Eva Longoria & Tony Parker:A Fabulous French Wedding – Part 1

Most brides – and some grooms – dream of having an incredible wedding with plenty of beautiful decorations in a fairy tale setting, but only some can make that dream a full-fledged reality without having to stick to a budget. One of those happy brides is Eva Longoria, best known for her role as Gabrielle on Desperate Housewives, who wed NBA basketball player Tony Parker in July.

Romantic Country

Because Tony hails from France and is the captain of the French national basketball team, it was only natural that the couple would return to the most romantic country on earth to exchange their wedding vows before a large crowd of friends and family members. And while you may not be able to fly to France for a destination wedding or even get Jessica Alba to attend your big event, you can still learn a lot about having a fabulous wedding just by seeing what they've done.

Why Just On One Day?

One thing celebrities understand is that you don't have to celebrate your wedding on a single day when you can spread it out for an entire week. Eva and Tony started their celebration on July 2^nd with a a party in St. Tropez for them and thirty of their friends. The couple and their guests kept dancing and having a good time until almost 3 o'clock in the morning at one of the area's best night clubs.

Then, Eva and Tony had to have a civil ceremony. In France and many European countries, a church wedding doesn't seal the deal. You have to make things legal with the government separately – that's a little different than in the U. S. So the couple turned their civil ceremony into a private affair. The couple hosted a lunch in the afternoon for the small group of friends and family members who would be present then they were driven to the government building in white stretch limousines. After the civil ceremony, Tony and Eva went back to their $11,000 a night suite at the Park Hyatt in Paris.

And then…

Following a good night of sleep (hopefully), the couple made their way to the Church of Saint Germain l'Auxerrois near the Louvre in Paris where they would have their true wedding celebration. Their guest list included about 250 people, including the most of the Desperate Housewives cast, many of Tony's teammates, and dozens of other celebrities and sports professionals.

Because the couple had selected one of the most historic and beautiful cathedrals in Paris for their wedding, they didn't need to do a lot of decorating to make the location come to life. Instead, they simply decorated with more than 1,000 gorgeous flowers.