How to Plan A Destination Wedding In France: Everything You Need To Know

Start planning your wedding at least one year in advance. The wedding season runs for only a few months of the year (see question 2) and popular wedding venues take bookings for up to two years in advance. The earlier you start planning, the higher the chances that you find the wedding venue of your dreams!

Also, we recommend visiting your location in advance, ideally during the same time of the year as your wedding, meaning the visit is best scheduled for one year in advance. Because you need to arrange your visits, we recommend giving yourself a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 18 months to plan your wedding.

The best times of the year to get married in France are spring, summer, and early fall, so the months of May, June, Juli, August, and (early) September.

When deciding on a wedding date, here are a few things to consider:

1. Expect to pay higher rates when booking a wedding venue in July or August.
   French summer holidays (“Vacances d’été”) typically start in early- to mid-July and end in late August. This is the busiest season for wedding venues, wedding vendors, hotels, flights, or rental car companies. Not surprisingly, a wedding during the French summer holidays comes at a higher cost.
   
2. The South of France gets very hot during July and August.
   We visited our wedding venue in mid-July and it was hot outside at 95°F / 35°c. If you decide to have your wedding in summer, start the ceremony in the late afternoon to avoid the heat of the day.
   May, June, and September offer slightly milder temperatures but are typically still blessed with a lot of sunshine.
   There is a higher risk of rain during spring and fall, but the French have a saying: “mariage pluvieux, mariage heureux” –  rainy wedding, happy marriage!
   
3. Weekends are generally more expensive than weekday weddings.
   Wedding venues are usually fully booked on weekends but have plenty of availability during weekdays. For the budget-conscious, organizing a weekday wedding can save you thousands of dollars.
   
4. The lavender season typically starts in mid-June and lasts about a month.
   To take fairytale-like wedding photos in seemingly never-ending lavender fields, make sure your wedding date falls into the lavender season. Our recommendation: the last week of June, right before the French summer holidays.

Expect to spend a minimum of US$20,000 for a small wedding (25 guests), not including flight and transportation costs. 

For more on the subject of cost, read our articles on

• “How Much Does a Chateau Wedding in France Cost?“, and
• A full cost breakdown of an all-inclusive wedding in France.

It is possible to celebrate a small wedding in France for US$10,000 or less, but it is not easy and requires a lot of DIY. Check out this blog post that lists out strategies to keep your budget at US$10k or less.

Our website contains dozens of wedding venues in the South of France: from romantic chateaus to charming countryside houses. Browse through venues here.

We recommend visiting your venue at least once before making a final decision. Photos, videos, or virtual walkthroughs do not compare to the impressions gained from an on-site visit. 

Prepare your on-site visit well by compiling a list of questions. Take a video of the entire location, including its on-site accommodation, rooms for use by the caterer, or parking during your visit. This video will be an invaluable resource once you get to the detailed planning of your wedding!

First and foremost, you should decide whether the venue meets your criteria in terms of atmosphere, vibe, and surroundings.

Secondly, use the opportunity to speak to the location owner or manager and decide whether you find them a trustworthy and reliable partner for your wedding preparation.

Ask about their communication style: once you are back in your home country (with a time zone difference to France), communication can be difficult. We prefer working with responsive venue owners who have detailed documentation of their venue and who don’t mind answering questions on WhatsApp, for example. 

Once you have chosen your wedding venue, the real work starts. It is time to find your wedding vendors, such as photographers, videographers, a DJ, a band, a caterer, florists, decorations, or a nearby vineyard that can supply wine and champagne. 

Most venues have a directory of wedding vendors that they have worked with before but don’t count on this.

In our case, the directory given to us was just a one-page Word document with few choices, and some vendors were already booked on our date. But don’t panic: there are other ways to find wedding vendors, such as Instagram.

Yes, it is possible to find a wedding venue for the same year. France is a popular wedding destination, but sometimes venues have last-minute cancellations and offer steep discounts on their regular pricing for those who can step in.

Contact venues to ask about any cancellations or same-season availability, and make sure to negotiate the rate if booking at short notice.

We found finding and communicating with our vendors to be the most difficult part of planning a destination wedding in France.

Except for our DJ and photographer, none of our vendors was available on WhatsApp. Instead, all communication took place via email or on the phone. This made communication slow and inefficient.

Also, some documents given to us were only available in French, such as our caterer’s menu. Google Translate helped, but figuring out what French dishes are in English (without photos) was tough.

Nevertheless, we celebrated a wonderful wedding in the South of France and cherish the memories made with our family and friends!