A Date With Paris: Victoria and Joe’s Luxury Ritz Paris Elopement
A Vivienne Westwood gown, coffee to go, and a wedding day spent wandering through the streets of Paris.
Paris was always part of the story
For Victoria and Joe, Paris was never just another destination. After more than a decade together and countless visits from their home in New York, Paris had become a familiar part of their love story. It was a place filled with their own little traditions, favorite corners, and memories collected over the years.
So when it came time to get married, they wanted to do something that felt like them. So an intimate Paris elopement wedding was the obvious choice.
Their Paris wedding day was an intimate celebration of everything they loved about the city, beginning at the iconic Ritz Paris and unfolding through some of their most meaningful places: Avenue de New York, Pont Alexandre III, and finally, the Tuileries Garden, where they exchanged vows in a ceremony officiated by a longtime friend, Mike.
There was Victoria's Vivienne Westwood gown, Chanel heels, a quintessential New York coffee run, and plenty of moments that felt more like a date with Paris than a traditional wedding, which was exactly what they wanted it to feel like. This day had been over a year in the making, and I remember the first thing Victoria told me was that they wanted their Paris elopement to feel like "a date with Paris." And they wanted to have fun.
For couples dreaming of a luxury Paris elopement, Victoria and Joe' day is a beautiful reminder that an extraordinary wedding celebration doesn't have to be an elaborate or traditional affair. Sometimes, all you need is a city you love, a few thoughtfully chosen locations, and the freedom to celebrate exactly as you wish.
Where to elope in Paris: Locations for your Paris elopement
Paris is undeniably one of the most romantic cities in the world. With its historic architecture, grand boulevards, manicured gardens, and iconic landmarks, there is no shortage of beautiful settings for an intimate wedding or elopement.
But Paris is also one of the most photographed cities in the world, particularly when it comes to romance. And for me, I love capturing Paris elopements and weddings with a fresh editorial perspective, capturing my couples looking natural, but also looking incredibly chic. Many of my couples travel from abroad with a similar vision: they want the unmistakable beauty of Paris as their backdrop, but interpreted in a way that feels artistic, modern, and a little unexpected. And couples that work with me typically love how I photograph Paris with a film photography approach and fashion approach that does not feel overly familiar or cliché.
So, you ask, with an entire city of beautiful possibilities, where do you begin?
When planning a Paris elopement, I always encourage couples to look beyond the obvious landmarks and consider the places that hold personal meaning. Perhaps it's a Paris café where you spent an afternoon on your first trip together, a particular street you find yourselves returning to, or a garden you've always imagined exchanging vows in.
For Victoria and Joe, we curated a Paris elopement wedding itinerary that balanced the grandeur of Paris with the intimacy of their own story, and their favorite spots in Paris. Each Paris elopement location was chosen not only for its visual appeal, but for the memories and traditions they had built there over more than a decade together.
The result was a wedding day that felt effortlessly elegant, deeply personal, and entirely done their way. Below, I'm sharing a closer look at their celebration, along with some of my favorite Paris elopement locations and inspiration for creating a wedding day that feels uniquely yours.
1. The Ritz Paris: An Iconic Beginning to an Intimate Wedding Day
Very few hotels are as synonymous with Parisian elegance as the Ritz Paris.
Overlooking Place Vendôme in Paris' first arrondissement, the iconic Ritz Paris hotel has long been associated with the worlds of fashion, art, and old-world glamour. Its ornate interiors, intricate suites, and unmistakably Parisian character make it an extraordinary setting for intimate Paris elopement wedding photography.
Victoria and Joe began their elopement wedding day in one of the Ritz Paris' beautiful pink executive suites. With its delicate palette, intricate detailing, and soft natural light, their room was a dream setting for the morning's preparations. But beyond the beautiful interiors, what made these moments special was how relaxed everything felt.
There was time to have breakfast croissants, a coffee, and lounge in their Ritz robes, share a laugh while they enjoyed the quiet anticipation of the day ahead.
If you're planning a Ritz Paris wedding, you can find more Ritz Paris wedding tips here.
Bridal Fashion: Vivienne Westwood and Chanel
For her Paris elopement wedding look, Victoria chose a sculptural Vivienne Westwood gown paired with classic Chanel heels.
Known for their dramatic draping, corsetry, and unconventional approach to bridal design, Vivienne Westwood felt perfectly suited to the spirit of the day. The slightly structured silhouette brought a sense of modern romance, while the Chanel heels added another layer of understated Parisian elegance.
Against the ornate interiors of the Ritz Paris, Victoria specifically wanted a bridal look that felt modern, fun, and bold.
Paris elopement tip: If you're planning to stay and get ready at your Paris hotel suite, consider setting aside time for portraits inside your suite before heading outdoors. The contrast between intimate interior photographs and the vibe of the Parisian streets can add beautiful variety to your gallery. While public spaces in a Paris hotel may require permissions from staff, inside your suite is your own personal space during your stay. A great option for a couple wanting a more intimate, quiet, yet beautiful Paris elopement photography location.
2. Avenue de New York: Eiffel Tower Elopement Wedding Photos With a Personal Twist
Of all the locations we visited, Avenue de New York held perhaps the greatest sentimental significance.
Victoria and Joe have a tradition of taking a photograph together on this particular avenue every time they visit Paris. Named after their hometown, the street has become a small but meaningful ritual throughout their relationship. Year after year, they return to the same place, with the Eiffel Tower subtly hiding in the distance, to capture another chapter of their story.
Naturally, their Paris wedding day called for another Avenue de New York moment.
Only this time, Victoria was wearing Vivienne Westwood and her wedding veil. There is something especially beautiful about returning to a familiar place on a day that marks such a significant new beginning.
Avenue de New York offers one of the most recognizable views of the Eiffel Tower and the Seine, it's a Paris location that feels perfect for couples hoping to incorporate the Eiffel Tower into their elopement photographs in a way that feels both modern and classic at once. Victoria and Joe also specifically loved that it felt much more subtle than other Paris elopement locations featuring the Eiffel Tower that feel overly loud or obvious.
And what I particularly love about this location is its versatility. Depending on the angle, the composition can feel grand and cinematic or relaxed and distinctly Parisian.
For Victoria and Joe, it was both.
Paris elopement tip: If the Eiffel Tower is on your Paris elopement wedding photography wishlist, consider incorporating it into your day in a way that feels natural. Rather than dedicating your entire session to just the tower itself, we can explore the surrounding streets, riverside views, and architecture to create a more varied collection of photographs that still feel very quintessentially Paris.
3. Pont Alexandre III: A Grand Parisian Backdrop for Editorial Elopement Wedding Portraits
From Avenue de New York, on our way to a coffee spot, we made a spontaneous stop to another of Victoria and Joe's favorite places: Pont Alexandre III.
Connecting the Champs-Élysées area with the Invalides, Pont Alexandre III is widely considered one of the most beautiful bridges in Paris. With its gilded sculptures, ornate Art Nouveau lamps (that remind me of Beauty and the Beast), and sweeping views over the Seine, the bridge is a well-known location for Paris wedding photography.
For couples searching for elegant Paris elopement photo locations, it is difficult to imagine a more striking backdrop. What makes Pont Alexandre III particularly interesting as a Paris elopement location is the contrast between its formal architecture and the spontaneous moments that unfold within it.
For Victoria and Joe, whose Paris elopement wedding vision leaned toward editorial, playful, and fashion-forward rather than traditionally posed wedding photographs, it was the perfect setting.
Their Pont Alexandre III wedding photographs have a sense of playfulness and ease, because Victoria and Joe let the scene do the work, while they just took it all in.
Paris elopement tip: Pont Alexandre III is especially beautiful for couples drawn to fashion-inspired wedding photography. Its sculptural details and monumental scale create opportunities for dramatic compositions, while the surrounding riverbanks offer a softer contrast. You can also see the Eiffel Tower peaking out in the distance. It is also a location that works amazingly well for sunrise and golden hour and sunsets.
4. A Parisian Boulangerie Coffee Run: The Beauty of a Prop
Not every moment of your Paris elopement day needs a famous landmark. In fact, some of my favorite photographs from a Paris wedding day are often the simplest, small, in-between moments. For Victoria and Joe, that meant embracing the inner New Yorkers in them and stopping for takeaway coffee.
As New Yorkers, coffee is practically a love language, and incorporating a little coffee run into their wedding day felt entirely fitting. And there is something so chic about a bride in a Vivienne Westwood gown walking through Paris with a paper coffee cup in hand. It's a little unexpected, effortlessly stylish, and absolutely iconic.
These interesting, Paris portraits are the fun, Paris elopement moments I love documenting because they bring a sense of personality to your Paris wedding day photographs. They create a beautiful contrast between the formality of wedding attire and the everyday rituals that make a relationship feel familiar.
For couples planning an intimate elopement wedding in Paris, this is one of the greatest luxuries of eloping: the freedom to make the day whatever you want it to be.
You should stop for an espresso. Wander into a flower shop. Share a pastry at your favorite boulangerie. Take a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood. All in your wedding attire.
Paris elopement tip: Every corner of Paris feels photogenic - so if you tell me elements you want to add into your day, I'm always happy to be on the lookout for beautiful locations (like this cafe), that we can stop at. But also be sure to build a little breathing room into your itinerary for spontaneous stops if we see something beautiful along the way.
5. Tuileries Garden: An Intimate Wedding Ceremony in the Heart of Paris
Our final destination was the Tuileries Garden, where Victoria and Joe celebrated their marriage in an intimate ceremony officiated by a longtime friend.
The Jardin des Tuileries is one of the city's most iconic historic gardens, with its tree-lined pathways, elegant sculptures, and beautifully symmetrical landscaping offer a sense of tranquility amid the energy of central Paris.
For couples who love the idea of an outdoor Paris elopement, the gardens provide a romantic setting that feels both intimate and unmistakably Parisian. But what made Victoria and Joe's ceremony so memorable wasn't simply the setting. It was the familiarity of having someone who knew them personally lead the celebration.
After a day spent revisiting meaningful places throughout Paris, their Paris elopement ceremony felt like a natural continuation of their story.
There was no need for an elaborate production. Just two people, more than a decade of shared memories, and the joy of marking a new chapter together, in a place that has always felt special to them.
It was an incredibly beautiful way to end their date with Paris, and to mark the beginning of their next chapter.
Paris elopement tip: The Tuileries is a beautiful location for wedding portraits and a short symbolic ceremony. Couples eloping in Paris from abroad typically choose to do the legal paperwork in their home country first. That way, the ceremony in Paris can be special and symbolic, without the hassle.
A Fashion-Forward Paris Elopement, Captured on Film and Digital
From the beginning, Victoria and Joe envisioned Paris wedding photographs that felt playful, modern, and a little unconventional. They were never looking for a collection of traditional wedding portraits. They wanted images that reflected their personalities and the experience of spending their wedding day together in Paris.
Their Paris wedding inspiration leaned toward fashion editorials, cinematic imagery, rich colors, and candid moments.
To bring that Paris, editorial vision to life, I photographed their elopement using a combination of film and digital photography.
Film wedding photography is at the heart of my work. I'm drawn to its distinctive color palette, beautiful rendering of light, and the subtle imperfections that give photographs their character.
Paired with digital photography, it allows me to create a gallery that feels cohesive yet varied, moving between quiet, intimate moments and more expressive, fashion-inspired imagery.
For Victoria and Joe, this meant Paris wedding photographs that embraced both the grandeur of their surroundings and the small, unscripted interactions that made their day so personal.
A quiet moment in their Ritz suite. The familiar ritual of a photograph on Avenue de New York. A coffee run in wedding attire. The joy of celebrating their marriage in one of Paris's most beautiful gardens. Together, these moments tell a story that feels much more interesting than a series of perfectly posed portraits that didn't capture how their day felt.
Planning your Paris Elopement: How much Photography Time Do You Need?
One of the questions I often receive from couples planning a Paris elopement is how much time they should set aside for photography, especially when they want to visit several locations.
While Paris is a wonderfully walkable city, its most iconic landmarks are spread across different neighborhoods. Traveling between locations, navigating busy streets, and allowing time for spontaneous moments can all influence how the day unfolds.
The ideal amount of coverage depends on whether you're planning a simple portrait session or a more complete elopement experience.
2-3 Hours: An Intimate Paris Portrait Experience
For couples who want to focus primarily on portraits, two to three hours can be a lovely amount of time to explore one or two nearby locations.
This might mean beginning at the Louvre and wandering through the surrounding streets, or capturing the Eiffel Tower from Avenue de New York before heading toward the Seine.
Keeping locations relatively close allows us to spend more time creating photographs and less time traveling across the city.
This option is particularly well suited to couples who have already celebrated their marriage elsewhere and want a beautiful collection of portraits in Paris.
4-5 Hours: A More Complete Elopement Story
For couples hoping to include getting-ready photographs, several portrait locations, and an intimate ceremony, four to five hours can offer a more complete experience.
With thoughtful planning, we can capture the quieter moments at your hotel, explore a few beautiful Parisian settings, and document your ceremony without the day feeling overly rushed.
This is also where having a carefully planned route becomes especially important.
Rather than choosing locations based solely on popularity, I like to consider how they connect geographically, how the light changes throughout the day, and what each setting contributes to the overall gallery.
6+ Hours: A Wedding Day With Room to Wander
For couples who envision their elopement as a full experience rather than simply a ceremony and portraits, six hours or more provides greater flexibility.
Perhaps you'd like to begin with a slow morning at the Ritz, spend the afternoon exploring your favorite neighborhoods, exchange vows in an intimate setting, and finish with champagne or dinner as Paris lights up for the evening.
Longer coverage also allows us to explore different moods and lighting conditions, from the softness of daylight to the cinematic atmosphere of Paris after dark.
The goal isn't necessarily to visit more places. It's to have the freedom to enjoy the ones you choose.
These are general planning guidelines rather than fixed itineraries. The number of locations we can comfortably visit will depend on your ceremony, transportation, timing, and the overall experience you envision.
Planning Your Own Paris Elopement?
I'm a Paris-based wedding and elopement photographer specializing in intimate celebrations, fashion-forward imagery, and a blend of film and digital photography.
My approach is rooted in creating photographs that feel cinematic, artful, and deeply personal, with an emphasis on the people, atmosphere, and fleeting moments that make each celebration unique.
Whether you're envisioning an intimate Ritz Paris elopement, a romantic ceremony in a historic Parisian setting, or an unconventional wedding day spent exploring your favorite corners of the city, I'd love to hear about it.
If you're looking for other Paris elopement location inspiration, Liza and Ben also had chosen unique Paris locations for their Paris elopement.
