The Ceremony
Which kind of ceremony will you choose,
Civil, religious, or secular?
Having your wedding in France is something very unique, you can do it in a castle or in a hotel, or anywhere you want in the capital city, Paris. Indeed, it is not so much the place that matters but rather what you want to do on your big day. It is up to you to choose the right kind of ceremony you want for your wedding day and here below we are going to give you some tips and things to know before choosing:
If you come to Paris to have you wedding, you don’t have to do a civil wedding. Although, if you are marrying a French person it can be possible, if this is your case, keep note of the following tips.
At the town hall, the bride and groom are in the front row, opposite the mayor or the deputy mayor, the bride to the left of the groom. Witnesses generally surround the future spouses. The immediate family is just behind, in the first rows.
The audience rises at the entrance of the bride and groom, then sits down to read the various articles of the Civil Code concerning the duties of the spouses towards each other. The mayor will then ask if a marriage contract has been drawn up. The newlyweds will then exchange their consent before the audience.
The ceremony ends with the signing of the registers in this order: bride, groom, witnesses.
So, that was the formal aspect, then for your civil marriage, you will not have time (or the possibility) to decorate the town hall. You will, therefore, have to settle for a few details that can make the difference.
Your look
Since there will not be a decoration for the town hall, then focus on the outfit. There is no code for the civil look, so give free rein to your desires!
There are plenty of options for your dress. These are a few ideas for your civil dress:
A dress that gives a nice blazer effect. Ideal for pretty legs, a dress that gives allure by structuring the silhouette while erasing small curves. To be a lady but modern, loose your hair with a wavy effect, and XL earrings.
Then, if you go for something comfy, you can choose a set mixing masculine touch and high class. With a shirt, patch pocket. Pants that feminize the silhouette with an extra-wide cut to wear with high heels. For a romantic side, a short veil at the town hall. To add a touch of glamor, a chunky necklace.
A straight cut mini-length dress giving a sixties look is another good option. This can be a serious dress with a round neck. Is an ideal type of dress as well in mid-season with baby heels.
If you want to go for a more minimalist style, a beautiful crepe jumpsuit for a relaxed attitude. In the hands, a large, unstructured bouquet of fresh, dry flowers. At the feet of pointed pumps to give the optical illusion that lengthen the leg and why not a hat.
The flowers
You will not be able to make any flower installations in the town hall. Opt for a pretty bouquet for the bride and an elegant buttonhole for the groom. Treat yourself with flowers to embellish your outfit and bouquet. Flowers will be formidable assets.
Peonies, roses, grasses, or rather dried flowers. Each flower takes on particular shades to offer you a multitude of possibilities. It’s up to you to best adapt your flowers to your theme on your wedding day.
The leaves are often used to decorate traditional bouquets. Green, green and more green, the leaves will be perfect for making your bouquet 100% vegetable.
The exit
The newlyweds come out of the town hall together, on each other’s arms. The guests are on the square to congratulate them. When the newlyweds leave to the wedding party, the guests can wave sparkles, throw flower petals, make small bubbles… Guaranteed effect on your wedding photos!
The presence of the photographer at that time is essential for original wedding photos. The newlyweds then leave in the same means of transport, followed by their families and their guests.
The vehicle
Why not opt for an unusual vehicle to pick you up at the exit of the town hall? In correlation with your theme, it can be an integral part of the scenography of your wedding throughout the day.
Religious wedding ceremony
If you choose to do a traditional wedding in a church, you need to know that it is a spiritual process carried out by the couple. Various preparation sessions will be organized with the priest to discuss the importance of marriage, married life, fidelity, etc. Then you will have the chance to say your wedding vows to your loved one.
For this kind of marriage ceremony, you will already have more possibilities as regards the decoration, but it is still better to discuss it with the person in charge of the place to know what is authorized or not.
The entrance
Guests await the start of the ceremony at the church entrance. They are welcomed and cared for by relatives of the newlyweds who distribute the ceremony program to them and indicate their place in the church: to the right of the aisle for the guests of the future husband, to the left for those of the future wife.
The guests must get up when the groom enters the church on his mother’s arm, in his magnificent white wedding suit, to music chosen beforehand. He is waiting for his future wife to enter the altar. The groom’s father steps forward, accompanied by the mother’s mother. Then it’s the big moment. A different music comes on, the resplendent bride enters in the arms of her father who leads her to her fiancé crossing the central aisle, followed by the bridesmaids and the children of honor. The couple will remain at the front, close to the priest.
Concerning the decoration, by placing some flowers at the door of the place of worship, they will be visible when you enter, and all eyes will be on you.
To decorate the entrance with flowers, an option is the so-called classic flowers that are found in many floral decorations. They charm us with their authentic and romantic side. Among them, we can find baby’s breath, roses, dahlias, carnations, hydrangeas, anemones, and the peonies.
The alley
You will generally be able to personalize the aisle, especially on the ground, with a nice carpet or with flowers that you will have on either side of the central corridor.
The benches
On the outside of each row of benches and on the side of the central aisle, you can tie flowers or any kind of fabric to embellish the place of your religious ceremony.
The altar
This is probably the most important element to decorate because you will say YES in this place. Install a beautiful floral arrangement such as a centerpiece to personalize it.
Dried and grassy flowers have been very popular in recent seasons. They bring a touch of modernity to your wedding. As an ornament, pretty flower assemblies can be made. Some of this kind are pampas, lunar white, poppy head, cotton flower, wheat, pope’s coin.
Secular wedding ceremony
For a secular marriage, you have “carte blanche” on absolutely everything! The advantage of this style of the ceremony is that you can create a universe from scratch and have fun with the decoration.
The place
The type of ideal venue depends on the type of wedding chosen: picnic on the beach, a banquet in a small renovated farm, a villa, a chateau, a trendy party in an old factory, a hotel in a beautiful French city, VIP evening in a palace, or even in Paris, the city of love. Your marriage must be like you. So, plan ahead before you start! Even if there is a lot of decoration and atmosphere in the organization of your wedding, there is nevertheless a schedule to respect.
You are free to choose the one that suits you, but the idea is to find a relatively strong place to try to distort it as little as possible.
The light
Be careful with sun exposure and take it into account for your photos. If you are getting married at the end of the day, why not add candles or fairy lights?
The arc
Acting as an altar, the arch can be one of the elements. You can give it the shape you want and for example, decorate it with flowers and fabric.
If you want an original flower decoration you can choose flowers like sunflowers, mimosas, iris, lilies, arums, and tulips. You know them well and yet it is rare to see them at weddings. These unusual flowers will stand out for their color and their unique shape.
Ceremonial path
The decoration is one of the elements that make a wedding exceptional. Since the ceremonial place is where you will say yes forever, it is important that it is beautiful. Besides the chairs, the decoration of the altar, or other, it is also imperative to decorate the altar aisle.
Vases of different sizes, potted plants, flowers, candles … let your creativity speak to define your ceremonial path to make a perfect entry.
So, which one do you prefer?