A Romantic and Intimate Wedding Weekend In Paris, France

Mar 6

DETAILS
Where — Paris, France
Service — Full-Service Wedding Planning

An Intimate Wedding Weekend in Paris with Personal Touches

As a wedding planner, your own wedding day is truly special. When we envisioned our wedding in Paris, we wanted something intimate, meaningful, and personal. We kept our wedding guest list small, while still being able to include more people we wanted to celebrate with for other weekend events. It was important to us to blend tradition with non-traditional, unique elements, and I am so pleased with how we did that. Our wedding took place on a Monday, which in my opinion, is one of the best days for a destination wedding. This allows your guests to travel over the weekend without taking off any work, and then enjoy the week of vacation if they choose, and finally travel back on the following weekend.

Welcome Tea Ceremony & Boat Cruise

We kicked off our celebrations with a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony and welcome boat cruise on the Seine, which allowed our guests to immediately get the Parisian feel of our weekend and also break the ice and mingle amongst each other. The Chinese Tea Ceremony is a meaningful tradition symbolizing respect, gratitude, and the union of two families, and it was important for us to include this. The couple serves tea to their elders, receiving blessings and wisdom in return. This ritual not only honors heritage but also fosters connection, making it a beautiful and intimate moment. This was one of our favorite moments of the weekend! Overall, this welcome event was the perfect opportunity to bring our guests closer together and introduce them to the Parisian scene. Many of our friends and family traveled with relatives who weren’t attending the wedding, so this event was a great way to see everyone and allow them to celebrate with us in ways outside of the wedding day. An upgrade we do not regret was paying a little extra to ensure our boat departed from the Eiffel Tower, giving our guests the perfect postcard view of the city!

Our Wedding Day at the Maison des Polytechniciens

Hosting a wedding on a Monday meant that some venues, including ours, Maison des Polytechniciens, had restrictions. Instead of booking the entire venue, we opted for a single floor to stay within our budget. This meant there was another event happening downstairs. While this wasn’t a deal-breaker for us, it’s something couples should consider when booking venues on weekdays. Using the entire venue could have cost us an additional five to ten thousand dollars, so this was a great choice to stay within our budget.

My husband and I shared a first look and then took photos throughout the city. You will see in the photos below that we stopped at a café to relax and enjoy each other’s company for a bit before the rest of the evening kicked off. I highly recommend moments like this to yourself whenever you can fit them in.

Our ceremony was accompanied by a piano and cello, a touch that we are so glad we added. Our guests enjoyed it, and it created such a beautiful and romantic atmosphere. Another personal touch was that my now husband and I walked down the aisle together to symbolize starting this marriage together and intentionally. It was so special and something you do not see often. Remember, there are no rules on your wedding day.

Following our ceremony, we enjoyed cocktail hour on the terrace and incorporated Chinese lion dancers. The Chinese lion dance is performed at weddings to bless the couple for them to have a long and happy marriage. It is also said to help ward off evil spirits from being detrimental to their life together. We are so glad we added this unique and personal element to celebrate my husband’s heritage. This was a hit with our guests.

We then celebrated with mostly traditional wedding dances, toasts, and dinner. I highlighted mostly because one thing we did differently was dancing at the same time with our parent so that neither of us was on the floor alone, plus, it made this part of the reception go quicker for our guests. The rest of the night was unforgettable.

A Casual Yet Thoughtful Send-Off

Rather than a traditional post-wedding brunch, we opted for a relaxed picnic at Jardin du Luxembourg. It was the perfect way to wind down from the celebrations while still spending quality time with our loved ones. This embodied our laid-back personalities and gave everyone a chance to enjoy Paris at a slower pace.

Upgrades That Made a Difference

Throughout the planning process, we made a few strategic upgrades to enhance our experience without going overboard on costs. We arranged minimal transportation for VIP guests instead of relying solely on Uber, ensuring they arrived comfortably. Additionally, I treated myself to hair and makeup for the welcome event and arranged a hair trial for my mom—small touches that made us feel our best. Additionally, we extended our cocktail hour by 30 minutes to accommodate lion dancers, an upgrade that added a vibrant and joyful energy to the celebration. A wedding planner will help you decide which upgrades like these may make a world of a difference for you and your partner.

A Wedding Ring Mishap

Fun little fact, just a week before the wedding, I had a wedding ring scare moment—I tried on my ring, and it got completely stuck. Cue a fun trip to urgent care later, they had to fully cut off my ring. There was no time for a replacement, so I panic-ordered a rainbow-colored ring from Amazon, and honestly? I loved it. It was one of those unexpected mishaps that ended up making the day even more us, and was a fun story to tell later!

Looking back, our wedding was perfectly us—intimate, personal, and full of love and our favorite people. Even though our guests didn’t have a traditional sightseeing itinerary, it was important to us that they experienced the heart of Paris through our welcome cruise, ceremony, and celebrations.

If you are about to embark on your wedding planning journey, focus on what feels right for you.