Wedding Wednesdays Q&A: Wedding in France

Congrats, you’ve made it to the halfway point of the week.  Know what will help you to get over the hump?  Our Wedding Wednesdays Q&A, which is awesome and always helpful.  And this week we’re talking about destination weddings:  I really want to have a wedding in France.  I love it there!  I love the food, the style, and the romance.  And I think our guests would love it too.  But, I have no idea how to even start planning.  I don’t speak French, I don’t know anyone there and I have no idea how to find wedding vendors.  So, I’m planning on hiring a wedding planner.  But the question is, do I hire someone in France or do I hire someone in the US?  What is the better choice?

Great question and it’s a question many couples who are planning a destination wedding face.  Whether you are planning an international wedding or just a wedding in another part of the country, the answer is really the same.  And the answer is that both options have their strengths, but who you go with depends on what matters to you and what you feel most comfortable with.  So, let’s talk through each option.

The great thing about hiring a wedding planner in France (or wherever you are planning on getting married) is that they know the area well.  It’s their backyard which can definitely come in handy.  They can also do meetings in person for you if needed.  They speak the language and will understand the people and customs best.  These are all great things and are also all the areas that a US based wedding planner will not be as good at.

Now, the great thing about hiring a local US based destination wedding planner is that you can meet with them in person.   And while you can do most things over the phone and email, it’s not the same especially if your wedding design is important to you.  Being able to talk through and look at things together makes a difference.  A US destination wedding planner will also understand your culture and what you are looking for, and the styles that you are interested in.  If customization is important to you, a US wedding planner won’t come with set ideas about what the wedding should be like (and look like), so you’ll have much more options and customization.  And of course, these are also all the downsides of going with a foreign wedding planner.

So, who to choose?  It comes down to what is important to you.  If you want to work with your planner in person or you are worried about having a cookie cutter wedding and the design is important to you, then choose the US wedding planner.  If you want someone onsite and able to physically do things for you or if you are concerned about the local customs and having difficulty in the area, then go with the foreign wedding planner.  You have to do what feels right to you, but either wedding planner will be able to help you and make planning  your destination wedding in France so much easier.

(Photo credit: David Pullum Photography)

Got a wedding planning problem you are struggling with?  Send it our way and we’ll get you some solutions.