The song lyric “it’s a nice day for a white wedding” takes on a whole new meaning with the backdrop of spectacular snowy mountain scenery, and it should be no surprise that most well-known ski resorts are big on weddings.
In fact there are so many options these days, from a quick, legally binding “Vegas style” ceremony you can slot into your ski day (with the possibility of getting a free lift pass and slice of cake if you take part in a mass mountain-top wedding ceremony), to a full-scale, budget-busting bash in your personally constructed snow cathedral under the Matterhorn, there have never been more options for getting married in the mountains…
On A Budget Or Blow The Budget ?
The cost of marrying in the mountains can, of course, range from little more than the cost of your ski holiday to the cost of a small house if you want to organise a full-scale ceremony and fly in guests to a spectacular location.
Heather and Brian Wed at Kicking Horse – Picture Credit: Abby + Dave (Calgary)
Nearly 22 years ago, young lovers Steve Cross and Jane “Bertie” Birtles decided to go for the more affordable option.
The couple were married in the Hearthside Hotel Restaurant in Breckenridge, Colorado, by Judge Stanley at lunchtime and were out on their skis by the afternoon.
“We needed to register the marriage with the Judge’s Clerk upon arrival in the USA then we were married a few days later,” recalls Bertie. “The licence cost $60 (£49) , my flowers cost $36.93 (£24) from the city market floral boutique and I chose and designed my floral bouquet. So it came in at under $100 (£65).”
It was a quiet affair. “We had one guest by default, our friend Fraser, who drove from Las Vegas to meet up to ski with us. Fraser arrived at 10am in checked shirt and cowboy boots, we were married at midday and skied in the afternoon,” adds Bertie, recalling that the wedding photographer snapped her in lace wedding dress on her K2 skis.
What funds the young couple had saved up for their wedding were wisely invested in a 3-week all-inclusive stay in a Breckenridge chalet.
“Tuesday was the chef’s night off so we were married on a Tuesday,” continued Bertie. “After skiing, the chalet company’s director took us to the other house the company owned to have a three-course meal and homemade wedding cake! The wedding cake was baked last minute on our wedding day by Lucy the chalet maid. She put Dopey from the seven dwarfs as the groom and Tinker Bell as the bride on the top of the cake ! It was one of the best days of my life!”
Saying “I Do” In An Igloo
Credit – Iglu Dorf
If you decide to wed closer to home than North America, one option in the Alps is to marry in one of the growing number of sophisticated igloo villages that have sprung up over the past decade on the slopes above an ever-growing number of ski resorts (or should that be sprung up, thawed and then sprung up again the next winter?). One of the leading players, the Swiss company Iglu-Dorf, operates in half a dozen top resorts including Davos, Engelberg, Gstaad and in Grandvalira, Andorra. They also have a spectacular location in Zermatt with amazing Matterhorn views.
The company is already master at providing remarkable romantic suites, complete with spectacular snow carvings and some facilities you might not expect in an igloo – champagne (on ice not an issue) and a hot tub, for example. They’re also used to organising all scales of event.
Credit – Iglu Dorf
“Marrying in one of our igloo villages is a great way to do it,” says the company’s Géraldine Pucken, who adds, “As snow is our building material, we can basically create anything, depending on the budget.”
The igloo village can be booked for everything from just the ceremony or ceremony and reception to also including an overnight stay with romantic bridal suite.
“To put it another way, there are no limits on what we can create to offer a once-in-a-lifetime, super-unique winter wedding. Any dream cathedral or church can be built out of snow,” says Géraldine.
360° Mountain Views At 2350m Up
At Kicking Horse resort in the Canadian Rockies, which makes a special effort for weddings, it’s not unusual to see a bride in full gown tiptoeing to the gondola base station in the resort village with her bridesmaids lifting her train up over the snow.
They’re heading up to the resort’s spectacular Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, which is perched on a prominent peak 2350m (7700 feet) above sea level and offers stunning 360° views of the surrounding Rocky Mountains and six national parks.
“The trend towards mountain weddings, like their popular cousin, beach weddings, is growing dramatically,” says Matt Mosteller of Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, which operates Kicking Horse.
Credit – Alfonso Lorenzetto and Italy2Wed and MarryAbroad.co.uk
“I think it’s because so many couples are looking for that one-of-a-kind location and metaphorically reaching new heights together. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has to be one of the most magical and spectacular settings in North America to tie the knot! At the practical level you also have a large capacity of accommodation on site which makes planning easier.”
The Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, regarded as “the most romantic in Canada” by some reviewers, can cater for up to 110 people, or for an open-air wedding on the terrace, the number can be as many as 200. There are conveniently two luxury accommodation suites above the restaurant if the bride and groom don’t wish to descend with the rest of the guests after the wedding.
Ascending To A Higher Plain
For many mountain weddings, a part of what makes it special can be the unusual forms of going up the mountain that ski area operations offer.
Brides have arrived on the back of snowmobiles and in piste groomers in the past, as well as by ski or snowboard of course, but it’s the ski lift that comes into its own for many a matrimonial ceremony.
Some resorts go further than others – at southern Germany’s Arber ski area, for example, they skilfully converted a gondola cabin into a fairy-tale princess’s carriage complete with white horses.
Gstaad in Switzerland is another cable-car conversion specialist, although opting for something a little more traditional Swiss Alpine in their approach with the gondola up to the Rellerli Mountain Inn, which is conveniently also one of the few branches of registry office in the region. The bridal couple travel free in the special cabin, and normal rates apply to remaining guests – up to 300 of whom can be catered for at the Inn.
Getting Married On A Ski Lift
Closer to home it’s actually possible not only to ride up to your wedding venue in a ski lift but also to actually get married in a ski lift – or the funicular railway at CairnGorm ski area above Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands to be precise. The only issue is you can’t currently get married in the ski season per se; the service is normally offered from May to October. That said, CairnGorm’s ski season often extends into May, and there’s normally snow up top then anyway, so perhaps you could have the lift turned on just for you ?
The funicular can be hired out for weddings and receptions and can then follow on to a choice of venues including the modern Ptarmigan complex at the top of the lift, at 1097m (3600ft) above sea level, the highest venue in Scotland (you can also have the wedding here if you don’t want to marry on the lift). The Ptarmigan also has an outdoor terrace where the wedding ceremony can also be performed against a stunning backdrop of lochs and mountains.
CairnGorm Mountain’s professional staff can provide all catering and, if you want a one-stop shop, also organise lighting, floristry, dancing and entertainment.
Nevada-style Nuptials
If you’ve always liked the idea of saying your vows in Vegas, but also yearn for a snowy rather than desert destination, your answer could be Heavenly ski resort which straddles the California/Nevada border. Nevada is the state Las Vegas is in, and there are big casinos and relaxed marriage regulations on Heavenly’s Nevada side. But whichever side of the border you choose, there are also spectacular views of stunning Lake Tahoe for your wedding backdrop.
Ski resort business Vail Resorts own three resorts in the area and actually run their own weddings business in the area – the Tahoe Wedding Collection, who will be happy to mastermind everything for you with the options again ranging from sweet and simple to full-scale spectacular with hundreds of guests catered for.
In Oregon, the year-round ski destination of Timberline Lodge is another wedding specialist. They have a vast choice of flexible wedding packages, but if simple is best you can opt for the “Fireside Elopement Package” from $1390 (about £880) excluding travel, which ensures you get hitched and throws in a few nice extras on top.
Credit – Iglu Dorf
There’s Still The Paperwork
Many ski travel agencies and tour operators will be able to provide practical advice on getting married in the mountains. Ski Independence is one that reports experience in helping to organise the big day on the slopes for skiing couples.
Another source is independent destination wedding advice website MarryAbroad.co.uk which recently produced a “Top nine things UK couples typically forget when planning to get hitched overseas” list.
Top point is to ensure you leave enough time for the paperwork in the country you’re going to and to send out “save the date” notes to any guests expected to fly out as far in advance as possible.
Checking you have every official document you’re likely to need with you is another big one – this can include birth certificate and previous divorce or widow/widower status confirmation among others, and some countries may ask these have been translated into the local language.
Brides are advised to book flights in their maiden name and to talk to the airline about taking their wedding dress in hand luggage – normally allowed but best check first.
“Many couples just aren’t aware of these ‘need to knows’ about getting married abroad – essential tips, which are often overlooked in the planning process,” said site Co-Founder Steph Bishop.
Mass Marriage
Of course, no one is pretending that it’s going to be cheap to get hitched on a mountain top, but there is one way to tie the knot affordably on the ski slopes (well, affordably once you’ve paid to get there).
Credit – Alfonso Lorenzetto and Italy2Wed and MarryAbroad.co.uk
The perfectly named Loveland ski area in Colorado organises a mass wedding on Valentine’s Day each winter on their slopes high in the Rockies.
On “Marry me and ski for free” day, couples arriving in wedding attire get a buy-one-get-one-free lift ticket deal and (if previously registered with the paperwork complete) can be legally married in the ceremony. Even those already married aren’t discriminated against and can renew their vows, and there’s a big party when the skiing is done with wedding cake for all!
So there you have it. If you’re not married yet, your only decision remaining is how and where to say your vows in the mountains. The good news is that, as evidenced by Steve and Jane, still happily married more than 21 years after tying the knot in Breckenridge, you’re getting your married life off to a good start as the old saying normally holds true, “the family that skis together, stays together.”
