you’ll be the center of attention and captured in photos for hours. Our beautiful bride also recommended having professionals do your manicures and pedicures, you want those ring shots to be pretty so let the pros do their job!

Don’t lose sight of what's important:

While there are so many details to go through for your wedding day, it’s most important to not lose sight of the most meaningful part, your love. Isabelle and Felix may not have had a full-blown big wedding, but they had the wedding of their dreams. Isabelle shared with us that their wedding day meant the world “because it was about us, we both cried so much, we both laughed so much.”
Isabelle and Felix’s civil wedding was perfect because they kept their focus on their love. We know you want your day to be perfect, and it will be! So, trust the pros and a fellow bride who has been through the experience already. We've got you covered!

Le Bristol Hotel in Paris

Le Bristol Hotel in Paris is a dream come true. Its elegance and classic French style make the hotel one of France’s favorites. The hotel sits on the incredibly prestigious rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. Located right between the view of the Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysses, Le Bristol Hotel is one of the most iconic spots in the city.

Each guest room features a traditional European terrace with spectacular views. You will be treated like royalty here, surrounded by Parisian history, breathtaking artwork, and of course, hosted by some of the best in the hospitality business. We adore this Paris wedding venue and cannot recommend it enough for the perfect wedding.

Whether you plan on exploring the beautiful sights of Paris or wish to make yourself at home within the hotel, there are many options to make the most of your time. Walk down the block to some of the best restaurants in Paris or enjoy a serene walk through the gardens of Le Bristol Hotel. You and your family will feel at home from the moment you step foot at Le Bristol Hotel to the second you depart.