I’m Here to Help You
Can Americans Legally Get Married in France?
French law doesn’t allow most foreign visitors to have a legal civil wedding during their trip. To legally marry in France, you must meet specific administrative requirements that most international couples don’t qualify for.
The good news? This doesn’t stop thousands of couples from celebrating their wedding in Paris every year.
Almost every American couple planning a Paris elopement follows the same approach: they complete the legal paperwork in the United States and travel to Paris for the wedding they truly want.
This gives you complete freedom to exchange vows beneath the Eiffel Tower, celebrate along the Seine, or choose any meaningful location in the city without being limited by the requirements of a civil ceremony.
If you’ve ever saved a Paris elopement from Instagram or Pinterest, chances are it was a symbolic ceremony.
A symbolic ceremony gives you the freedom to create a wedding that’s entirely your own.
You can exchange personal vows, include meaningful traditions, invite your closest family and friends or keep the day just for the two of you. Many couples also choose to hire an English-speaking celebrant who creates a personalized ceremony based on their story, making the experience every bit as emotional and memorable as a traditional wedding.
The legal paperwork may happen elsewhere, but the memories are made in Paris.
After photographing and filming Paris elopements for years, I’ve noticed something interesting.
The day you exchange your vows, see each other for the first time in your wedding attire, and celebrate your love together is the day that becomes your wedding in your memories not the day you sign legal documents.
That’s why, whenever possible, I recommend completing the legal paperwork after your Paris elopement. It allows your first look, your ceremony, your first kiss, and all the excitement of your wedding day to happen in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
A symbolic ceremony gives you something a legal civil ceremony often can’t: complete creative freedom.
You’re free to celebrate in a beautiful public location, at your hotel, in a private venue, a château, a museum, or anywhere that allows private events. Instead of adapting your wedding to the venue, you can choose a place that reflects your vision and build the day around it. Instead of adapting your wedding to the venue, you can choose a place that reflects your vision and build the day around it.