How can I get married in France? This is a question we are often asked in our first conversations with our foreign brides and grooms. We explain it all here.
Getting married in France – what does it mean?
First of all, it’s important to know what you mean by “getting married in France”. Are you talking about a civil ceremony? A religious ceremony or a secular ceremony? Or perhaps just having your wedding in France? Because the rules are quite different, and so are the answers to the question of whether you can get married in France.
So let’s start with the simplest. If you just want to celebrate your wedding in France or in Provence, as we do here, you obviously don’t need any special authorisation. What’s more, the same applies to a secular ceremony. A ceremony has no legal, official or religious value. It is not recorded in any register. It is a symbolic and personal act performed in front of your loved ones. So in the first two cases, there are no formalities to be completed before you can get married in France.
In addition, for a religious ceremony, you will obviously need a representative of the denomination in which you wish to marry. Each denomination has its own laws and operating procedures. However, it is generally possible for a foreigner to organise a religious wedding in France. However, this will mean that the bride and groom have found the person who has agreed to marry them and that the bride and groom have certainly undertaken to undergo religious marriage preparation. If necessary, we can help you.
Civil marriage in France
Getting married in France has a special symbolic meaning. France is a republic, a nation with a sense of attachment to the country that remains relatively important from a legal and symbolic point of view.
To marry legally in France, you need to be a French resident. Or have parents who are French residents. So it’s a simple matter for foreign brides and grooms whose parents have a second home in France. Otherwise, you need to provide proof that you have lived in France for at least 30 days… which can be tricky if you thought you were just doing an elopment!
Two equally important things to know about a civil marriage in France. Under French law, to get married in France you have to publish the banns of marriage in the town hall where the wedding is to take place and also in the town hall of the bride and groom’s birthplace. This must be done at least ten days before the wedding.
The second important point about a French civil wedding. It is always delivered by a member of the town council…. and always under the Marianne sign, the aegis of the French Republic. Hence the difficulties in celebrating a civil marriage in France outside a town hall!
Getting married in France – conclusions
If you want to get married in France, it’s certainly possible! You’ll just have to decide which options you want to select.
And even if you want a civil wedding in France, it may be complicated but it’s not completely impossible! If this is your dream, go for it, we’ll make it happen!
