paris wedding dress
 

Any idea where to look for wedding dresses in Paris? Do they have bridal boutique stores? K

K, there are wedding dress shops ALL OVER Paris! I could have taken dozens of pictures of all the beautiful shop windows we passed by. I haven't a clue as to how you'd narrow it down to one, but in Paris, you're spoiled for choice in the wedding dress department.

i would go to the bookstore and look at books dealing with shopping in paris. my guess is that there is a section devoted to bridal attire.

Although I don't have store info for you I will say that you should definately do your research first and then contact the stores you want to visit. Even in the states it is a requirement at most to have an appointment. I'm sure that in Paris it is the norm.

I agree with the posters above. But, here's something to start you off: There's this bridal boutique two doors down from the Hotel Jeanne d'Arc at rue de Jarente in the Marais. I always passed by it when I stayed there last year and loved the simple elegance of the design.

Just throwing this out there...there are two gals in Paris.Chris and Linda. They have a web site called parisphoto tours..i googled it..i know of them from another board..anyway, they do many other tours besides just photos. Chris is from Belgum, lived in Boston and now lives in Paris. Linda is from Texas, married a frenchman, and now lives in Paris and has a house in Provence. Anyway, they also do custom tours, including shopping. Perhaps, if you are really serious about this, you could contact them and see if they know of bridal shops, and I'm sure they do, and could set up appointments with you at a couple of them. Also, they could help with the "language barrier", if that would happen to be an issue with you.

Also, if you have time to "fiddle" on the web, pagasjaunes.com can help with a search for addresses after a search for "bridal shops", "wedding dresses"
(Find the "english" version of course... unless you speak the language!)

Pronuptia is a chain of boutiques in Europe with several branches in Paris. http://pronuptia.com/
The website can be viewed in English. Le Bon Marche and Galleries Lafayette dept stores also have boutiques for wedding dresses. Felicitations et Bonne Chance!

Try the Marias in the 4th, St Catherine's Square...they have wonderful shops in this area!

Craisin, you beat me to it! I must have stood in front of that window for 15 minutes when we were there a few months ago. :) Kbrennan - have a wonderful time shopping for your gown. What a great place to do it!

I know that store in the Marais, too! And I think there were a couple more in that area...they have simple delicious looking dresses, totally unique from what you see in the US and in Bridal magazines.

This probably doesn't apply to kbrennan. But my understanding is that if you are as much as a size 8 or 10, and/or if you are tall, it can be very difficult to buy clothes in Paris. Does anyone know if that is indeed the case?

You are right WillTravel. I lived in Paris for several years and eventhough I wear an American size 10, the largest size would just fit me and sometimes even be a little tight. I dare say that French average sizes would be considered petite sizes here in the States. You will RARELY find anything larger than an American size 12. I was in London recently and spotted a Kookai boutique. Kookai is a very popular store in France. lI turned to my sister and told her that the clothes there are very small but just as we turned to enter we noticed a large sign posted to the door which said "Large sizes now availble" which of course could only translate into American size 12 and maybe, just maybe size 14!

I agree with that -- the average size in Paris is pretty petite, but it's not that difficult or impossible to buy something if you are a size 10-12. I do, and that's my size. There may be slightly less selection, but it's not that difficult. I'm only average height, though, so I think very tall women would indeed have a problem. It is an exaggeration to say you will have difficulty if you are a size 8-10. I'd say no, not at all.

And if you see a dress that you like in a boutique window - be careful about photographing the display; We had taken so many photos of flower shops, cheese shops etc., that I didn't think a thing about it when my husband took a photo of a lovely bridal shop window for me, BUT Madame came running out of the shop screaming at us - apparently she had designed the gowns herself and she thought we were going to "steal" her ideas! Although I understood her sentiments, the whole scene was quite comical. We just smiled at her, apologized in French and went on to the next shop. Have a wonderful time looking for your gown!

kbrennan, will this dress be for you? or your daughter?
I was trying to remember where we saw the shops when in the Marais, one of these named must be the one. And of course, the Galleries Lafayette..how exciting, will the wedding be in Paris also?

My daughter is the one looking for a Parisian wedding dress. And, no, the wedding won't be in Paris. We tried to persuade her and her fiance to get married in Florence (thought we'd save the expense of a big reception!) but they didn't go for it. Thank you all for your suggestions!

I've also seen some bridal boutiques in Paris, in the Marais en Saint Germain.

I got some urls for you from PagesJaunes.fr, here are some web addresses of stores selling wedding gowns:

http://www.cendrine-mariage.com/index1.htm

http://www.suzanne-ermann.com/

http://www.fleurdepeau.fr/boutique.htm

http://pronuptia.com/

http://www.reinaldo-alvarez.com/boutiqueen.htm

Thank you all so very much! I never dreamed I would get so many wonderful responses to my question about wedding dresses! I am sure we will have a great time looking for a dress in Paris. And in the meantime, I intend to check out all those websites. K

Oh, and don't forget your hats for the occasion from Le Grain de Sable located on the Île St-Louis:
http://grain.de.sable.free.fr/


Congratulations to your daughter on her upcoming nuptials. O:-)@};-