Paris Wedding

by Kimberley Petyt

Overview

A must-have for the best wedding inspiration and resources in Paris

America’s love affair with Paris spans generations. For many, Paris is the epitome of sophistication, good taste, style and romance. The Paris Wedding is a full-color, idea-packed, goto guide for globally minded trendsetters who are in love with the style and romance of Paris. Not just a resource of practical information for those planning a wedding IN Paris, but The Paris Wedding is also a stand-alone handbook full of stylish tips and glamorous photography to help add that Parisian je ne sais quoi to any celebration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423630654
Publisher:	Smith, Gibbs Publisher
Publication date:	04/01/2013
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Kimberley Petyt is the owner of Parisian Events, a wedding and event-planning agency catering to English-speakers in Paris. She writes the popular blog “parisian party: tales of an american wedding planner in paris” (parisianevents.com/parisianparty/). She was also a monthly columnist for the nationally distributed The French Paper, where she wrote for more than a year about living and working as an expat in Paris. Petyt and the business have been featured in print publications such as Real Simple Weddings, Get Married Magazine, Essence Magazine, Eco-Beautiful Weddings, Cosmopolitan China, and France Magazine. Most recently, she was featured in the New York Times Magazine “Summer 2011 Travel” issue, highlighting her skills as a cultural liaison for brides seeking to marry in Paris. She lives in Paris.

Read an Excerpt

The Skinny on Getting Married in Paris

What could be more stylish and romantic than a wedding in Paris? With the rise in popularity of destination weddings and the thriving hospitality industry that caters to them, Paris has become as viable a destination option to the newly engaged as a wedding on either coast of the United States. Unfortunately, alongside the fairytale images of a Parisian wedding is the harsh reality of miles and miles of administrative red tape.

One of the biggest obstacles for you love-struck couples who want to get married in Paris is that in order to be legally wed in France, at least one of you needs to have lived in France, in the district around the city hall in which you plan to get married, for a minimum of forty consecutive days before the wedding. This includes the additional ten days for the city hall to publish the banns—a public announcement that is put up in the city hall for ten days before your marriage that lists your names and your wedding date so that any estranged husbands or wives have one last chance to find you before you’re married off.

Before asking for that sabbatical from work, though, you should know that this one little detail is actually a pretty big one. In order to prove residency, you’ll need to show two separate official documents that show your French address (called a justificatif de domicile) such as a gas or electricity bill, a rent receipt, a French social security insurance card or a car leasing agreement. And just in case you’ve got the bright idea to rent an apartment in Paris on a short-term lease in order to meet this legal requirement, you need to know that it could take several months before you receive some of those documents.

If you’re not able to rent your own apartment, another option is for you and/or your honey to move in with a friend or relative in your desired district, and have that person sign an attestation d’hébergement sur l’honneur. This is a statement swearing that you have been living in that person’s home, and that they take full responsibility for you if you happen to be an illegal truffle trafficker or something. There is a ton of small print attached to this document, including a huge fine and a short trip to the guillotine if it’s ever found out that you were not, in fact, living with them. Know that this is a pretty big favor that you’d be asking of someone.

Table of Contents

9 Acknowledgments

11 Introduction

15 The Skinny on Getting Married in Paris

21 How to Get Married in a Catholic Church in Paris

25 French Weddings vs. American Weddings

27 The Best Places to Propose in Paris

30 Top Five Tips for an Elopement or Vow-Renewal in Paris

32 What to Wear to a Wedding in Paris

35 Melissa & Michael

43 Ma rie Antoinette Moderne

46 Tete a Tete with Wedding Dress Designer Ana Quasoar

49 The French Croquembouche: Let Them Eat Cake

51 Favor Ideas for a Marie Antoinette.Themed Wedding

52 A Visit to Laduree

54 French Wedding Tradition: Lily of the Valley

55 French Fashion for Children in Your Wedding

59 Betsy & Greg

67 Un Mariage Vert: Green Wedding in Paris

73 Top Five Ideas for a Green Parisian Wedding

74 R ent a Parisian Wedding Dress: Graine de Coton

77 Velib Bike Rental

77 A Luxury and Eco.Friendly Hotel in Paris

78 DIY French Wedding Favor: Lavender Sugar

79 Michelle & Guy

87 Montmartre Mariage

90 Tete a Tete with Paris Corset Designer Loanna Haseltine

94 French Wedding Tradition: The Normand Hole

95 Wedding Invitation Shopping in Paris

96 Outfitting your Parisian Bridal Trousseau

97 Trousseau Shopping in Paris

98 Tete a Tete with Paris Wedding Photographer Ian Holmes

101 Pamela & Matt

111 Pa risian Chic

114 Tete a Tete with Paris Wedding Dress Designer Reinaldo Alvarez

116 Le Mur des Je T''faime: The Wall of I Love Yous

119 American Wedding Cakes in Paris: Sugarplum Cake Shop

123 Party on the Seine: A Visit with Yachts de Paris

126 Planning Your Parisian Wedding Dress Shopping Trip

130 Modern Bachelor Night in Paris

132 Tete a Tete with Parisian Wedding Shoe Designer Vouelle

135 Lindsay & Josh

145 M ontparnasse Magnifique: The 1920''s Pa risian Wedding

148 Tete a Tete with Haute Couturier Fanny Liautard

152 Vintage Jewelry Shopping at the Paris Flea Market

155 French Wedding Menu Demystified: L''Aperitif

156 DIY Chic Parisian Dessert

157 R oulade Jambon Chevre

158 Tete a Tete with Wedding Stationery Designers Paper + Cup

160 Paris Wedding Hairstyles: The Chignon

162 French Wedding Flower Traditions

165 French Wedding Accessory: Custom Fans

167 Blair & Judson

174 C redits & Additional Resources