The focus of a wedding doesn't necessarily have to be on the extravaganza of the ceremony. Many weddings today are turning over to elopement as an option and there are many professionals in the fields of wedding planning, photography and more that are offering services to assist with small-scale weddings and elopement.
With more people turning over to the idea of a smaller scale wedding or elopement rather than a large wedding with over 150 to 200 guests, it's important to consider the overall costs and what might work best for your wedding day.
What is a Paris Elopement?
A Paris elopement can take on many forms. When we think of elopement it often with the idea of going down to the local courthouse or municipal office in order to obtain a marriage license or going to a chapel that specializes in fast marriages at low fees. However, a Paris elopement doesn't necessarily mean that there's going to be extensive cost savings but it traditional elopement can be a minimum of $200 for the license and then whatever you will have to pay an officiant to manage the wedding. Some adventure weddings such as eloping in 5 stars rooftop of Paris with the view to the Eiffel Tower also count as elopement but they can often get more expensive with the cost of the activity, hiring a specialized officiant and more. But with any investment, when choosing Paris elopement, you choose special experiences for yourself, and of course, numbers don't say who you are.
Popular escape options in Paris are usually going to a historic chapel (such as Chapelle Expiatoire) with a few friends or family, exchanging vows at iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, enjoying a luxury ceremony at a 5-star hotel like Park Hyatt Paris or Hôtel Ritz Paris. And there are more impossibly romantic Parisian venues for elopement.
A Paris elopement could take place in many different settings but its often wise to consider choosing a space that is important to you as a couple or a space where you can gather people for the type of ceremony that you'd like to have.
Real Paris elopement vs Paris Wedding Costs - A breakdown
A full sized wedding can get costly very quick. Some of the initial costs that you'll likely be facing include items like your venue, photographer, officiant, reception venue, transportation, fashions, food costs, DJ and more. A full-size wedding can often take extensive planning and is often means that you'll have to budget for a wedding planner or someone that can coordinate your wedding on the day. If you're planning on having food for several hundred people, this can often be one of the greatest expenses at a large-scale reception as you could be paying an expense of $100 or more per plate for guests to dine and that is not even including costs of tipping servers or caterers.
An elopement is much different. Many elopement simply involve the ceremony without any type of reception, party or large scale venue. A small-scale elopement could take place in a backyard, in a place that's important to you or in a chapel that's available for rent by the hour. This can cut down some of your most significant costs with your wedding and help you save on additional costs such as a wedding planner, food costs, venue deposits and more. Some venues for elopement will often offer the chance for a package deal where everything that's needed for your wedding will be included in the prepaid package that you can grab. This leaves nothing to chance and ensures that you'll be able to have everything that's required for a legal ceremony for your wedding.
Average costs of weddings in Paris
The average wedding in Paris is likely to exceed over US$20,000 for just the ceremony. Pricing can get even more expensive if you are traveling to Paris for a picture perfect romantic wedding. When you consider the cost of your reception, meals, ceremony, officiant's, Paris wedding photographer, flights and more you could be looking at costs of over $50,000 for a small-scale wedding of around 100 people. This is often inaccessible for the average family and even though the idea of a wedding in Paris may be the romantic dream of many couples, it can be a better option to scale things back. A large-scale wedding in Paris may not be feasible but if you're interested in cutting some costs while still keeping a Paris wedding, a Logan might be a more acceptable financial option if you're going to be traveling for the wedding.
Average cost of a Paris Elopement
The average cost of an elopement in Paris is significantly cheaper than the full cost of the ceremony or full-scale wedding. Getting married outdoors and only having the cost of a modest ceremony can cut down on your costs and make sure that if you're traveling, you'll just need to handle your travel expenses and accommodation rather than having to secure a venue, pay for a meal for hundreds of guests and more.
Let me do the math for you on what you're paying for a Paris Elopement:
Paris Photographer ~$2,000
Elopement Officiant ~$500
Wedding dress / attire ~$3,000
Flowers ~$500
Hair and Make Up ~$400
Caterers / Food for Guests (if you decide to have some) ~$500
Elopement planner (some elopements with guests might need a planner) ~$2,000
Travel and Accommodation for 5 days: ~$5000
The cost of a Paris elopement is likely possible for less than $15,000. Even securing an outdoor venue for a modest ceremony and getting married with views of famous Paris landmarks can be handled for less than a half of what the costs of a full-scale North American wedding might be. What you get more than your investment is an epic adventure & long lasting memories for you and your partner in the city of love.
Paris Elopement: What are you really paying for
What you're really paying for during a Paris elopement is the view and the aesthetic. Paris elopement packages will provide you with everything you need to get legally married and you will also be able to enjoy the perfect view that you've always dreamt of getting married in front of. Enjoy getting married in front of famous Paris landmarks or in the true beauty of the world's most romantic city.
How much you can save with elopement
With an elopement, even in a city like Paris you be able to cut down the cost of your wedding to less than a third of what you would traditionally pay for a full-scale wedding in North America. Rather than facing extensive costs for your wedding, you can enjoy the perfect Paris wedding location without having to overspend on a big party or reception.
Invest in what matters, your future
With elopement, you can still get the beautiful scene for your wedding that you've always wanted but save more money for your future. With the costs that you've saved on your wedding will be able to enjoy more financial freedom, the potential to get a home or go on a nice honeymoon and more.
Consider Paris elopement today if you are interested in the perfect wedding experience, without all the costs of a traditional wedding.