Proposal at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

A French Riviera Proposal with a Beautiful View

Unrelated to this blog post, I once asked my wife what her favourite place on earth was, and her response was here: the Florentine Terrace at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.

I love it as a proposal location and it is truly magical – yet I don’t think photographs can ever do it justice because what makes it such a mesmerising place is its atmosphere as much as anything else. The balcony-esc space is an epicenter of serenity. There’s a true stillness in the air, as though time itself has stopped.

The Rothschild House's Magical Florentine Terrace

It’s mosaic floor is bathed in dappled light in the mornings that streams through swaying branches behind you as you look out to sea, while in the evenings its a grand stage for magnificent sunsets over Mont Boron. The terrace and its vista grab the imagination of everyone who sees it, stealing them away for a few moments as they step onto it.

The tranquility of the villa itself and the way people shuffle about reminds me of that of a British National trust property (although the weather here is obviously far more reliable). People calmly mill around as though they’re lost in a beautiful fairytale, which they kind of are.

The gardens were originally modelled on the shape of a boat, as though Cap Ferrat itself, upon which the gardens were built in 1912, was the deck of a ship. Back in the day, the 30 or so gardeners who maintained the ship’s ‘bridge’ all wore sailing uniforms, complete with navel berets with red pom-poms. 

Cost of Proposing at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

As of September 2024 there are two paid-packages. One gives you permission to bring a professional photographer on site to photograph the proposal and take some images in the gardens afterwards.

This option costs 600 Euros (the photography will have to paid separately, according to the rates of the photographer). For this option, bringing in external props or decorations is strictly forbidden. There will be other tourists milling around, so it’s best to do it earlier in the day – if possible soon after the villa opens at 10am. The second option, for 12,000 Euros, allows you to hire the villa privately, and the rules about props are relaxed.

• You can email the villa to arrange a proposal via evenements@villa-ephrussi.com , but you'll have to arrange a book a photographer separately.

A Romantic Photoshoot in the Gardens

In terms of the environment, photography at Villa Ephrussi is one of the most amazing a photographer can imagine. There’s plenty of shaded areas of soft, dappled light and lots of beautiful paths lined with greenery, flowers, and foliage – not to mention the garden’s magnificent features, which include statues, a beautiful rotunda and water features.

There are nine themed gardens on site, each with their own identity and atmosphere. The nine stunning gardens include French, Spanish, Florentine, Stone, Japanese, Exotic, Rose, and Provencal.

About Me

I'm a British wedding, proposal, and couple photographer based in Nice on the French Riviera. You can contact me here, or see my latest work here.

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