Two people, a mairie or a garden, and nobody to perform for. Elopements and small ceremonies photographed in Paris and across France.
An elopement is not a smaller wedding. It is a different thing entirely — no seating plan, no schedule to defend, no obligation to anyone who is not standing there.
That changes how it should be photographed. There is more time and less noise, so the photographs can be quieter and slower, and we can actually walk somewhere rather than being marched between venues.
I photograph civil ceremonies at Paris town halls, symbolic ceremonies in gardens and courtyards, and small celebrations of a dozen people or fewer.
A legal wedding in France takes place at the mairie of the arrondissement or commune, conducted by the mayor or a deputy, and it is short — often under twenty minutes.
Rules on photography, guest numbers and paperwork are set by each mairie; confirm them directly and well in advance.
Elopement coverage runs up to four hours, depending on whether there is a ceremony to cover or only the two of you and the city.
A shorter session is enough for portraits in one or two locations. A longer one lets us cross the river, change light, and stop somewhere for an hour without watching the clock.
Around 150 to 200 edited photographs, every one selected and edited by hand.
Delivery takes 3 to 4 weeks.
Yes. Normandy, the Loire, Provence and the Alps are all within reach, and I travel internationally.
No travel fee applies within Île-de-France. Anything further is quoted before you book.
What it costs
from€1,200
Elopement
Up to 4 hours
Up to four hours, across as many locations as the time allows · Around 150 to 200 edited photographs, every one selected and edited by hand · Coverage of a mairie ceremony where the mairie permits it.
Locations
The best elopement locations are the ones you can hold for an hour without a crowd forming, which rules out most of the obvious answers in the middle of the day.
Answers
Yes. French law requires between two and four witnesses, all adults, chosen by you and named to the mairie in advance. Settle it well before the date — it is not something to leave to the week before.
Yes. Coverage is shorter, so it costs less than a full day — elopement coverage starts at €1,200 against €3,200 for a full wedding day.
Whatever you would actually want to look at in twenty years. Paris is very good to plain fabric and very unkind to anything that creases.
Planning a wedding, an elopement or a session in Paris? Tell me the date and the place, and I will tell you honestly whether I am the right photographer for it.
