I was toying with the idea, because when I am there, my boyfriend might fly out and join me...
long story short we want to get married someday and i thought this would be a really romantic way to do it. If anyone on here has before, is it a difficult thing to set up? We were thinking to do it in Paris, which is where he will be flying in. My sister and her boyfriend will be there too.
Im sure its not like Vegas... wedding chapels everywhere... so any advice? (its still just a new idea...)
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Here's a link to more info: click hereIn countries such as France and Italy it is more difficult than most people think. It's definitely not like Vegas or Hawaii, more red tape for you as a non-resident, marriage laws are demanding in Italy and France, they don't encourage this kind of thing. A European based planner in the country you're thinking of is needed to take care of everything and will be costly.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9247 posts
The Las Vegas of Europe is Denmark. They have the easiest laws and will do your wedding in English and your certificate is in English too. The other option is Great Britain, but if neither one of you is British, at least one of you has to be in the country for I think 2 weeks after filing for permission to marry.
My husband and I went to Christenfeld in Denmark to marry and it was lovely. There are a lot of travel agencies that will handle all of your paperwork, reservations, etc. We used ABC Travel in Mannheim. If neither one of you has been married before, it is even easier. We arrived on Wed. morning, and got married on Fri. morning. I believe they have a one day option too, but it costs more.
Posted by
Halifax, N.S.
211 posts
If you want to get married in France, I would check out all the laws before hand, I remember reading a Times article a few months back that mentioned a lot of Japanese women liked to get "married" in Paris, but the ceremonies were not offical, becuase you have to have stayed in France a month before you could get married there...
Posted by
Seattle, WA
689 posts
We looked into this and found it's not very easy to elope in Europe. You won't be able to do it in Paris, because you need to be a French resident for 90 days to get married there (unless you bring your own legal officiant, I believe. Some people get "married" at the American Church but it isn't legal--you still have to come home and get legally married, so what's the point?). A number of other countries require all sorts of legal documents like your birth certificate translated into their language, etc etc. Plus, you are dealing with city halls and government bureaucracies--not tourist industry people--so you need to know the language of the country.
The way to do this, as mentioned above, is to get a planner who specializes in the country you want to get married in-they'll take care of the legal stuff. It will cost you $$ but that's what most people end up doing. These planner are all over the web so it wouldn't be hard to find one.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA, US
31 posts
That sounds so amazing! I know there are websites for planning your wedding in Italy, I found the link on this site actualy on the graffiti wall, so check that out. Also, Paris would be so pretty, I'm sure you can research and plan ahead if you want. Good luck!