Wedding at Hôtel Plaza Athénée: a photographer’s guide
The palace of avenue Montaigne, with its red awnings, its courtyard garden and its ballroom
By Marion Pinel, destination wedding photographer · Updated
Hôtel Plaza Athénée is the palace of avenue Montaigne, opened in 1913 and famous for its red awnings, a few minutes from the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. For weddings it offers the Salon Haute Couture ballroom for up to about 110 seated, and the Cour Jardin courtyard for ceremonies and cocktails of up to about 220. It is part of the Dorchester Collection and has 208 rooms and suites.
- Location
- Avenue Montaigne, Paris 8e
- Ballroom
- Salon Haute Couture
- Rooms
- 208 rooms and suites
- Guests
- Up to ~110 seated
The venue: the palace of avenue Montaigne
The Plaza Athénée opened on 20 April 1913 on avenue Montaigne, designed by the architect Charles Lefebvre. Christian Dior later opened his first boutique on the same avenue, and the hotel has been tied to fashion ever since (the hotel).
Its red geraniums and awnings, its courtyard garden and its 208 rooms and suites make it one of the most recognisable palaces in Paris.
Where the ceremony and reception take place
According to its weddings page and French Wedding Style, the main spaces are:
- La Cour Jardin: the courtyard garden, for a ceremony or cocktail of up to about 220.
- The Salon Haute Couture: the ballroom, up to about 150 for a reception and 110 seated.
- The Organza and Création salons: for smaller dinners of 30 to 66.
- Le Relais Plaza: the hotel’s Art Deco brasserie, for a welcome dinner.
French Wedding Style lists venue hire from €7,700 in peak season for up to 80 guests. For groups of 25 room nights or more, the hotel offers one free night per 25 booked.
Photo spots to plan for
When I prepare a wedding at a venue, I study its layout, its orientation and its light beforehand, so that the day flows without anyone waiting for photos. At the Plaza Athénée, these are the places I would build the day around:
The red awnings
The façade on avenue Montaigne, with its red awnings and geraniums: the hotel’s signature image, best in the morning.
La Cour Jardin
Ivy-covered walls and red parasols for the ceremony, the cocktail and relaxed portraits.
Avenue Montaigne and the Seine
The couture boutiques and the Pont de l’Alma are a few minutes away, with the Eiffel Tower across the river.
Light and timing
The Cour Jardin is enclosed by the hotel’s façades, so it gets soft, even light for much of the afternoon. Avenue Montaigne is quietest in the morning, and the banks of the Seine glow in the last hour of light.
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
- First look in the Cour Jardin
- 17:00
- Ceremony in the Cour Jardin
- 18:00
- Cocktail, family photos
- 19:30
- Portraits on avenue Montaigne and by the Seine
- 20:30
- Dinner in the Salon Haute Couture
- 23:00
- Cake and first dance
Getting there and where to stay
The hotel is on avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement, three minutes’ walk from the Alma-Marceau metro station and about 1 km from the Eiffel Tower. Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport is about 30 km away.
With 208 rooms and suites, the hotel can host many guests on site. Around the wedding, take your guests along avenue Montaigne, the Seine or the Champs-Élysées.
Editorial wedding photography in Paris
See a wedding at the Ritz Paris and a wedding at Château du Prieuré, and my guides to the Ritz Paris and Château de Nainville, where I have photographed.
Paris wedding photographer →Questions about a wedding at the Plaza Athénée
Where is Hôtel Plaza Athénée?
At 25 avenue Montaigne, in the 8th arrondissement, about 1 km from the Eiffel Tower.
How many guests can the Plaza Athénée host?
Up to about 110 seated in the Salon Haute Couture, and about 220 for a cocktail in the Cour Jardin, according to published event capacities.
Can we hold the ceremony at the hotel?
Yes. According to French Wedding Style, the Cour Jardin and the Terrasse Montaigne can host ceremonies and cocktails.
How much does a wedding at the Plaza Athénée cost?
French Wedding Style lists venue hire from €7,700 in peak season for up to 80 guests. Check current rates with the hotel.