agree with NeoP,

You get more for a dollar in Paris than New York.
As much as I love NY ,I find good hotels there way too expensive.

Fellow NYCer here. You'll find Paris to be a bargain. Enjoy, and don't let others spoil your honeymoon. Come here, and we'll revel in your plans!

August is usually a slow month, so you should be able to get great deals.

If you are imagining a luxury honeymoon, it is certainly very easy to find incredibly high prices in Paris.

If just being in Paris is enough and you do not need luxury, Paris is one of the cheapest big cities in all of Europe, with hotels starting at 30-40 euros. Try that in London or New York!

I found Paris to be cheaper than N.Y. but of course you live there and know where the deals are. We had good meals in the Latin Quarter for 11 to 15 euros including a glass of wine and don't forget that when the quoted price of a hotel is $100. or whatever that's the final price and not a whole lot of taxes added on.
A honeymoon in Paris - Bliss!

Good point about the taxes and add-ons, Micheline, and just like you need to add nearly 20% to the quoted price of a New York Hotel before you compare it to a Paris one, you need to add a good 25% to all final restaurant bills in New York.

I just returned from Paris and you do not have to spend all your money!

For breakfast we stopped in a bakery. Even though we were in an apartment, we got coffee at a nearby Starbucks (ok, we are addicted).

We sought markets each day and purchased food that we carried around with us until we were tired. Then we found a bench and had a picnic.

We had a list of recommended restaurants, but we never used it! We "found" places where we "found" ourselves when we were hungry.

One day we realized we never had room for dessert, so that day we had a late afternoon snack of wine, then dessert. Later we got something more substantial at a cafe near our apartment.

Paris is absolutely amazing. You are not crazy to want to go there!

Do not give up your dream of a honeymoon in Paris!

You won't get another chance to take your honeymoon, so don't second guess your dream.

As others have said, charming hotels in Paris can be had for a very reasonable price. And there are good-- and reasonably priced-- restaurants in every single arrondisement.

One I can recommend, on the Ille St. Louis, is Le Caveau de L'Isle. You can google and find their website. It is small, charming, with good service and food. Their fixe prix menu is about 30 EUR apiece.

Bon voyage!

Neo Patrick -

That was exactly my point. You can get small and atmospheric at a reasonable price.

But - for their honeymoons - many people don;t want small and atmospheric - they want luxury. And that in Paris will be harder to get at a "reasonable" price than in NYC.

If they are willing to go for simple they should be fine. Some people don't.

I've been to Paris a bazillion times. In recent years I've had occasion to go to NYC on business about 4-5 times a year (and I know NYC very well from years and years of spending time there, living there one summer, etc). I'm no slouch when it comes to doing research on how to save money on hotels and meals when traveling, but I have never, ever been able to make a trip to NYC anywhere near as cost-effective as I can make a trip to Paris.

Sure, the exchange rate sucks, but Paris, IMO, has always been a city where you can find a great little hotel for a very good price and eat like a king for very little.

Just ask away here on Fodor's and you'll get plenty of good tips.

nytraveler, if you're talking luxury hotels instead of small and atmospheric, what makes you think NYC is cheaper there than Paris either? What did you pay the last time you stayed at the Mandarin Oriental or the Four Seasons? Sorry, I'm not buying your theory -- and I don't think others who travel both to NYC and Paris are buying it either.

Congratulations Chawkins - My DH and I did not start traveling in Europe until we were married about fifteen years, I wish that I had the memories of Paris in the first fifteen that I do in the last. Go to Paris, this time next year you will not be fretting about the expenses but telling stories to old and new friends about how wonderful your honeymoon was. You can cut corners on many things and still have the best of being with someone you love in the most romantic city in the world. Good luck with all your plans. BTW I saw a tv segment on wedding registers the other day and there are sites that people can go to and give you travel vouchers and money cards for your honeymoon, I would rather do that for a love one than give them another toaster.

Paris is much cheaper than London and a bit less than NYC. There are some really fine ** hotels and many Bib Gourmand restaurants. Do your research and you will be fine.

get day/weekend passes to the metro, that makes travel very very inexpensive by any standards, my husband and I just got backfrom paris. Also try lanes that are just off the tourist buzz wherever you go to save loads of euros on food, shopping etc. And dont forget to go to Ponte Bir Hakim for an unforgettable photo of Eiffel in the nite fully lit up for your very own personal moment far from the madding crowd!!
All the best for your marriage! Am sure Paris is a wonderful way to begin it!

Also, use the Batobus for a very inexpensive and comfortable hop-on-hop-off boat ride on the Seine to the major tourist sites. Be sure to ride it at night, when the city is all lit up. It's a magical must-do in Paris. Day passes, and multi-day passes, are very inexpensive. Just be aware of its hours, because it stops running at night around 9 or 10, depending on time of year.

Well at this very moment it is a quarter to ten at night in Paris, and it is nowhere near getting dark yet...

I am overwhelmed with gratitude! Thank you all so much for your kind words and best wishes. The panic attack has subsided and I'm looking forward to our trip again. I appreciate all of the tips, I have taken detailed notes and will bring them with us.

Best to all of you,

Chawkins

I just love a happy ending

Just don't go shopping...

Hotels are cheaper than in Manhattan. Meals are probably similar in price (though NYC has plenty of affordable dining options). BUT, most purchased items will be 25-50% cheaper in New York.

Paris also has many affordable dining options. I can tell you ten places to get a sit down table service restaurant meal for no more than 7 euros just off the top of my head. And of course, there would be no 15% tip on top of that price.

However, it's true that buying "stuff" in NYC is cheaper than Paris, just as buying "stuff" in Florida is cheaper than NYC.

kerouac, would you consider sharing that list?