Planning a wedding in France: Timelines & Activity ideas

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TIMELINES WHEN PLANNING A WEDDING IN FRANCE

Especially from overseas, planning a wedding in France has a lot of moving pieces. Before you start booking vendors, it’s a good idea to know what kind of flow you want for your day.

• Are you considering a traditional destination wedding, or a “just us” elopement?
• Do you want a day that’s very guest experience focused?
• Or rather packed with activities for just you and your partner?
• When do you want your ceremony to take place?

These are good questions to start with. In this blog, I’ll answer them all by breaking down a few example timelines. Then you can see (realistically) how much time certain things take and what feels more like “you.”

THE TRADITIONAL FRENCH WEDDING DAY TIMELINE :

10 hour example timeline:

2:00pm – 4:45 pm Getting ready
5:00pm Ceremony
5:40pm Cocktail hour begins 

5:50pm Couple photos
6:30pm Family photos
8:00pm Couple entrance into reception dining room

11:00pm Meal finished and first dance

Midnight: Cake cutting 

When reaching out to French vendors, it’s a good idea to have this base timeline in mind. Many French vendors will be used to something similar. By knowing this, you’ll be able to communicate better that what you want might be different from the norm in France.

Mainly, food is served much later and much longer into the evening, and the cake comes out at midnight! The cocktail hour (vin d/honneur) is generally a minimum of two hours, and the evening meal is multiple courses over three to four hours.

If you have something very different in mind, make sure to communicate this clearly with your vendors!

For a full breakdown of French wedding customs, check out this blog here. It’s my ultimate guide to understanding every little detail about planning a wedding in France as a visitor to the country.

CHAMPAGNE ELOPEMENT TIMELINE WITH LUNCHTIME PICNIC AND ACTIVITY DAY:

8 hour example timeline:

12:00 Getting ready

2:00pm First look and portraits
3:00pm Champagne vineyard picnic and cake 

4:00pm Private vineyard and Champagne “cave” tour with tasting (or see other options below)
6:00pm – 6:30 Evening vineyard ceremony 

6:30 – 8:00pm  Sunset hot air balloon ride over the vineyards

If you want to elope in the Champagne region, including the wine and food culture on your day is a must. Many of the Champagne houses and “caves” where wine is stored are UNESCO heritage sites. There are also lots of ways to get about the scenery, including balloon rides which give you a unique perspective over the vineyards.

Other ideas for a Champagne region elopement:

• Walking, hiking or hiring electric bikes to explore the vineyards and surrounding hillsides 
• Taking a trip down the 1.5km long Avenue de Champagne. This road is a UNESCO heritage site lined with famous Champagne Houses and headquarters on every side. Stop off at any one (or many) of these houses for a tasting. My personal favourite is the Perrier-Joeut Champagne Bar, its interior is gorgeous for photos!!
• Visit Pressoria Museum, an interactive discovery of Champagne 
• Attend a private French Cooking class at Atelier de Luca (up to 4 hours)
• Hire a private French chef to cook at your villa, airbnb or vacation rental

INTIMATE DESTINATION WEDDING WITH EVENING RECEPTION

10 hour example timeline:

12:00pm – 2:00pm Getting ready

2:00pm – 2:30pm First look and portraits

2:30pm – 5:00pm Private activity; tour of a champagne house, tasting or other

5:30pm – 6:00pm Evening Ceremony
6:00pm – 10:00pm Evening reception with multi course meal and wedding cake

In the middle of the previous two extremes is more of an intimate wedding celebration. Planning a wedding in France doesn’t have to be a 50-100 person affair. Maybe you and your partner would love a portion of the day for yourselves, but are also looking forward to inviting your best friends and closest family members. If so, it’s absolutely possible and this “hybrid” timeline makes the most of the day.

Imagine a quiet morning getting ready together, and then enjoying a luxurious afternoon at a vineyard. You can enjoy the start to your day with privacy before meeting family in the evening for dinner. There are many Chateaux and vineyards which can host receptions, or you can have an intimate dinner at a Michelin star restaurant together.

Need a bit of guidance planning a wedding in France? I’m Rachel and I can help!