A Cherry Blossom Elopement Witnessed by the Eiffel Tower

When Aphrodite and Michael first wrote to us, they had one wish above all: to say their vows with the Eiffel Tower and the cherry blossoms in view. Paris’s cherry trees bloom for only a short while each spring, so choosing a date months ahead is always a small gamble. Their morning in early April was a lucky one: the trees were in full bloom.

How It Started: A Twelve-Hour First Date

Aphrodite and Michael met in August 2024, at her brother’s softball game. Michael was shy at first, but after the game he asked her to dinner, and they hit it off. He did not ask for her number, though, and she wondered if he was just not that into her. The very next day her brother texted her: Michael would like your number. Michael called right away to ask when they could go out again.

Their first date started with brunch on a Saturday at 10am. Then they went for a walk around a state park and kept walking until 2pm, stopped for lunch, and walked and talked some more, until around 7:30pm Aphrodite said her feet were killing her, and they went to dinner. Breakfast, lunch and dinner: twelve hours on their first date, and they have been inseparable ever since.

They got engaged on 25 April 2025, the same day they closed on their dream house.

Aphrodite had dreamed of Paris since she was a little girl, and she had never been. She wanted to share the city of love with the one, and it took many years, she says, but she finally found him. There was one more reason. Aphrodite is named after the Greek goddess of love, and as she put it: how fitting for the goddess of love to be married in the city of love.

A First Look in the Hallway of the Louvre

Their day started at the Louvre, early enough to have it almost to themselves. They had chosen a first look, so they came separately, and Michael waited in the hallway of the Louvre for Aphrodite to find him. It was the first time he saw her as his bride, almost a year after their engagement.

We stayed at the Louvre for the first hour of the morning, before the visitors arrived, so they could ease into the day together. Aphrodite’s bouquet was in the soft pinks and whites of spring, the same colours as the blossoms waiting for them later.

A vintage convertible, Aphrodite’s choice, took them from the Louvre to the cherry trees.

Vows Under the Cherry Blossoms, Facing the Eiffel Tower

This was the moment they had come to Paris for. Our officiant led their ceremony under the cherry trees, with the Eiffel Tower just beyond the branches.

They had written their own vows. Michael’s, written by hand, made Aphrodite laugh; Aphrodite needed a moment to get through hers. Then the rings, and their first kiss as a married couple.

Afterwards we stayed under the trees a little longer for portraits. Blossoms like these last only days, and we wanted to make the most of them.

The Eiffel Tower in the Rear-View Mirror

Back in the convertible, we stopped for a few photographs with the Eiffel Tower behind them, and caught a kiss in the rear-view mirror.

Champagne and Heart-Shaped Sunglasses

On a street that ends at the Eiffel Tower, it was time to celebrate with champagne, and to bring out the heart-shaped sunglasses.

Pont Alexandre III and Place de la Concorde

We finished the morning on Pont Alexandre III and at Place de la Concorde.

We said goodbye on a quiet street, and watched them drive away in their convertible.

When and Where to See Cherry Blossoms in Paris

Paris’s cherry trees do not all bloom at once. The single trees along the streets usually open first, from the end of March. The gardens follow, and the peak tends to fall in the first three weeks of April, depending on the weather that year. The trees in the Trocadéro gardens, facing the Eiffel Tower, are the best known and among the longest lasting, often holding into mid-April. Last come the orchards of Parc de Sceaux, just south of the city, in mid to late April. Square Jean XXIII behind Notre-Dame and the Jardin des Plantes are worth a visit too.

Whatever the spot, go early. These are public gardens, and by late morning they fill with visitors and picnics. Aphrodite and Michael said their vows at around nine in the morning. If you dream of a cherry blossom elopement in Paris, the first half of April is the safest choice, and as planners we can suggest the spot most likely to be in bloom on your date.

More Cherry Blossom Elopements in Paris

Aphrodite and Michael are not the only couple we have married under the blossoms. Claudelle and Peter got engaged under the cherry trees in Kyoto, then said their vows with the Eiffel Tower behind them: read their cherry blossom elopement or watch their film. Elizabeth and Anthony’s spring elopement film is full of blossoms too, and A and J held their cherry blossom ceremony in the Trocadéro gardens with their baby daughter beside them.

Thank you, Aphrodite and Michael, for letting us share your cherry blossom morning in Paris: the goddess of love, married in the city of love.

Dreaming of a spring elopement in Paris? Have a look at our elopement packages, or tell us about your plans.