Wedding Blog
We really wanted to go to Paris, France on our honeymoon. Really, really, really. But we’re starting to think that may just not be possible for us. When we go to Paris, we really want to do it right. We’d like to stay in a nice hotel, go out to eat in fancy restaurants, and preferably fly non-stop. But I can’t seem to get a decent air fare for the life of me. Every time I check, flights are going for anywhere between $800-$1200 per person, and when we checked with our travel agent, we were told this was just going to get worse, in part because of the fuel surcharges the airlines have been and will continue to be charging (fuel costs being what they are these days).
This is just not acceptable to me, having flown to London and Madrid almost all my life for about half that cost and around the same time of the year. And since we’re paying for the wedding pretty much ourselves, we’re about as stretched out money-wise as we think we can be.
I’m not nearly as disappointed as you’d think I’d be. I figure Mr. Petunia and I can always go on a mini-moon after the wedding and make the Paris trip a little later on (the only thing is we’d hoped to go to Paris before starting a family, and we’re not planning on waiting too long to do that…). Perhaps waiting until winter will give us time to recharge the bank account…
In the meantime though, all the plans for my bridal shower have been “Paris” themed, so I’d hate to disappoint everyone with our new plans. So where could we go that would still fit this scheme and that we’d actually want to go??
We’re thinking Vegas (where I actually had thought of eloping to in the first place!) and staying at the Paris for a few days: I’ll still get to see the Eiffel tower and eat crepes! Don’t feel bad for me: I know I’m only fooling myself and it’s not the real thing! No matter: I’ll be with Mr. Petunia and wherever we are, there will always be amour!
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Share this post: Poor Man’s Paris
Though its not quite the same, it would still be a lot of fun.
Just curious, where are you looking for tickets? I have been using a site called kayak.com. They currently range between 1200 and 1500 there.
The Paris hotel is fun. Great buffet, too. I went for my bachelorette and we sat there eating for what seemed like hours. So it wouldn’t be horrible if you had to settle for imitation Paris… 
Are you going during high season? Why not consider going in early spring or fall? Tickets are usually much lower then.
Have you worked with a travel agent? For a few complicated European trips, they’ve been able to save me a lot of money.
Oops, just saw the bit about the travel agent.
How about Montreal? It is not that far, and there are often unexpensive flights between Florida and Montreal. The old port is very European with cobble stone streets. Everyone speaks French, and it has some of the best restaurants in North America. It really is like a mini-Paris.
I would think the best way to go would be Vegas, given the terrible exchange rate for the dollar right now. You’re going to get 1 euro for almost $1.50. I’d wait until the economy leveled out before going outside the US.
Just got back from Vegas and my BF and I had dinner at the Eiffel Tower restaurant. The food was fantastic and the location has a great view of the fountain show at the Bellagio. You’ll have a blast!
While you would get the replica of la tour Eiffel, Vegas is not Paris. If you are interested more in the romance and french/european aspects of Paris, like the other poster, I would also recommend Montreal or Quebec City.
800 round trip to paris non-stop really is not that bad. Sure, it may still be too much, but that is really not that high.
Oh yes - Montreal is beautiful! But I have been there quite a few times already myself, is the only thing. I love that city…I considered it, too, but not sure Mr. Petunia is as interested. I think he likes the idea of us hitting the Grand Canyon as a side trip if we go to Vegas (our vacation styles are quite different: he was going to Paris for me in the first place — he’s more of a nature/outdoors guy himself).
As to $800 not being so much, that’s kinda true. But I’ve always paid about $600 to travel to Europe in March - no more. And that $800 fare was weeks ago: I haven’t seen it pop up again — (the latest was $1291) — if I did, I’d still consider it (I mean, the $200 won’t kill us after all). My real concern is what Somer M is posting about: add to the air fare the exchange rate we’ll get once we get there…how far is our dollar going to go? Mr. P is also horrified at the kind of room we’re going to get for almost $300-$400 a night…
Yeah, Europe is really pricey these days — due to fuel costs and the exchange rate. Unless you have a lot of frequent flier miles or hotel points, I’d go for a cheaper part of Europe or closer to home. Super cool and cheaper: Greece, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Croatia.
You might be able to finagle a cheaper fare by flying into a different city and then taking a short hop on EasyJet or RyanAir but do note that those discount air carriers don’t always fly into the main airports so you may need to take a bus.
I know you said you wanted to fly non-stop if possible, but you may want to consider flying into London and getting the Eurostar to Paris. If you book well ahead of time, you should be able to get a cheap train ticket…
I’ll be staying in/at Paris in March! If you are getting married after that, I can take tons of pics (I’m a photographer so I’ll be doing that anyways) and send them to you after?
Good luck, hopefully the real Paris still finds its way to you!
Try getting up in the middle of the night and checking prices. There are often deals around 3am worth being tired the next day for. Also try kayak.com to see all the prices at once.
Also, look into getting an apartment instead of a hotel room. homelidays.com is a great site to start and if you speak French, try going a several pages into a Google search to find individuals with little internet savvy but great places for rent. We do this whenever we go to Italy and have stayed in some amazing places for less than $500 a week!
I don’t know if there’d be a price difference, but what about going to london and then take the tube? (or whatever they call it over there lol) to Paris?
also, in addition to all the great travel suggestions … you could cuddle up with your honey and watch the movie paris je’taime. ooh la la and much luck to you!
2 suggestions:
1. Montreal is like a little paris on the cheap! Everyone speaks french, its very eurpoean and quaint, and easier to get to….
2. I got tickets to Europe (london, but I’m sure paris would work) through priceline for $500. If you go to biddingfortravel.com you can see what people have been winning bids with so you know how low you can go.
Good luck!
A little late to comment, ’cause we just got back from Paris! But those airfares seem nuts to me. As a comparison, we just flew DC-Paris on Air France AND had 6 nights in a (very budget) hotel for around $750/person. AFTER all the taxes and fuel surcharges….
I know prices will be a bit higher in/after March, but just wanted to suggest that it IS possible to get a good deal. Whether now or for your later trip… We went through Virgin Vacations, but also check out http://www.go-today.com (which I’ve used for Paris in the past) and http://www.gate1travel.com.
Hey there Miss Petunia,
My fiance and I are getting married on March 29, and are planning to honeymoon in Europe (England, France, Germany, the works), and are a bit tight on funds as well. Then we found http://www.bestfares.com, which, mind you, requires a $50 yearly membership fee, but will fly us from Dallas to London nonstop for $674/person, all fees and taxes included. the code for this one is AOA-Q-NET, and it has several European flights. Hope it helps!
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Mrs. Petunia, Ft. Lauderdale
Age and Occupation: 31, College Professor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Engineering Student/Part-time Barista
Engagement Date: December 8, 2006
Wedding Date: March 2, 2008
Venue: Riverside Hotel
Blogging Since: August 6, 2007
About Me: Our original idea of running off to get married quickly turned into an event with 100+ guests once other people got involved and I, too, got swept away in the lovely madness that is wedding planning. Mr. Petunia and I are obsessed with all things World of Warcraft, Monopoly, and Nintendo, so we’re planning on including some fun “game-y” details into our wedding.
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