Planning a Paris wedding

The OP has indicated the legal wedding will happen at home.

I don't know where the Marriotts are located, but the little island next to Notre Dame, Ile St. Louis, would be the perfect place to stay. There are several hotels on the Ile, as well as some rental apartments. If you decide to go the apartment route, be sure it is appropriately registered. The number will appear on the listing.

Paris is broken up into arrondissments, or districts. Notre Dame is in the 4th. Anywhere in the 4th, 5th and 6th would be the most convenient and I always recommend them as the most central locations for first time visitors.

1. The wedding will be in the gardens at Notre Dame. How important is it to stay near there?

I can´t imagine that it would be important in the least. Notre Dame (and I assume you mean Notre Dame de Paris because there are a number of other Nortre Dames) is centrally located in the city and easily available by public transportation from almost anywhere in Paris.

1. I'd welcome recommendations for apartment or other AirBNB that is near a Marriott

I can think of at least 3 Marriotts in Paris just off the top of my head. To which one are you referring?

1. We think we have a photographer but will be booking a hair/makeup stylist. Suggestions?

There is no shortage of hair/makup stylists in Paris. Do you have a budget in mind?

1. Finally, how long can we risk waiting to book accommodations and airfare.

Usually, the earlier the better. I have seen a number of options well under the $1000 and overall, airfares are currently much lower than they have been over the last 5 years or so.

I had Onorina Jomir do my makeup for a photo shoot we had in Paris this past June. She did a great job and I would recommend her. If you google her name her website will pop up.

None of the Marriotts appears to be close to Notre Dame, but they also have access to all the Starwood properties with their Marriot points, now that the two are merged. So include Westin, Sheraton, Renaissance, etc. The closest might be the elegant Hotel les Bains in the 3rd, 0.8 mile from Notre Dame.

Have them choose a hotel first, and then you can look for an apartment nearby. Make sure you understand the possible issues of booking an apartment in Paris. You want to make sure it is a legal vacation rental.

Lola, a couple of people have mentioned this. How does one find out if it's a legal vacation rental apartment. I have been researching on AirBNB assuming those would be. Is that not a safe assumption?

Apparently not. Air BandB does not take responsibility for determining whether the units offered are legal rentals under Paris law.

Paris, like many other cities now, regulates the vacation apartment industry, with regulations regarding ownership,mresidence, total time the apartment can be let out in a year, etc., and also requires registration for identification and tax purposes. I am not the person to tell you how to determine is a rental is legal, but there are others here who can. Maybe start a separate discussion on that Topic?

It is my understanding that short-term rentals must include a 13-digit number that begins with 75. The one listing service I know of that includes that number in all listings in booking.com.

" I'd welcome recommendations for apartment or other AirBNB that is near a Marriott -- the groom's family has Marriott points they'd like to spend."
What size apartment? How many people will be staying in the apartment and what is the budget? Anyone in your group with mobility issues?

"Finally, how long can we risk waiting to book accommodations and airfare. A year out, airfare is VERY high." Airfare and accommodations are going to be expensive in the summer because you are traveling in peak season. I buy 6 to 9 months before travel date when I am able but earlier this year I found the cheapest tickets that I have ever bought to go to Paris in early June for travel in early August.

Are you using an officiant or somebody from Notre Dame? If you need an officiant I suggest Laura at http://www.theparisofficiant.com/ my friends had a ceremonial wedding in May and she was fantastic.

We had our hair done at Jean Marc Joubert at 9 Rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris. They were lovely there after very disappointing treatment at Jean Louis David around the corner. I am sure they have a makeup artist recommendation.

Look for the 13 digit registration number on the Airbnb. We stayed at one on Etienne Marcel - 2 bed, 2 bath with registration but the down side was there was a club up the street so Saturday nights were very loud until 5 am then the cleaning crew came at 6 am so I would hesitate to recommend it.

I would book at least by end of October for summer so you will have a better choice. My travel companions didn't want to book for May until February and we got what was left (hence the loud nightclub).