Paris is a city associated with romance and love, and it’s filled with gorgeous little neighborhoods, all with their own charm, grand monuments, some of the world’s best restaurants and most famous museums. It’s the ultimate city to celebrate an engagement, and that’s why I was so happy to be contacted by a lovely couple to photograph their engagement in Paris. A Paris engagement photoshoot is magical and memorable and a true celebration of a love story!
The Olympics and Return from Summer Holidays
The summer of 2024 was incredibly exciting in Paris, as the city hosted the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and the 2024 Paralympic Games. During this time, as a Paris engagement photographer, I decided to spend most of the summer in my home in Provence, photographing elopements and couples, and watched all the Olympics action on TV. I had a bit of FOMO as I watched this coverage, and realized I lived in one of the world’s most gorgeous cities, which we often take for granted. I was so excited when Sarah contacted me to photograph her engagement session with her fiancé, Blake. They’d be coming to Paris in mid-September and wanted to celebrate their engagement with beautiful photos with the Eiffel Tower and another pretty location.
I was so excited to be back in Paris after the summer break, and saw that the city still had all of the hallmarks of the Games visible, the most noticeable being the Olympic rings attached to the Eiffel Tower. Some couples don’t like this, they’d want the rings removed, which can be tricky and takes a lot of editing. Other couples love the reminder of a symbol like this, which puts a place and time to their photos they’ll never forget. If you’re coming to Paris around the time of the French Open (Roland Garros), for example, there will often be a tennis ball hanging from the Eiffel Tower or a big sign on the Eiffel Tower. The monument is used to celebrate events happening in the city.
It was incredibly exciting to be back at my favorite spots and to meet this lovely couple from the USA!
Eiffel Tower Trocadero Meeting Point
The best place to meet for a photo session incorporating the Eiffel Tower is Trocadero. Blake asked me a very good question, why do they call this place Trocadero? Thanks to the magic of Wikipedia:
The Trocadéro, site of the Palais de Chaillot, is an area of Paris, France, in the 16th arrondissement, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. It is also the name of the 1878 Trocadéro Palace which was demolished in 1937 to make way for the Palais de Chaillot] The hill of the Trocadéro is the hill of Chaillot, a former village.
The place was named in honor of the Battle of Trocadero, in which the fortified Isla del Trocadero, in southern Spain, was captured by French forces on 31 August 1823. France had intervened on behalf of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, whose rule was contested by a liberal rebellion. After the battle, the autocratic Spanish Bourbon Ferdinand VII was restored to the throne of Spain.
I know my history pretty well in Paris, but I can never remember this story. These days, Trocadero is a magnificent viewing platform for the Eiffel Tower and is flanked by two museums on either side, the Musée de l’Homme (Museum of Man) and the Musee de l’Architecture (Museum of Architecture).
It also served for the beach volleyball competition in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
It’s a grand place to start any Paris photoshoot!
Eiffel Tower Views on a Sunny Morning
It rained the evening before I met Sarah and Blake, and would go on to rain later in the day of our photo session, too, but the morning of, we got super lucky and had beautiful sunshine. This actually is fairly rare in Paris, most people don’t realize it’s cloudy most of the time in Paris and rains a lot. We took advantage of the nice weather and I photographed the couple at Trocadero, making a quick trip to the river side, and even a chance to photograph on the Pont Iena, which was closed to car traffic for the Olympics. It’s way too dangerous to photograph here in normal times, so I took this special moment to stop in the middle of the street.
From the riverside, we finished the Eiffel Tower portion of our morning at Bir Hakeim Bridge. This stunning double-decker bridge has been featured in dozens of ad campaigns and even an old sci-fi movie called Inception. During rush hour it’s super tricky to photograph here, as there’s tons of cars, bikes, and people walking to work. It takes a great deal of patience to wait it out, but it’s so worth it, because the bridge and views of the Eiffel Tower are spectacular from this vantage point!
Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral, arguably the most famous gothic cathedral in the world, suffered extensive damage in a fire in 2019. This cathedral is one of the symbols of Paris and through incredibly hard work and dedication, has been restored and is set to re-open to the public by the end of 2024. I love photographing couples here, because to me it’s one of the prettiest neighborhoods in Paris.
Sarah wore a gorgeous flowing white dress for her engagement session, and Blake looked casual chic, and they are so in love. It was such a pleasure to capture Sarah’s beautiful smile and gorgeous long locks, which flowed so beautifully along with her dress. The way Blake looked at her was so inspirational, and as the couple had never been to Paris before, I enjoyed sharing the knowledge I have about the city and pointing out things to do. One of my favorite things to do I advise my clients is to take a river cruise. It’s a great way to get a narrated view of the city from the water, and is highly enjoyable.
Photos in the Latin Quarter
The Left Bank of the Seine River, known as La Rive Gauche, in French, is one of the oldest parts of the city of Paris, and where, back in time, Latin was the main language, and was studied at the famous Sorbonne University, which is still in existence. This is a neighborhood where you can feel the authentic old time Paris, with its cobblestone streets and cute buildings and cafés. I so enjoyed walking around this neighborhood with Sarah and Blake, and we ended our morning together with some beautiful photos along the Seine River, looking toward Hotel de Ville, the city hall of Paris.
I was so excited to meet Sarah and Blake and spend this wonderful morning with them. They were so kind, in love and interested in Paris. What a great place to spend their engagement, and I hope these beautiful images serve of a reminder of this sunny September day for years to come.
Karina Leigh Photography
Capturing the joy and love of couples visiting Paris is my passion, so if you’d love beautiful photos to commemorate your time in the City of Lights, don’t hesitate to contact me!
