CHOOSING YOUR LOCATIONS DEPENDING ON A SEASON

Paris weather changes month by month, and the city can look completely different. Even a 3-week shift can dramatically affect how a photo location appears.

In our first 6 years as wedding planners and photographers, we didn’t realize how much the seasons mattered for location recommendations. After years of experience and analysis, we’ve created this mini guide with visual examples to help you plan your Paris photo shoot. Here are our tips on the best locations based on your wedding date.

The best time to visit Paris is when all the locations are beautiful, and the city isn’t crowded. Our goal is to capture the romance of blooming nature, more sunshine, and fresh green trees. We recommend Tuileries Garden for April. Both for ceremony and photoshoot. Here they are:

We also recommend the Petit Palais because this view combines iconic golden doors and pink trees:

Place Mexico is our third recommendation, a street with a great Eiffel Tower view. At sunrise, we can capture the street without cars, and the sunlight hits from the perfect angle:

We personally do not recommend the Louvre pyramids for April, because the sun is from that weird angle and glass pyramids are overexposed. And the whole Louvre might be overexposed too. The sun can be harsh:

It’s a season of love, youth, and beauty. When it comes to posing, we focus on capturing genuine emotions and feelings. The best time to visit Paris is when all locations look stunning, and the city isn’t too crowded.

You can choose any location from our list, but we especially recommend Trocadero at sunrise:

We also recommend the Alexander III Bridge. The sun is from the right side of Paris and the whole area is very pretty, has soft romantic tones:

Another great location is Petit Palais, golden doors.

We personally still don't recommend the Louvre pyramids. Spring sun overexposes those parts of the city. And we do not recommend Arc de Triomphe because of crazy traffic.

For May and June, we recommend a street in Paris called Avenue Rapp. The entire street is gorgeous in the soft light of sunrise:

Our goal is to capture the beautiful architecture that can only be captured at sunrise. In June, sunrise is very early. We recommend the Petit Palais and the streets of Paris for photos. The Petit Palais opens around 9 AM, and security does not allow photos after that. The same goes for Paris streets—there’s much more traffic after 9 AM. But for June, that’s not a problem.

In June, Paris lovers are chasing the best architecture!

We recommend the Petit Palais for June elopements:

Our second ceremony recommendation is Trocadero. At sunrise, the square is bathed in beautiful light. Just remember, this location is only for two:

We personally do not recommend Arc de Triomphe because of crazy traffic.

July is almost the same as June. Our goal is to create fun and sweet natural photos in the City of Love, with gorgeous backdrops.

Early sunrises provide a great time for architectural photos: the Louvre, Petit Palais, and the streets.

We would like to particularly highlight the Eiffel balcony at L'avenue de Camoëns. This spot looks especially good at this time:

For the ceremony, we recommend Trocadero, Tuileries. Another idea we would like to recommend you is booking a nice hotel and using it as one of your photoshoot locations. Paris locations can be crowded. Hotels can give you a quiet space to take pictures without a lot of people around. For example, the stairs at Shangri-La:

We noticed that River Seine can be little overexposed during July, the light is harsh there on a sunny day. So we do not recommend it.

It is all about hidden gems! August is an easy month because locals leave Paris to go on vacation. Almost no traffic. Our goal is to capture rare places that are not available at other times of the year. But, of course, classic locations like Tuileries or the Louvre look great.

We recommend the Arc de Triomphe for August elopements, the only month without traffic behind it:

We also recommend this particular street with the Eiffel Tower called Place Mexico. This street is available only from May to late August, so don't miss it!

After August is over, the location named "Charming Paris Street" is available for only a week, and not more—until maybe September 5-7. The "Charming Street" spot is mostly a summer location because it gets crowded with cars after 7 AM. After September 5-7, the sunrise is already late. There is a high chance it will be packed with cars behind you, like in this example, and cars cannot be edited out when they are this big:

August is also a month when the sun hits the Louvre pyramids just right, making them finally look soft. The lighting is perfect, and we recommend visiting the Louvre and the entire square:

In September, our goal is to create photos that capture the feeling of love. It's still summer in Paris, and the weather is great. Golden autumnal colors begin to appear by mid-September.

We recommend the River Seine for September elopements:

We also recommend the Louvre, it is always a stunning place to visit in Paris but the soft Autumn sun enhance the architectural details:

The Tuileries is a great place for a September ceremony. With soft light and plenty of greenery, it becomes a dream place:

In October, our goal is to create clean and stylish photography—images that are authentic, beautiful, natural-looking, and candid.

We recommend Trocadero for October elopements because of the great light:

Starting from September is no longer available : Place Mexico, Petit Palais. Trocadero might be closed during Paris Fashion Week in September:

In October the light is soft and warm, and in our opinion, Pont Alexandre III is the best location. The bridge is not vert crowded:

From October, the days get colder, and while the light remains soft, the air can be cold. We recommend booking a nice hotel and using it as a location for your elopement, with options for candid shots at the bar. The Peninsula and St. James hotels both offer lovely bar settings:

Lastly, if you're looking for something unique and non-generic, we recommend visiting Place Vendôme. With its luxury boutiques and stunning window displays that reflect the elegance of Paris:

I've grouped these months together because they're all winter months, and the city takes on a similar appearance—no green trees, no parks, no blooming nature.

However, Parisian architecture during the winter months is absolutely stunning! The entire city gleams like a jewel.

We have so many recommendations for winter weddings! When it comes to outfits, we suggest opting for formal, almost white-tie attire, with high-end fabrics. A fur coat draped over one shoulder, diamonds, and high heels will elevate your look. Don’t forget to flaunt your Rolex watches and Louboutins.

We do not recommend holding your ceremony outdoors during the winter. It's better to book a beautiful hotel for your elopement, as winter sunrise ceremonies can be quite cold.

Our absolute favorite winter spot is Cour Carrée:

For the ceremony, we recommend the River Seine. The water beautifully reflects the sunlight, making the entire location shine:

We recommend having an indoor backup plan for your ceremony. But if the weather is good, our top pick is the River Seine for its stunning views and romantic atmosphere:

If you are looking for an Eiffel Tower view, we do not recommend Trocadero. It might be overexposed. But what we recommend is Eiffel balcony L'avenue de Camoëns:

Pyramids at the Louvre are also great, very elegant. The whole Louvre Square is very nice. Love it!

And last but not least location we would like to recommend is Alexandre 3 bridge. Look at these photos and you will see why:

Not available: Petit Palais, Place Mexico, Tuileries and any green areas.
In our opinion, Trocadero isn’t the best location—it can be a bit overexposed, like this. But ultimately, it’s up to you to decide:

The Louvre Gallery is absolutely perfect every month of the year. Filled with natural light: