For Men Only: A Travel Gift for Valentine’s Day She’ll Never Forget

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They’re not just pictures in a photo book – they’re my most precious memories.
This is who we are.

Source: Shutterfly.com/photo-books

If you and your significant other like to travel, what better gift than a personalized photo book as a keepsake for those memories? Shutterfly offers you three options: Custom Path, Simple Path, or Make My Book — to organize your book.

Custom Path
*Your book, your way, with many choices of layouts. Click here to view their “Bon Voyage” layout.
*1-30 pictures per page (1000 max.)
*7 sizes, starting under $15.00.

Simple Path
*Pictures arranged for you, which you can rearrange and add captions.
*More than 40 styles with preset backgrounds and layouts.
*1-30 pictures per page (1000 max.)
*7 sizes, starting under $15.00.

Make My Book
*Their designers do the layout.
*Choose your size and style.
*Upload your photos.
*Ready for your review in 3 days.
To make your Valentine’s Day gift complete, you can get a gift box and a dust cover for your book.

You can even create your photo book on an iPad online or offline, edit it and order from your computer. Chick here for more information.

While there are other websites to create a photo book, Shutterfly was voted the best website to do so by Good Housekeeping.

It also gets Elsa’s seal of approval for a thoughtful gift.

 

Au revoir!

 

Image by CanStockPhoto.

French Wink: The Go-to U.S. Online Boutique For French Items

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Missed the Paris January sales but still want to shop for French things in the U.S.? French Wink offers French products from French artisans who want to break into the U.S. market.

Source: French Wink: An Online Co-Op with a Certain Je ne Sais Quoi – French Morning

French Wink = French Style.

French Wink = French Style.

French Wink is the brainchild of Claire Obry and Emilie Chassagne, two French women who wanted to help small French businesses break into the U.S. market.

One look at products featured on their website is enough to convince you of their products’ French authenticity: A pair of red shiny shoes (called “Sheen” by Laureymondie) is the first product you see, with the purr-fect “Stand out from the crowd” enticing you to look closer. While many women in Washington I know might be hesitant — God forbid they stand out in a crowd — a French woman knows that a few pricey, high quality, stand-out items elevate everything else in her wardrobe.

For $581.00, the red shiny shoes better. Though they are hand-made by the House of Lareymondie, whose philosophy is a quote by Vivienne Westwood: “Buy less, choose well, make it last.” This is the essence of French style.

But French Wink sells more than pricey shoes or cashmere sweaters from Hector & Lola. They offer men’s furnishings and shoes, items for the home, works of art, furniture — they even offer an iPad app called “Experience Paris” that allows a user to interact with the city of Paris. Are you stuck in traffic and want to get away from it all? With this app, you can take the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower, walk across Pont Alexandre III, or make it snow on Montmartre. See the app here.

French Wink offers Americans authentic French ware for those who love the French way of life but can’t jump on a plane just now to go on a shopping trip to Paris. I wonder if they still have those red shiny shoes in my size.

 

Au revoir!

 

Image of blonde woman winking by Marina Funtikov, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. All other images from FrenchWink.com.

Destination Wedding in Paris: Reception Venue

Planning the reception for a destination wedding in Paris is likely the toughest part of the entire process, simply because there are so many details to coordinate from a distance. If you don’t have a planner helping you, arm yourself with reception checklists and feedback from others to check you haven’t forgotten anything. Like a proofreader of a book, it’s good to have a second pair of eyes to review what you’ve planned.

Raph & John selected Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel Paris as their reception venue for a romantic and elegant setting.

Raph & John selected the Opera Ballroom at Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel Paris as their reception venue for a romantic and elegant setting.

Hopefully, you’re getting an idea as to where to hold your ceremony in Paris (see my previous post in this series), and now you’re thinking of a reception venue to complement it in theme and tone.

While researching for this post, I realized I could probably write a small book on planning a destination wedding’s reception. (And perhaps I will!) There are so many checklists and books with checklists and magazines with checklists out there! (Whew!) It’s been tough to wade through them all. I decided to think like (an older) bride would: I went to a bookstore to see what they had available in the planning-a-wedding department. They had plenty of bridal magazines (I bought two), and they offered a few wedding planning booklets (soft cover books): Unbelievably, I didn’t think the destination wedding booklet was very informative because it didn’t give much specific information on planning a wedding in France. Instead, I bought Modern Wedding Planner from modernwedding.com.au (that “au” is for Australia, folks). Do you think I’m ridiculous for purchasing a wedding planner meant to plan a wedding in Australia, when I’m writing about Paris? Before you pass judgement, take a look at it. It is 128-pages on virtually every topic a newly-engaged bride needs to know about planning her big day — and yes, it contains checklists galore. The section on planning a reception is very informative and a lot of information for someone to absorb if they’ve never planned an event before. (That doesn’t include me, by the way.) It made me realize that this post should be more about opening your eyes to the possibilities of reception venues in Paris, with a few key questions.

I bought the Modern Wedding Planner because it is so informative and well-organized.

I bought the Modern Wedding Planner because it is so informative and well-organized.

Most of the information I found on the internet about planning a destination wedding in France was about planners who would plan it for you — not do-it-yourself information. In my view, even if you hire a wedding planner to do it for you, you should still have an overall idea of what you want your day to look like. Working with a wedding planner is best when it is collaborative with a give-and-take, and not just a planner asking you questions.

Key questions for possible reception venues:
1. How many people does your venue hold?
2. Do you have your own caterer, or do I have to hire my own?
3. Do you have a list of vendors you often work with? (This can save you time.)
4. If indoors: How many people sit at each table? (Called “rounds of 10” if a table seats 10 people.)
5. If outdoors: What provisions do you make in case of rain? (More than a light sprinkling.)
6. What is your cancellation policy?
7. How many guests are served by each waiter?
8. Are there places for the wedding party to change?
9. How many bathrooms serve the guests?
10. What is the time limit for my reception?

 

Here are three types of reception venues in Paris:

1.Rooftop Terrace

The breathtaking view from the Shangri-La's rooftop terrace.

The breathtaking view from the Shangri-La’s rooftop terrace.

Shangri-La Hotel Paris
10 Avenue d’Iena
75116 Paris

Phone: +33 01 53 67 19 98 (Hotel)
+33 01 53 67 19 38 (Weddings)

Metro: Iena, Line 9

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines shangri-la as “a remote, beautiful, imaginary place where life approaches perfection: utopia.” James Hilton originated the word as a paradise four travelers find in the Tibetan mountains in his 1933 novel entitled “Lost Horizon.” With that as background, you should expect the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris to be very luxurious — and very pricey. Their rooftop terrace is available for rental for events during the summer months.

They do not give a minimum number of people required to rent space, nor do they advertise on their website that they rent out their terrace (that I saw): it looks like this is one of those details you can only find out from someone who lives in Paris, as I did. Click here for Shangri-La’s Wedding page; you’ll see several links, including a Start Proposal Request link. Write in the comments that you’d like to rent the terrace for “X” number of people, and inquire as to whether you have your choice of catering from any of their three restaurants: La Bauhinia, which offers Asian/French fare and has a casual atmosphere; L’Abeille, which offers authentic French gourmet, or Shang Palace, which offers authentic Chinese (Cantonese) food. All three restaurants are under the helm of Executive Chef Christophe Moret; each of the latter two have a
1-star rating in the Michelin Guide.

 

Mama Shelter

Mama Shelter offers a less formal atmosphere in the 20th arrondissement.

Mama Shelter offers a less formal atmosphere in the 20th arrondissement.

109 rue de Bagnolet
75020 Paris

Phone: +33 01 43 48 48 48 (Hotel)
+33 01 43 48 48 08 (Events)

Email: events.paris@mamashelter.com

Metro: Alexandre Dumas

Mama Shelter is, in the mind of this writer, an ultra-hip hotel with a millennial vibe located in the 20th arrondissement (Gambetta); the 20th is itself in transition from being an old working-class neighborhood to one with renewed life as the younger set moves in. The 20th arrondissement is most known by tourists as the location of Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Mama Shelter is not as luxurious as the Shangri-La, but it also isn’t as pricey. To privatize the Rooftop Restaurant, they list:

For 15 people or less, 1035 euros ($1,121.00) TTC
For 16 people or more, 69 euros ($74.73) per person, TTC

Click here for their Rooftop Restaurant menu for groups. Note they also can provide Add-Ons.

Click here for their “Instant Quote ” link.

Note: TTC in French means toutes taxes comprises, or “Grand Total.” In other words, all taxes, including VAT, are included in the price.

2.Hotel

Compare this picture of the event room in the Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel, with the one above of Raph & John's reception. What a difference their color choices make.

Compare this picture of the Opera Ballroom in the Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel with the one above of Raph & John’s reception. What a difference their color choices make.

Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel Paris
2 rue Scribe
75009 Paris

Phone: +33 01 40 07 32 32 (Hotel)
+33 01 40 07 35 35 (Sales/Events)

Email: parhbevent@ihg.com

Metro: Opera

The Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel Paris, also known as “Le Grand Hotel,” opened in 1862 and is classified as historic. How grand is Le Grand Hotel? It has hosted royalty and public figures throughout its long history, and has been the subject of novels. It is also the setting of Roman Polanski’s 1988 film “Frantic,” starring Harrison Ford.

Unfortunately, while they offer a section on Meetings/Events (and “Weddings” is a subset of this) along with a Request a Quote link, when you click on the link you only see information on corporate meetings and events; for weddings, they seem to prefer contact by email. They do not have a full-fledged Wedding section where you can learn about wedding services. I have notified them of my findings and that this makes it hard for couples to investigate what they have to offer. Though, in all honesty, this could also be to purposely limit the number of people they have to get back to: only seriously interested people will take the time to email an inquiry.

They do offer the menu of their Cafe de la Paix online, and their Discovery Menu is 82 euros ($88.81) per person, TTC; this might give you an idea as to how much you’ll pay (for food) for an event.

 

The Maison des Polytechniciens is lit up for the "Forfait Passion" wedding package.

The Maison des Polytechniciens is lit up for the “Forfait Passion” wedding package.

3.Garden

The Maison des Polytechniciens
12 rue de Poitiers
75007 Paris

Phone: +33 01 49 54 74 74

Metro: Solferino, Line 12
RER: Musee d’Orsay

The Maison des Polytechniciens is an 18th century mansion built in the Second Empire Style, and is a short walk from Musee d’Orsay. It’s located in the 7th arrondissement, about a 10 minute drive from with Eiffel Tower. For a minimum of 100 people, it can be privately let (rented), and can accommodate 250 people for a sit-down dinner and up to 600 people for cocktails. Le Poulpry, headed by Chef Ygor Swietlik, is the on-site restaurant that provides catering; it is rated #1,813 of 13,924 restaurants in Paris by TripAdvisor reviewers, which I consider pretty impressive.

But what really got my attention is the garden with a terrace and the availability of air-conditioned tents. Writers shouldn’t let their pre-conceived ideas to influence their writing, and I have to admit here my general reluctance to feature gardens as a wedding venue because…what would you do if it rains? Still, even though I wouldn’t want a garden as a wedding venue (okay, I admit: I hate bugs), many other people wouldn’t care if it rained and thundered on their ceremony, or if they had a beetle crawling up their leg while being congratulated for marrying the person of their dreams. I love the outdoors — to a point. Not in bridal dress or formal wear. But with air-conditioned tents available, rain and bugs would be no problem.

Maison des Polytechniciens offers three wedding packages:

*Forfait Tendresse (Tenderness)        173 euros per person, TTC
*Forfait Bonheur (Happiness)            183 euros per person, TTC
*Forfait Passion (Passion)                   199 euros per person, TTC

Notes: “Forfait” means “flat rate.” Also, these quotes are to rent the entire Maison; ask if you can rent just the gardens, if that is your desire.

The wedding packages vary according to their menu.

 

Au revoir!

 

 

 

Image of Raph & John’s reception at the Opera Ballroom of Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel Paris by Agence Tophos, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of Modern Wedding Planner from modernweddings.com.au, CCBY 2.0. Image of Shangri-La Rooftop Terrace by Wicker Paradise, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of Mama Shelter Rooftop Terrace from mamashelter.com, CCBY 2.0. Image of Opera Ballroom at the Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel Paris by Twiga269, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of Maison des Polytechniciens from en.convention.parisinfo.com, CCBY 2.0.

I am featuring photos of Raph & John’s wedding in Paris for this series (see above). I want to make it clear that I do not know this couple: I selected their photos from an album on Flickr because I love their theme and the photos are available for use under the CCBY 2.0 license. If I married in Paris, I would want a theme somewhat similar to theirs–in terms of colors and formality.

 

 

 

 

Destination Wedding in Paris: The Ceremony Venue

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For most foreign couples who marry in Paris, it’s symbolic — a “re-wedding” for memories, with the legal ceremony already behind them.  This means the venue possibilities for your ceremony in Paris are (almost) endless.

Raph & John held their wedding ceremony at the Synagogue de Tournelles.

Raph & John held their wedding ceremony at the Synagogue de Tournelles.

While I won’t swear on it, this is likely the last time this series I will mention this: Unless you establish temporary residency by living in Paris for 40 consecutive days, and can provide documentation of this to the city hall, you can’t legally marry in France if a foreigner. In addition, France only legally recognizes wedding ceremonies at city halls; all ceremonies in houses of worship, even for French citizens, are therefore symbolic.

When selecting a ceremony venue, keep in mind the following:
a. Your choice of ceremony venue will have a direct impact on the atmosphere of your entire wedding day (formal, casual, or something in-between).
b. Number of guests it will accommodate.
c. Proximity to your hotel (and guests’, if different) and the reception venue (if different).
d. How will people be getting there? Paris is plentiful in metro stations, but parking…not so much. If everyone is staying in the same hotel, consider renting a coach (bus) to transport everyone.
e. Provide your guests with a map that includes written directions to the ceremony venue, regardless of transportation provided. Suppose someone had a last-minute detail they needed to attend to, and then didn’t know how to get to the ceremony? Also, while it is said that in Paris, you are never more than 10 minutes’ walking distance to a metro stop, you don’t want your guests stressed about feeling lost when they arrive at your ceremony.
f. If you select and are accepted by a house of worship, be sure to ask about their restrictions, especially regarding decorations and dress. Two examples: Not all venues allow confetti, and some houses of worship require women to have their shoulders covered, so an off-the-shoulder wedding dress would not be appropriate.

The groom and his men need a place at the ceremony venue for last-minute preparations as much as a bride and her attendants.

The groom and his men need a place at the ceremony venue for last-minute preparations as much as the bride and her attendants.

g. Everyone knows the bride likes to have a room for her and her bridesmaids to prepare to walk down the aisle; not everyone understands the groom and his men need one, too. Do you really want the guys to have to straighten their ties and tuck their shirts in in front of guests and vendors?
h. If you hold your ceremony outside in a public place, traffic and tourists walking by will be part of the charm. Be prepared for interesting sites!

So, where to have your wedding ceremony in Paris? Here are three ideas.

1. House of Worship
You can have a symbolic ceremony in a house of worship if you can find one that will grant you permission. Landmarks like Notre Dame can’t be rented as they are national public spaces. Catholic parishes in France generally only allow their own members to marry in their respective churches, and most churches in France are Catholic. That said, if you can find a Catholic church who will grant permission for you to marry in their church, you still have to meet specific requirements: provide a letter from your local priest and Bishop that you are a member of a parish in good standing; Baptism and Confirmation certificates; and a marriage certificate from your civil ceremony.

An interior shot of Synagogue des Tournelles showing the mixture of architectural styles common in French Second Empire.

An interior shot of Synagogue des Tournelles showing the mix of architectural styles common in French Second Empire.

The couple I am featuring for this series, Raph & John, being Jewish, chose to hold their wedding ceremony at the Synagogue de Tournelles. It is located at 21bis rue des Tournelles in Marais, the 4th arrondissement, not far from Notre Dame. The closest metro stop is Bastille. Its architect, Marcellin-Emmanuel Varcollier, designed it in Second French Empire, the architectural style of the time, which is an eclectic mix of European styles, most notably Baroque. Gustave Eiffel was the engineer who oversaw its construction from 1867-1876, before he became famous for building the Eiffel Tower in 1889. Outside, it is decorated with a stained glass rose window with sculptures representing the scrolls of the Law with text in Hebrew. Inside, it is very grand with plentiful seating on two floors and arches on the second floor. By volume, it is the second largest synagogue in Paris. Perhaps due to recent attacks, specific information on the synagogue (such as seating number) was not available when I researched for this post. I suggest you call the synagogue on +33 01 42 74 32 80.

Synagogue de Tournelles is not far from the luxurious Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel, where the couple stayed and held their reception.

This couple married outside near the Eiffel Tower in November 2014. They were oblivious to the group behind them or the girl next to them.

This couple married outside near the Eiffel Tower in November 2014. They were oblivious to the group behind them or the girl next to them.

2. Outside a Monument
You can’t rent the inside of Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower, but you can marry on their grounds. On the plus side, this is the easiest, cheapest, and fastest to arrange. It is also easy for your guests to find. On the down side, you can’t control how tourists and others passing by will behave — nor can you control the weather. It tends to sprinkle a lot in Paris (though not as much as London), so if you decide to marry outside a monument, you should have pretty umbrellas at the ready just in case Mother Nature decides not to cooperate with your ceremony plans.

If you select this option, I highly recommend you visit Paris during the time of year you plan to marry, so you can see just how the ceremony will unfold. It also is a good idea to contact your embassy in Paris near the time of your ceremony to verify they know of no reason why you shouldn’t hold your ceremony at the location of your dreams. (For instance, they might know of a protest coming up.)

A wedding takes place on the Seine River on a beautiful day.

A wedding takes place on the Seine River on a beautiful day.

3. Cruise on the Seine River
This would be my choice, so I had to include it, though this option speaks more to a combined ceremony/reception venue. Bateaux Parisiens not only offers glass-enclosed boat tours of the Seine River and dinner cruises, they also offer wedding packages for a minimum of 50 people. According to their website, they hold 400 private events per year, so they have the experience necessary to make sure your event is successful.  To that end, they offer an artistic director and event cruise directors dedicated to your event.

If you were to select this option, you first have to decide whether you want an afternoon or evening wedding, and whether you want table service or buffet style. From there, it’s a matter of your choice of menu selection and whether you want extras, such as table decorations that start at 17 euros per table. While you will have to ask for a quote, their gourmet buffets start at 14 euros per person; so figure 14 euros x 50 people = 700 euros ($749.00) as a starting price — not bad for a wedding and reception on the Seine River. (In addition, all of the wedding packages I saw on their website included a piano player and singer as entertainment.) There is parking available nearby at the Musee du Quai Branly.

As I’ve said several times before in posts, my dinner cruise on the Seine River was one of my most memorable experiences of my last trip to Paris — and I wasn’t even getting married!

 

Au revoir!

 

I am featuring photos of Raph & John’s wedding in Paris for this series (see above). I want to make it clear that I do not know this couple: I selected their photos from an album on Flickr because I love their theme and the photos are available for use under the CCBY 2.0 license. If I married in Paris, I would want a theme somewhat similar to theirs–in terms of colors and formality.

Black & white image of Raph & John inside Synagogue des Tournelles by Agence Tophos, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of groom ironing by Agence Tophos, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of wedding couple near the Eiffel Tower by Elsa L. Fridl. Image of interior of Synagogue des Tournelles, Wikimedia Commons, GFDL License. Image of wedding on a boat on the Seine River by Becky McCray, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.

Travel Laws That Could Affect Your Plans in 2016 and Beyond

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Are you prepared to travel in 2016? If your passport book is full or you owe back taxes, you may be grounded. Welcome to the new United States of America: land of the impeded, home of the…well, you decide.

Source: Changing Travel Laws That Could Affect Your Plans in 2016

This is a summary of the above article. If you are a frequent air traveler, I suggest you read it in its entirety.

As part of a bill for federal highway funding, as of January 1, 2016, any U.S. citizen who owes at least $50,000 in unpaid taxes can be prevented from applying for or renewing their passport. This regulation can also allow the IRS to rescind travel privileges of tax delinquent travelers. The traveler has to be the subject of a tax lien, but their passport privileges can be restored by either contesting the taxes owed in court, or by actively working with the IRS to pay the debt.

Also as of January 1, 2016, frequent U.S. travelers abroad are no longer able to order an additional 24-page insert for visa stamps for their existing passport books. Now, you either have to apply for a second passport book when the pages are filled, or opt for a 52-page passport book at renewal time. A regular passport book has 20 pages for visa stamps.

Come 2018, the scene in "The Hunt for Red October" where Sean Connery tells Sam Neill he can travel in the U.S. between states without certain "papers" will become quaint.

Come 2018, the scene in “The Hunt for Red October” where Sean Connery’s character tells Sam Neill’s he can travel in the U.S. between states without certain “papers” will become quaint.

Another law that was supposed to take effect this past January 1 but has been postponed to take effect January 22, 2018 requires all U.S. air travelers — for domestic and foreign travel — to carry identification that is REAL-ID compliant. REAL-ID legislation was passed in 2005 and is described as “an effort to combine driver’s licenses and state ID cards into a national identification system as a way to support national security.” Two of the key features of REAL-ID: certain personal information and features will be encrypted into each card, and states will share this information with other states. In the double-speak of the Department of Homeland Security, you’re not required to carry a REAL-ID, but if you want to board a commercial airline, you will have to, come 2018. If you live in one of the four states (or in the American Territory of Samoa) that are not REAL-ID compliant, you can purchase a passport card for $55, but only if you are current with your taxes.

DHS also claims REAL-ID will not create a national database of personal information on U.S. citizens, but as Jennifer McFadyen points out, “the implications of a national-database-that-is-not-a-national-database are staggering.”

 

Au revoir! (But only if you’re current with your taxes)

 

Image of Passort by CanStockPhoto. Image of “The Hunt for Red October” from quora.com, CCBY 2.0.

When is a ‘Travel Hack’ Unethical?

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Where should consumers draw the line in an era where the tactics are profit-maximizing on both sides?

Source: When is a ‘travel hack’ unethical? – The Washington Post

There are ethical and not-so-ethical methods to secure the best travel deal.

There are ethical and not-so-ethical methods to secure the best travel deal.

Travel hacking is loosely defined as strategies for getting better travel deals. According to the article cited, travel hacking may be legal but not always ethical, especially when the practice involves deception. This post is a summary of the article.

Why do it? Price seems to be best when you choose the home base of the airline, and the U.S. dollar is always the most expensive option.

Ethical Strategies

1. Look online for hotel rates, then call a hotel to negotiate a better rate. No problem, no deception involved here.

2. Clearing your web browser’s cookies before going onto a travel site. The site won’t know you’ve been looking to book travel arrangements and will therefore be more likely to give you a good rate. Again, this is thought to be ethical because it doesn’t involve deception.

Probably Unethical

1. Using a different country other than your own on an airline’s website. Airline websites are multi-lingual and multi-currency. If you change your country (after first deleting cookies, no doubt) on an airline’s website, you might get a better deal. Unfortunately, if an airline figures out what you did, they might not honor the ticket.

2. Using a “hidden city” airline ticket to finish a flight at a stopover instead of the true destination. This can save you a lot of money, but it violates airlines’ fare rules. If you used a travel agent to book your trip, finishing a flight at a stopover could get the travel agent in trouble — the article doesn’t cite how — and it could lead to higher fares across the board: airlines will have figured out what travelers are doing and raise their rates to make sure there is no benefit to this practice.

3. Changing your IP address to a different country. Different countries have different local economies and standards of living. Should a traveler in one country pay the same rate for airfare as a U.S. citizen, who probably has a higher standard of living?

4. Using the title “Dr.” when you’re a Ph.D. because it might get you preferential treatment. This one is up for grabs. On one hand, people feel entitled to use a title they’ve earned; on the other, I’m not sure what “preferential” treatment someone might get because an airline crew thinks they are a medical doctor. As an experienced traveler, I’ve never seen a call for “all doctors can board now,” nor have I ever witnessed a flight attendant saying anything like, “Since you’re a doctor, we’d like you to have a better meal than everyone else.” (Yes, I’m being facetious. That’s the point.) In fact, the only time I’ve ever heard a flight crew use the term “doctor” on board is when a traveler has been sick and the crew has asked if there is a doctor on board the flight. One word of caution: If you’re a Ph.D. and you use the title “Dr.” liberally, don’t be surprised if you find yourself in a situation where a member of a flight crew asks, “But I thought you were a doctor?”

All travelers want to get the best deal. My one suggestion to ask yourself: If an airline found out how you got your deal, would they honor it?

Au revoir!

 

Image of plane landing by Modes Rodriguez, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.

Destination Wedding in Paris: Should You Hire a Wedding Planner?

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Are you good with details? Do you have time to be on the phone with vendors in Paris during their work hours? If not, you might want to consider hiring a wedding planner.

Bridal couples strolling the streets in Paris usually look pretty calm. Did someone plan their wedding for them?

Bridal couples strolling the streets in Paris usually look pretty calm. Did someone plan their wedding for them?

Planning a wedding — any wedding — is hard work. You decide on a wedding date, a theme, a guest list, your wedding attendants and attire, ceremony and reception venues, flowers, music. It’s a lot to pull together. Now, consider the headache those details might give you and multiply it by 10: for those not detail-oriented, this is what you might face if you’re planning a destination wedding in Paris, given the distance and time and language differences. Perhaps you should consider hiring a wedding planner and let them have headaches for you. Here is information on three destination wedding planning services.

1. Destination Weddings.com. According to their website, Destination Weddings.com has planned over 20,000 destination weddings and is an award-winning, Certified Destination Wedding Specialist. They’ve planned weddings in 100 regions and 42 countries. What I really like about them is that you can talk to a live human being during the planning process and they offer 24/7 emergency travel support. Your wedding dress didn’t arrive at your destination? Your flower vendor has shown up with the wrong flowers? They give you someone to contact to handle those details.

To get started, you create your profile by providing information like your name, how many guests you expect, your wedding date (even approximate), and the destinations you’re considering. They assign you a wedding planner suited to your needs.

The only thing I didn’t like when I did research for this post was that when I called and asked them how they can provide their services 100% free…the customer service person didn’t want to answer my question! One would think this would be straightforward: are their services free or aren’t they? Turns out you pay $50 to get started and the fee is recouped by being applied to services paid for; Destination Weddings.com is paid a commission from those services. You don’t have to use their Preferred Partners (hotels and the like) to take advantage of their service, but they do have a Preferred Partner Perks program in which you can get value-added amenities.

Destination Weddings.com
Phone: 1-888-536-1923, Monday – Thursday, 9:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M., EST
Friday, 9:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M., EST
(This is if you want to speak someone up front.)

2. Perfect Paris Wedding.com. The company is owned by a Parisian named Claire Bay. She is not only a wedding planner but also a celebrant (someone who conducts weddings). She also works with two other celebrants.

Perfect Paris Wedding offers three packages: 1) Eiffel Tower Wedding (outdoors); 2) Notre Dame Wedding (outdoors); and 3) Paris Chateau Wedding (indoors). (Note: Paris Chateau is a specific place and was once owned by Louis XV.) In addition to ceremony photos, the outdoor packages include a 2-hour chauffeur-driven photo-tour around Paris with a professional photographer; you have your photo taken at sites such as Place de la Concorde and Trocadero (near the Eiffel Tower).

The Paris Chateau Wedding package includes ceremony photos, a shoot in the chateau and grounds, plus a photo session around the Louvre.

The standard price for the outdoor packages is 2,600 euros (with a conversion rate of $1.08 to 1 euro, that’s $2,808.00); for the indoor Paris Chateau package it’s 3,950 euros ($4,266.00). Included in the standard package:

*Symbolic Ceremony
* Commemorative Wedding Certificate
* Luxury Wedding Vehicle & Chauffeur
* Professional Photographer
*Bride’s bouquet, hair & make-up

You can also add extras.

The site is easy to navigate. You complete a form to get a quote, which is not binding. As a test, I selected the Paris Chateau package, with a wedding date of Saturday, June 11, 2016 (dates are input in European style, DD/MM/YY), 20 guests, a tailor-made ceremony (extra for 150 euros), a half-bottle of champagne for a wedding toast (extra 50 euros), a Day-of bilingual coordinator (extra 350 euros), with a departure date 1 week from wedding date. My quote: 4,500 euros ($4,860.00).

Perfect Paris Wedding.com
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M., Central European Time
A phone number is not offered on the site for questions.

3. Wedding Light Events.com. Wedding Light Events.com offers luxury wedding planning and other services; for an elopement of just a wedding couple, they suggest a budget of 5,000 euros ($5,400.00 with current conversion rate), and for 50 guests they suggest 25,000 euros ($27,000). They believe in making your event unique rather than offer every couple the same package.

According to their site, an elopement package of (presumably) 5,000 euros includes:

*Officiant
*Ceremony location
*Professional Photographer – Olivier Lalin, whose work has appeared in The New York Times
*Restaurant reservations
*Planning fees

Oddly, after “restaurant reservations” there is an “etc.” If ever there is a time to be exact, this is it.

Their venue selections are as follows:

*Paris Outdoors – at Paris landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Pont de Alexandre III, the Louvre
*Luxury Hotels – such as Shangri-La, Hotel de Vendome, and Hotel de Crillon
*Chappelle Expiatoire – a beautiful chapel commissioned by Louis XVIII
*Riding Along the Seine – in a boat on the Seine River

The company recommends at least 12 months to plan a wedding, 18 months if you want a popular ceremony or reception venue. For smaller events, such as a couple-only elopement, they can probably take you last minute.

To get started, you complete an easy form requesting your name and contact information, general time period for event, number of guests, and specific needs; you can request a time for a conversation via telephone or Skype. (The site does not offer a phone number to call.) You can also contact them by email: info@weddinglightevents.com.

Hope this helps. My Destination Wedding in Paris series will continue next Friday with a post about developing your wedding timeline.

 

Au revoir!

 

 

Image of Bridal Couple with Moms by Dustin Diaz, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.