Getting married in Cannes: venues, dates and photography (2027)

You live in London or New York, you have walked the Croisette on a summer evening, and you want to get married in Cannes in 2027. This guide covers what French law allows foreign couples, which venues in and around Cannes publish a wedding offer, the festival weeks that fill the town, and how to plan the day around the light. Every fact was checked in November 2026.

Can foreigners legally marry in Cannes? (2027)

Only if one of you, or one of your parents, lives in Cannes: French law asks for at least one month of continuous residence before the banns are published. The banns are then displayed for 10 days at the town hall before the civil marriage can take place. For most visiting couples, that rule settles the question.

The file is also heavy. Service-Public.fr, the official French government site, lists what foreign partners usually add:

• a certificate of custom law (certificat de coutume) or a certificate of being single, from your embassy or consulate;
• a birth certificate issued less than 6 months before for a foreign record, or 3 months for a French one;
• sworn translations of documents in another language, and an apostille for some countries.

“Il est interdit de célébrer un mariage religieux avant le mariage civil.” (A religious marriage may not be celebrated before the civil one.)

Service-Public.fr, page updated 28 October 2026

So nearly every destination wedding in Cannes is a symbolic ceremony. You sign the legal papers at home, a few weeks before or after, then exchange vows in Cannes with a celebrant, in English or in two languages. The ceremony has no legal value in France. Nobody at the dinner will know, and nothing changes in the photographs.

Which venues host weddings in Cannes?

Mostly the palace hotels of the Croisette, a few exclusive-use houses above the bay, and the Château de La Napoule ten minutes west. Côte d'Azur France Tourisme, the official tourist board of the Alpes-Maritimes, lists them in its 2026 brochure for couples, with capacities published by each venue.

The palace hotels of the Croisette

The Carlton offers a garden for an intimate ceremony of up to 150 guests and a Beach Club facing the sea, with 369 rooms, suites and residences for your guests. The Hôtel Martinez, on the Croisette since 1929, seats up to 180 on La Plage du Martinez and 576 in its Festival Ballroom. The JW Marriott Cannes proposes vows on its Panorama rooftop or on its private beach.

Exclusive-use houses and historic rooms

White House Cannes, a Belle Époque villa above the bay, is rented whole: preparations, ceremony, dinner and party on one property, with bedrooms for the couple and their guests. The Alain Delon Room at the Palm Beach, the old gaming room of the casino, holds up to 1,000 guests with a 600 sqm terrace facing the Lérins Islands.

The castle by the sea: Château de La Napoule

In Mandelieu-La Napoule, the next town west, the Château de La Napoule hosts weddings in its gardens, courtyard and sea terraces. It seats 280 inside and up to 450 under a marquee.

From the brochure “Getting married on the Côte d'Azur” published by Côte d'Azur France Tourisme in September 2026, checked November 2026. Prices are not published: ask each venue in writing.

Which weeks should you avoid in Cannes in 2027?

The three big trade weeks: the Film Festival from 11 to 22 May, Cannes Lions from 21 to 25 June, and the Yachting Festival from 7 to 12 September 2027. During those weeks the Croisette hotels fill with delegates and rooms become scarce. A wedding is still possible, but your guests will struggle to find a room near the venue.

Dates from the Cannes tourist office and the official Cannes Yachting Festival website, checked November 2026.

Read our guides to the Cannes Film Festival, Cannes Lions week and the Yachting Festival if one of them is on your shortlist anyway.

When is the best month to get married in Cannes?

Early June and the second half of September: warm evenings, a late sunset and the town between two festivals. On 21 June 2027 the sun sets at 21:16 in Cannes. By 15 September it sets at 19:43, so dinner starts in the last light.

Plan the day backwards from sunset. We suggest a ceremony about two hours before it, and the couple portraits in the last half hour of light, when the bay turns gold and the Esterel hills go blue.

Sunset times computed for Cannes by Sunrise-Sunset.org, local summer time, checked November 2026.

Do you need a permit for wedding photos in Cannes?

Inside your venue, the venue decides. On public land, the Ville de Cannes asks for prior authorisation for film and photo shoots. In practice, couple portraits with one photographer and nothing set down on the ground are handled very differently from a crewed production with lights and a closed area.

“Les prises de vues réalisées dans le cadre de films, documentaires et reportages photos doivent faire l'objet d'une autorisation de tournage préalable.”

Ville de Cannes, filming policy

We check the portrait route with the town and the venue before the day, so nothing stops you halfway through the golden hour. Our article on photography permits on the French Riviera explains where the real limits are.

A planning timeline for a 2027 Cannes wedding

Venue first, a year ahead, then the planner and the photographer, then the legal file at home. The table puts it in order.

A planning order, not a legal rule. If you do marry in France, French birth certificates must be under 3 months old and foreign ones under 6 months (Service-Public.fr, checked November 2026).

What does a wedding photographer cover in Cannes?

Riva works only with the high-end photographers of the Riviera, and on a wedding day ours covers everything from the preparations to the first dance. The style is editorial and documentary: the vows, the toasts, the guests and the party, with very little posing.

In a palace hotel, we coordinate with the wedding team on access and timing, and photograph the tables before the guests sit down. The portrait route is scouted beforehand, so it takes thirty minutes of your day. Our usual places are the lanes of Le Suquet, the old town on the hill, for the view over the bay, and the Croisette itself in the last light.

Wedding coverage starts at 1,890 € for a half day and 2,890 € for a full day, with a weekend at 5,490 €, all taxes included and without travel fees on the Riviera. A first edited selection reaches you within 48 hours, in a password-protected gallery, and an NDA is available on request.

Our page for the wedding photographer in Cannes shows every format, and photography in Cannes the rest of what we do in town. For two of you only, read how to elope on the French Riviera. For a May to September date, book six to twelve months ahead, then tell us your date and venue on WhatsApp and we will check availability.

Frequently asked questions

Can two foreigners legally marry in Cannes?

Only if one of them, or one of their parents, has lived in Cannes for at least one month of continuous residence when the banns are published. The banns are then displayed for 10 days at the town hall. Visiting couples usually sign the legal papers at home and hold a symbolic ceremony in Cannes.

Which hotels in Cannes host weddings?

The Carlton, the Hôtel Martinez and the JW Marriott Cannes on the Croisette all publish a wedding offer, according to the 2026 brochure of Côte d'Azur France Tourisme. The Carlton garden holds a ceremony of up to 150 guests; the Martinez seats 576 in its Festival Ballroom.

When should you avoid getting married in Cannes in 2027?

During the Film Festival from 11 to 22 May, Cannes Lions from 21 to 25 June and the Yachting Festival from 7 to 12 September 2027. Hotels fill with delegates and rooms near the Croisette become scarce.

What is the best month for a Cannes wedding?

Early June and the second half of September. The sun sets at 21:16 on 21 June 2027 and at 19:43 on 15 September, so the ceremony, portraits and dinner can all follow the evening light.

How much does a wedding photographer cost in Cannes?

With Riva, wedding coverage starts at 1,890 € for a half day and 2,890 € for a full day, with a weekend at 5,490 €, all taxes included. Shorter sessions start at 390 € for 30 minutes. A first edited selection arrives within 48 hours.

More reading: how to elope on the French Riviera, getting married on Cap Ferrat and the Cannes Film Festival.

Written by

Paul Compain

Paul Compain founded Riva and writes the studio journal. He plans the sessions the team photographs across the French Riviera, from Saint-Tropez to Menton.