My Top 7 Destination Wedding Venues in France

Karine Copur, WPICC, DWC, is the Founder of Champagne & Macarons Events – a French savoir-faire boutique event planner. Based in Toronto, Champagne and Macarons Events offers wedding and event planning services in the GTA and abroad with a specialty in France. Karine is originally from France.

Karine has a WPIC certification of Wedding Coordinator as well as Destination Wedding Coordinator certification from The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada. Karine has also a BA in Marketing from the European Federation of Schools and a Certificate in Marketing from UCLA.

I was lucky enough to have been born in the most romantic city in the world. While I enjoyed its architecture, food, culture, and beautiful sceneries, I decided to study abroad in California before settling in Canada.

During my trip to France last summer, I got a chance to visit my favourite venues and monuments but also to taste my favourite desserts!

I started my trip in the South of France, visiting Monaco & Monte-Carlo, a jewel city filled with refinement and luxury, surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains, with its royal palace located at the top of a rock, called “Le Rocher” in Monaco. I grew up visiting many locations in the South of France every summer and as I became an adult, I started to understand all of its beauty even better. Colourful buildings, the Monaco Grand Prix, the food, and my favourite drink while in Monaco is called the Monaco. If you’ve never had one, this is made up of beer mixed with lemonade and grenadine syrup.

After visiting wedding venues in the South of France and in Paris, I have listed my favourite ones below. I think all of them would make your wedding so special for you and your guests!

1. Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo

The Casino at Monte-Carlo is surrounded by sumptuous hotels, among these is Hôtel de Paris which belongs to the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains-de Mer group. This a family-friendly place as well as a gate-away for couples. Most suites are overlooking the harbour, while the others look over the Casino and the coast towards Italy. Rooms have been redesigned recently and are a perfect combination of modern and vintage pieces for furniture, bathrooms are all marble. One of their diamond suites, which has its own private pool, located on the roof of the hotel, will give you private access to the most amazing experiences.

For gastronomy and entertainment, Monte-Carlo has one of the best assets in France. From Michelin-starred restaurants to the Patio des Joailliers, the Opera Garnier, the Casino de Monte-Carlo, the Thermes Marin Monte-Carlo for a relaxing time at their spa and last but not least you will also have access to their private Golf Club.

Inside the hotel, there is an outdoor patio that can be converted into an outdoor venue to host an event. In-suite bathroom beauty merchandise is filled with Guerlain products, from shampoos to body lotions and even perfumes for the guests.

The pool area on the roof is overlooking the harbour and the city of Monte-Carlo. You can also have a nice view over Hermitage Hotel from the pool area and private cabanas.

Enjoy a nice meal at Le Grill restaurant on Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo’s top floor. Le Grill restaurant has a retractable roof and panoramic view of the Mediterranean sea and the Casino. Le Grill restaurant is famous for its regular Monegasque clientele.

You can also get an amazing culinary experience at Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse.

Salle Empire, the ballroom at the Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo has such a breath-taking architecture with its gold mouldings all over the ceiling, arches, chandeliers, painting on the ceiling and walls, and marble columns. This could be the perfect place to host your dreamy wedding.

Activities to do while in Monte-Carlo

Arrive or leave Monaco by Helicopter. In less than 10 min from the Nice Côte-d’Azur Airport, you will be arriving at the Monaco Heliport where a car will meet you there and escort you to your hotel.

Visit one of the finest cellars in the world. Treat yourself to dinner in the largest hotel cellars in the world at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. Some of their grand crus date back to 1874.

Enjoy a relaxing time at The Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo. A 6,600 sq. m wellbeing and preventive health center. They have a heated seawater pool, sauna, hammam, cryotherapy, a fitness center with a panoramic sea view, massages, beauty, and hair salons.

Go shopping at One Monte-Carlo, a unique shopping experience with the most prestigious fashion houses

Experience de joys of yachting

Experience the Monte-Carlo Country. With 23 tennis courts, squash,

Located about 30 minutes from Monaco above the sea, enjoy the 18-hole paradise at the Monte-Carlo Golf Club

Drive along the French Riviera in a rare vintage car

Play at the Casino in a private room. Top players can use exclusive spaces at the Casino de Monte-Carlo

Enjoy the nightlife and entertainment at the Opera de Monte-Carlo or at La Rascasse

Treat yourself to a nice meal at the Buddha Bar Monte-Carlo, a menu with Asian flavours in a lounge bar and restaurant atmosphere, have coffee and dessert at the Café de Paris Monte Carlo.

Visit the alps, the backcountry, visit some remote villages and taste local products

2. Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo

Located just a few minutes from the Casino Monte-Carlo, Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo well-known for its beautiful and cozy bedrooms, mostly overlooking the harbour, is the ideal location to host your memorable event. They have an outdoor terrasse, Terrasse Midi, looking over the harbour, and Palais Princier which can be the perfect setup for your outdoor wedding.

The breakfast area located in the Eiffel Mezzanine was built by Gustave Eiffel. As you can see, he designed the same structure as on the Eiffel Tower. Additionally, the window ceiling is an exact replica of the Galleries Lafayette’s cupola in Paris.

Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo also has a beautiful ballroom, the Salle Belle Epoque, a room filled with gold mouldings, paintings, chandeliers and burgundy marble pillars, paintings, and statues of angels.

3. Château Saint-Georges

Located in the city of Grasse, in Provence, only 17 kilometres from Cannes and 34 kilometres from Nice, famous for hosting over 70 perfume factories, it is no surprise that Leon Chiris built the Chateau now used as a Castle Wedding Venue. Chiris was the fourth generation of his family, who created the most innovative perfume factory in Grasse and named the chateau after his son Georges.

This beautiful castle wedding venue located in a private property surrounded by trees, overlooking the valley and the French Riviera, is the perfect place to gather with your friends and family to host your most memorable wedding weekend. The Chateau Saint-Georges combines the splendour of Versailles and the colours of Provence, the Louis XIV style with 21st-century modernism. With rooms able to accommodate up to 14 guests in the Chateau, it has an indoor pool, a spa center, 3 acres to walk around, listen to the leaves and smell the flowers.

Just a few steps from the Chateau, inside this private property, is the Villa Norah flourishing Art Deco and Provencal styles can accommodate up to 26 guests and has an outdoor pool.

The Chateau Saint-Georges is surrounded by beautiful gardens which makes it the perfect location for your ceremony and to take the most beautiful pictures with the Chateau in the background.

During your stay, you can enjoy tours to visit local perfume factories, go golfing, wine tasting, visit the lavender fields, take a drive to the French Riviera, and don’t forget to taste nougat while you are there!

4. Shangri-La Hotel Paris

While in Paris, I had to visit the Shangri-La Paris, see its iconic Grand Staircase and ballroom. This former residence of Prince Roland Bonaparte is listed as a French historical monument. The Grand Salon is decorated with gold mouldings, chandeliers, marble chimneys, and hardwood floors. This is where the engagement of Prince Roland Bonaparte’s daughter Marie, took place in 1907, with the Prince of Greece.

The Grand Salon below is remarkable in its delicacy and feminity with tones of blue and gold.

The Dining Room, La Salle a Manger, will take you back to Napoleon’s time when you see the military trophies and two eagles on the Renaissance fireplace symbols of the Emperor. This room has wooden doors and dark green wallpaper with a touch of gold and a hardwood floor.

All of the above reception rooms have high ceilings of 22.50 feet.

Finally, you can also have your wedding ceremony on the terrasse of your rooftop suite overlooking the Eiffel Tower or in the garden.

5. Le Meurice Paris

Le Meurice hotel was the first Parisian Palace hôtel presiding over Rue de Rivoli since 1835. This is where Pablo Picasso got married, in the Salon Pompadour, with Olga Khokhlova, a Russian ballet dancer, in July 1918. Picasso while popping the champagne bottle, hit Madame de Pompadour’s painting where you can still see the mark up to this day.

Across from Le Meurice hotel is Jardin des Tuileries gardens where newlyweds like to take their first pictures as Mr and Mrs or by the Pyramids at the Louvre Museum.

6. Four Seasons Hotel Paris – George V

During my trip, I had to make a stop and visit the Four Seasons Hotel George V as I have a personal connection to it since I had my engagement party in one of their beautiful rooms which has now been turned into a restaurant looking over their indoor patio.

The Four Seasons Hotel George V remains a purely elegant and sophisticated location to stay and enjoy a beautiful dinner in their restaurant Le Cinq.

Jeff Leatham is the Artistic Director at the Four Seasons Hôtel George V in Paris, he and his team have been exclusively providing and making all the flower arrangements at the George V Hotel and for any event taking place in this venue. There is no need to say, Jeff Leatham’s creations are one of the best known in the world as he is also the creator of unique pieces and decorations around the world such as the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills and the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia.

7. Hotel Le Marois Paris

With its Haussmannian architecture, mixing the XVIIIth and Napoleon III French style, this former residence of Count Le Marois, son of General Le Marois was Napoleon’s best man during his wedding to Joséphine de Beauharnais. If you book this place for your wedding, you will benefit from the whole establishment including 8 reception rooms and the outdoor patio to welcome your guests, the ballroom for dining, and separate rooms for bride and groom preparations.

I fell in love with its Grand Staircase, when you go up, there is a large window looking over the gardens where it could be a perfect spot to have your ceremony.