Wedding at The Peninsula Paris: a photographer’s guide
A palace near the Arc de Triomphe with a rooftop facing the Eiffel Tower, by the photographer who has worked there
By Marion Pinel, destination wedding photographer · Updated
The Peninsula Paris is a palace hotel on avenue Kléber, a few steps from the Arc de Triomphe, built as the Hôtel Majestic in 1908 and reopened in 2014. For weddings it offers a soundproofed ballroom for up to 100 seated guests, smaller salons and a rooftop with one of the most striking views of the Eiffel Tower, ideal for a welcome dinner or cocktail. Catering is in-house.
- Location
- Avenue Kléber, Paris 16e
- View
- Rooftop facing the Eiffel Tower
- Rooms
- 200 rooms and suites
- Guests
- Up to ~100 seated
The venue: a palace facing the Eiffel Tower
The Peninsula Paris occupies the former Hôtel Majestic, designed by Armand Sibien and opened in 1908. The building later housed UNESCO’s first headquarters, and the Vietnam peace accords were signed there in 1973. It reopened as The Peninsula in 2014 after a long restoration.
Today it has 200 rooms and suites, the rooftop restaurant L’Oiseau Blanc and terraces facing the Eiffel Tower. For a wedding weekend, it is the Paris address for views.
Where the ceremony and reception take place
According to its wedding page, the hotel offers:
- The ballroom: soundproofed, for a seated dinner of up to about 100 guests.
- An intimate “chapel-style” space: for a small ceremony.
- The salons: the Rotunda and smaller rooms for a welcome dinner or a brunch.
- The rooftop: terraces facing the Eiffel Tower, ideal for a cocktail or a welcome evening.
According to French Wedding Style, catering is in-house and the hotel hosts up to about 200 guests. I photographed a welcome dinner on the rooftop, the evening before a wedding at the Ritz.
My favourite photo spots at The Peninsula
Having photographed a welcome dinner at The Peninsula, I know where the view and the light come together. My approach is editorial: fashion-inspired portraits, real emotion and the city as part of the story.
The rooftop
The Eiffel Tower framed by planters and Paris rooftops: the image everyone remembers, best in the last hour of light.
The avenue Kléber façade
Haussmannian stone, flags and ironwork for arrivals and editorial portraits.
Around the hotel
The Arc de Triomphe and the Trocadéro are minutes away for a short portrait session with the Eiffel Tower.
Light and timing
The rooftop faces the Eiffel Tower to the south-west, so the tower is backlit in the evening and glows at golden hour; at night it sparkles on the hour. In summer, plan the cocktail for the last hour of light and stay on the terrace for the first sparkle.
In late June the sun sets around 21:55 in Paris, and around 19:35 by the end of September.
A wedding day here, hour by hour
An example timeline I would suggest for a late-June wedding:
- 14:00
- Getting ready in the suites
- 16:00
- Portraits at the Trocadéro or on the avenues
- 17:30
- Intimate ceremony at the hotel
- 18:30
- Cocktail on the rooftop, family photos
- 20:30
- Golden-hour portraits facing the Eiffel Tower
- 21:00
- Dinner in the ballroom
- 23:00
- First dance, and the Eiffel Tower sparkling
Getting there and where to stay
The Peninsula is on avenue Kléber, near the Arc de Triomphe and the Kléber metro station. Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport is usually 45 minutes to an hour away by car.
With 200 rooms and suites, the hotel can host many guests on site. Around the wedding, take your guests to the Trocadéro, the Seine or the Champs-Élysées.
A wedding weekend at the Peninsula and the Ritz
From the welcome dinner on the rooftop of The Peninsula to the ceremony in the garden of the Ritz, see the whole wedding at the Ritz Paris, and my Ritz Paris venue guide.
Paris wedding photographer →Questions about a wedding at The Peninsula Paris
Where is The Peninsula Paris?
At 19 avenue Kléber, in the 16th arrondissement, a few steps from the Arc de Triomphe.
How many guests can The Peninsula Paris host for a wedding?
According to the hotel, its ballroom seats up to about 100 guests for dinner; French Wedding Style gives a maximum of about 200.
Does The Peninsula have a view of the Eiffel Tower?
Yes. The rooftop terraces face the Eiffel Tower.
Can we bring our own caterer?
No. According to French Wedding Style, catering is in-house.
Have you photographed at The Peninsula Paris?
Yes. I photographed a welcome dinner on the rooftop, the evening before a wedding at the Ritz Paris.