Getting married in France
Bas Uijlings has been photographing and filming weddings for 24 years, capturing more than 600 weddings worldwide. As a destination wedding photographer, he travels with his team throughout Europe and far beyond to document complete wedding weekends. Not just the ceremony, but the entire story: from the welcome dinner to the final moments on the dance floor.
Why get married in France?
France is one of the most popular countries for a destination wedding. Not only because of the climate and accessibility, but primarily because a wedding here easily transforms into a complete weekend shared with family and friends.
Many couples choose a château, estate, luxury villa, or boutique hotel where everyone stays together for several days. An informal evening upon arrival, the wedding day itself, and a relaxed brunch the following morning ensure your wedding becomes much more than just a single day.
Provence
Lavender fields, ancient stone villages, olive trees, and historic manor houses make Provence perfect for romantic multi-day weddings.
South of France
From luxury hotels and villas to hidden villages and spectacular coastal locations: the South of France offers an enormous variety of wedding venues.
Châteaux & Estates
France boasts hundreds of historic châteaux and estates where you can stay with all your guests and celebrate a full wedding weekend together.
A wedding in France
A wedding in France means days of togetherness, long dinners under the stars, historic castles, hidden villages, and impressive landscapes. From Provence and the Côte d’Azur to Bordeaux, the Dordogne, and Paris: France offers an unparalleled variety of possibilities for a destination wedding.
For couples getting married in France, this means one experienced Dutch team for photography and film, accustomed to international weddings, multi-day productions, and working at extraordinary locations.
An experienced team for your wedding in France
A destination wedding requires a different approach than a wedding close to home. You are working at an unfamiliar location, often with an extensive program spread over several days and with vendors from different countries.
Bas Uijlings and his team specialize in capturing complete destination weddings. With 24 years of experience and more than 600 weddings worldwide, we know how to adapt quickly, work independently, and simultaneously blend seamlessly into your day.
We don’t just capture the big moments. It is precisely the small interactions between family and friends, the atmosphere of the location, the light at the end of the day, and everything that happens when no one is looking at the camera that together form the complete story.
A real wedding in the South of France
This wedding of Sanne and Yoeri perfectly illustrates why getting married in France is so special. Not a program crammed into a single day, but a complete weekend where family and friends come together to enjoy several days.
From a relaxed welcome evening and the preparations on the wedding day to champagne after the ceremony, an extensive lunch, a photo shoot in a French village, and a party that continued late into the night.
The wedding weekend begins before the wedding day
One of the great advantages of marrying in France is that your guests are not just present for a few hours. Everyone travels to the same location, and the weekend often begins the evening before the wedding.
For Sanne and Yoeri, this meant dining together, having drinks, and relaxing at the hotel. Exactly those informal moments that are often missing from a standard wedding day, but which make a destination wedding so personal.
The wedding day in France
On the wedding day itself, a completely different atmosphere often arises compared to a traditional wedding. Everyone stays on or near the location, allowing the morning to begin quietly with much more time for preparations.
For Sanne and Yoeri, the day began relaxedly at the hotel, after which everyone departed for the small French church for the ceremony.
Marrying at an extraordinary location in France
It is the locations that make France so suitable for a destination wedding. A historic hotel, château, private estate, or small village can form the backdrop for your complete wedding weekend.
During this wedding, the groom traveled with his friends in a classic Citroën Méhari to the church. A small detail, but exactly the kind of moment that gives a destination wedding its own character.
Champagne, dinner, and enjoying together
After the ceremony, there is finally time to relax. Champagne on the village square, an extensive lunch or dinner, and above all, plenty of time with the people you brought to France specifically for this wedding.
Wedding photography in France
France offers extraordinary spots for wedding photos everywhere. An old village, a deserted road between vineyards, a historic square, or an impressive landscape: you often don’t have to travel far from the wedding venue to find a completely different setting.
During this wedding, we went out briefly through a French town after lunch. The reportage was even featured that same evening on SBS6 Shownieuws.
The wedding party in France
A destination wedding usually doesn’t end after dinner. Precisely because everyone stays together on location, the party can continue as long as you wish. Live music, a DJ, and a dance floor full of friends and family complete the final hours of the day.
Practical tips for getting married in France
If you want to get married in France, it is wise to look closely at the legal possibilities beforehand. A ceremony in France is not automatically the same as a legal marriage.
Many couples choose to arrange the legal marriage in their home country and organize a personal ceremony in France. This often gives you much more freedom in the location and the details of your day.
For up-to-date information on official regulations, we always refer to the relevant government authorities.
Our experience with destination weddings
France is just one of the destinations where we capture weddings. Also view our extensive information and experiences regarding getting married abroad and destination weddings.
There you will find more inspiration about marrying in extraordinary destinations and how we provide photography and film during complete wedding weekends in Europe and worldwide.
Frequently asked questions about getting married in France
The costs of a wedding in France vary greatly by region, location, and number of guests. In addition to the wedding venue, accommodation, catering, transport, and vendors play an important role. For photography and film, we always create a proposal that aligns with your program and the number of days we are present.
Yes, but the conditions for a legal marriage in France differ from a ceremonial wedding. Many couples arrange the legal marriage in their home country and then organize a personal ceremony in France. Always check the current information from the government for your specific situation.
That depends on your program. At many destination weddings, we photograph and film not only the wedding day but also the welcome dinner, an activity with guests, or the brunch afterwards. It is precisely those extra moments that make the story of a wedding weekend complete.
No. Bas Uijlings photographs destination weddings in France, Spain, Italy, Austria, and other destinations worldwide. With 24 years of experience and more than 600 weddings, the team is accustomed to international productions.
Yes. We can provide photography and film with one experienced team. As a result, the photographer and filmmakers work in full synergy, creating one consistent visual record of your complete wedding.
Are you getting married in France?
Tell us where and when you are getting married and what your plans are. We would love to brainstorm with you about the photography and film for your complete wedding weekend.
From the first evening with your guests to the final moment on the dance floor.
