How to organize a wedding in France from abroad?

You live abroad and want to say the famous "yes" in France? More and more couples are considering transporting their guests to dream destinations to celebrate their union. Why not consider this option for your own wedding?
However, preparing for a destination wedding requires careful planning. Find out how to plan your wedding in France as smoothly as possible.

Design the wedding of your dreams

First, you must imagine the wedding of your dreams. It must resemble you and be faithful to your image. Luxury, princely, country or romantic wedding, here are the main points on which you must agree before organizing your ceremony in France.

Number of guests

Are you more of an intimate person? Or, on the contrary, do you wish to gather all your family, your friends and more? If some people plan to have a small wedding, others want to share this moment with the many people who are dear to them. Once the number of guests has been decided, you can choose your place of ceremony.

Place of reception

Among the many reception venues in France, one of them is waiting for you to organize your destination wedding. For a unique and wonderful celebration, will you choose a grand hotel? A magnificent estate surrounded by the vineyards of Bordeaux? Or a sublime villa on the Mediterranean coast?
Imagine, the garden of a sumptuous property hosting a clear roof marquee, a sailcloth marquee or a carousel of light. Or a bamboo marquee installed on a privatized beach. Your ceremony venue is transformed into a paradise on earth. In which magical universe would you like to transport your guests?

Perfect timing

A trip abroad cannot be improvised. Your guests, warned sufficiently early, will have time to organize themselves to be with you on D-day (taking vacations, renewing passports, anticipating the travel budget...).
Moreover, organizing a wedding in France while living abroad requires additional administrative procedures. It is therefore essential to allow sufficient time before setting the date of the big day.

Plan accommodation for your guests

Your guests will be happy to share this pure moment of happiness with you. There is nothing like a reception place that allows you to accommodate all your guests. This way, you can enjoy your guests to the fullest, but above all, you allow them to get to know each other better. The party goes on for a long time!
You can also opt for a hotel located near your reception place, however, it will be necessary to find a logistical solution between the two spaces for your guests without means of transportation.
Finding easily accessible accommodations near the celebration site can be tedious and requires advance logistics, especially if you are not on site. Entrust the organization of your stay to a travel agency to facilitate the travel arrangements. This one will take care of the management of the flights or other transports, the transfers as well as the accommodation of your guests.
Some agencies, specialists in weddings abroad, offer wedding packages. A turnkey formula relieves you of the stressful organization. It can also be accompanied by packages enriched with a tourist program and various activities. You can also choose to install accomadations tipis arranged according to your wedding theme creating a village for your guests, to amaze them until the last moment.

Destination wedding in France: what does the law say?

If you are a foreigner, you can, under certain conditions, legally marry your spouse in France, even if you do not live in France. If one of your parents lives in a French town, you can contact the town hall concerned. Otherwise, a civil ceremony is possible at the consulate of your country of origin or in one of the communes belonging to an overseas collectivity (COM) or New Caledonia.Au moins deux mois à l’avance, vous devrez fournir à l’officier de l’état civil : 
   • your identity documents;
   • your birth certificate (translated by a certified translator);
   • documents specific to your nationality (ask your embassy for information).

At the end of the ceremony, your union will finally be formalized according to the law applicable to the matrimonial regime of your country.

Organize a symbolic ceremony

The civil ceremony, if it formalizes your union in black and white, can perfectly be excluded from your destination wedding. In fact, the majority of couples who plan a wedding abroad are already legally united in their own country.
By organizing a symbolic ceremony, whether religious or secular, you greatly simplify your procedures. There is no need to go to a consulate or a city hall. Thus, you open the field of possibilities. You can imagine everything and give free rein to your desires.
The romantic setting or the idyllic beach is yours!

Entrust the organization of your wedding to a professional of the event

As it is impossible for you to locate the location, the simplest solution is to entrust the organization of your ceremony to a wedding planner. Forget the headache of this organization whose stakes are high. Delegate the search for the different service providers to an event specialist. Like an orchestra conductor, he will adapt to your requirements and constraints to create a splendid ceremony.
By choosing our global offer, you opt for a simplified organization with a unique provider for all the event material of your wedding. We carry out a survey on the place of the event to make sure of its feasibility and propose you a turnkey offer throughout the assembly and the dismantling of our installations.
Thanks to this personalized accompaniment, all you have to do is choose the theme and the wedding decoration that will make this unique day a magical one!
We usually accompany foreign couples wishing to get married in France, please contact us to learn more about our services and solutions! Your dedicated consultant will work with you to ensure the success of your wedding, regardless of the location. Let's build your event together.