Every year, American couples choose Paris for a reason that has nothing to do with tourism. They have seen enough images. They know what the Eiffel Tower looks like. What they want is a day that belongs to them — in a city that was built, over centuries, to be beautiful. I have photographed weddings and elopements here long enough to understand what that actually means in practice. This page is for couples who are doing serious research, not just dreaming.
What’s different about photographing an American couple in Paris
The honest answer: almost everything about how a day unfolds is different.
American couples often arrive with a clear picture in their heads. The Eiffel Tower. The Seine. A café somewhere. Those places are real, and they can be beautiful. But Paris is a city of six million people. The light changes. Streets fill up by 9am. What you have seen in someone else’s photos was made under specific conditions — a specific hour, a specific season, a specific negotiation with reality that the photographer made on the spot.
My job is to know that city well enough to find the right version of it for you. Sometimes that is a quiet street in the 7th arrondissement at 7am. Sometimes it is the Palais Royal arcades when the afternoon light comes in flat and clean. Sometimes it is a courtyard you would walk past without noticing.
American couples also tend to approach the day differently than French or European couples. There is more structure, often more formality in the ceremony, more attention to the timeline. That is not a criticism — it is just useful to know. I adapt. The goal is a day that feels like yours, not like a template.
Planning from the US — the practical reality
Most couples I work with are based in New York, California, Texas, or somewhere in between. They find me six to eighteen months before their date. We talk via video call. They send me their venue list, their planner’s name, sometimes a mood board.
The time zone matters less than you think. I keep early mornings clear for calls with American clients. Paris is six to nine hours ahead depending on where you are in the US. A 9am call for you is 3pm or 6pm for me. We find windows that work.
What matters more than time zones is having a clear point of contact on the ground in Paris. If you are working with a planner — and for a destination wedding, I would suggest you do — I coordinate directly with them. I know most of the wedding planners who work with international couples here.
Contracts, payments, everything runs in euros. International bank transfers are straightforward. The process is simple: we speak, I send a proposal, you sign and send a retainer to confirm the date.
The venues American couples book in Paris
A few come up again and again.
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. Outside Paris, about an hour. Gardens designed by Le Nôtre. The light in the late afternoon across those formal gardens is worth planning your timeline around.
The Ritz Paris. The Vendôme entrance. The garden. The ceremony spaces inside. It photographs with more restraint than grandeur — which is not a criticism.
Shangri-La Paris. Former home of Napoleon’s grandnephew. Views of the Eiffel Tower from the terrace that are hard to argue with. Best in the blue hour, between last light and full dark.
Private hôtels particuliers. Several families in Paris rent their private residences for wedding events. These are the addresses planners know. If you are working with a good planner, they will have access.
Some couples also want Paris as a first chapter, then move south. If that is you, I also work extensively in Provence for destination weddings — the light there is different, slower, more golden.
What working together looks like from 6,000 miles away
We meet on video. Usually twice before the wedding — once at the beginning to understand your day, once about a month before to confirm the timeline and talk through any last questions.
I send a detailed questionnaire after we sign. Not a generic form — specific questions about your day. What time does light come in at your venue? Are there any moments you want to make sure we do not miss? The answers shape how I work on the day.
On the day itself, I arrive before you do. I walk the venue in the light conditions we will actually have. I look for the frames I want to make. By the time you arrive, I know where we are going.
Delivery is three to four weeks after the wedding. You will receive a private online gallery. Full resolution files, no watermarks. Print rights included.
Questions American couples ask me
Can we legally get married in France as Americans?
The short answer: it is complicated, and most American couples do not do a legal ceremony in France. A civil marriage in France requires significant paperwork, translated documents, and residency requirements. Most couples I work with do their legal ceremony at home in the US — before or after — and hold a symbolic ceremony in Paris. This is very common. A symbolic ceremony has no legal restrictions and gives you complete flexibility over venue, officiant, and structure.
What is the time zone difference, and how does communication work?
Paris is six hours ahead of New York, seven ahead of Chicago, eight ahead of Denver, and nine ahead of Los Angeles. I am available for calls in the early afternoon Paris time, which is your morning. I respond to emails within 24 hours on weekdays. The time difference has never been a real obstacle — we find windows that work.
What currency do you work in?
All my pricing is in euros. Your bank or payment processor handles the conversion. Wire transfers are the most common method for international clients. The rate fluctuates, but the total is not typically a surprise if you check the rate when you book and again when you pay the balance.
Do you speak English?
Yes. Fluently. All of our communication — calls, emails, questionnaires, contracts — is in English. On the wedding day, I work in whichever language the situation calls for. You will not need a translator.
How early should we book?
Paris dates fill earlier than most couples expect. For spring and early fall, I typically have nothing available within eight months of the date. Serious couples book twelve to eighteen months out. If you have a fixed venue date, reach out as soon as you have it.
Would you recommend a session before the wedding day?
Sometimes. If you are arriving a few days before the wedding, a session the morning before — quieter streets, no timeline pressure, just the two of you and the city — is often where the most natural images come from. It also gives us a chance to work together before the day itself. It is not required, but for couples who are open to it, I almost always suggest it. If you are considering eloping in Paris, a standalone session works particularly well.
If you are still deciding
Paris as a wedding destination is not for everyone. It requires logistics you do not face at home. The city is more complicated in person than in photographs.
But for couples who want a day shaped by place — genuinely shaped by it, not just decorated with it — there is nothing quite like it. The beauty here is structural. It was built into the city’s architecture, its light, the way its streets are proportioned.
I have been photographing here for years. I know the city well enough to stop trying to fight it and simply work with what it gives.
If that sounds like the right approach for your day, tell me about it.
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