Place de la Concorde
Hôtel de Crillon Wedding Photographer
A Louis XV building, reopened in 2017, on the finest square in Paris
The Crillon is the most sculptural of the Paris palaces. Its light is not generous — it is precise. Photographing a wedding here is a matter of patience and of knowing which room turns golden at which hour.
The house
Designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1758, the Crillon reopened in 2017 after a restoration led by Aline Asmar d’Amman, with Karl Lagerfeld on two of the suites. The jardin d’hiver, the state salons and the suites overlooking the Concorde and the Tuileries make it one of the most complete wedding settings in the city.
It is also the palace with the shortest walk to an open view: fifteen steps from the door and you are on the place de la Concorde, with the obelisk and the Tuileries behind you.
How the light behaves here
Darker than Le Meurice, warmer than the Ritz. The salons hold their light close, which rewards fast lenses and a photographer willing to wait rather than add flash. Late afternoon in the winter garden is the hour to protect in your timeline.
I work handheld, with two small bodies and prime lenses, no assistant and no lighting stands during the reception. In a house where other guests are staying, that discretion is not a style choice — it is the condition for being allowed to work freely.
Planning notes
Ask for the actual salon
The room shown at a site visit is not always the one your date holds. Confirm it in writing before you sign.
Protect twenty minutes outside
The Concorde anchors the images in Paris rather than in a beautiful room that could be anywhere.
Bring the photographer in early
Preparations in the suite are where half the day’s best frames come from. More on palace hotel weddings.
Frequently asked questions
Have you photographed weddings at the Crillon?
Yes. The Crillon and Le Meurice are the two Paris palaces I know best. For reasons of discretion I do not publish every palace reportage, but I will show you selections during our first call.
Does the hotel allow an outside photographer?
Yes. Palaces do not impose a house photographer. They ask to know who will be on site and that other guests never appear in published images.
How long should coverage run for a palace wedding?
Ten to fourteen hours, from the preparations in the suite to the first hours of the party. Coverage starts at €2,900.
A wedding at the Crillon
Tell me your date and I will tell you within forty-eight hours whether it is free.
Pierre-Yves Queignec, editorial and documentary wedding photographer, based in Colombes near Paris, working across France and abroad since 2014.