MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Planning elopement in the Swiss Alps in June 2020
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Hello everyone, this is Laurence here and I have a question that I think you might be able to help me figure it out: back in September I proposed to the light if my life, my beautiful girlfriend and soon to be wife and after a few conversations it became clear that the beautiful country of Switzerland would be the perfect place to get married! We’re planning an elopement, something very small, a symbolic ceremony with just the two of us, an officiant and a photographer. We envisioned a sunny day in June (the 16th, to be more precise), with the alps as background.
We are well aware of the fact that in June there will be plenty of tourists enjoying the gorgeous views and the weather but I’m confident that we can find a spot that can be reachable by cable car, somewhere high and not crowded. Would you guys be able to recommend a place like this? We sure don’t want to end up trespassing private property and want to be mindful of others who don’t want to be bothered by our ceremony which, by the way, should last no more than fifteen minutes or so.
We thank you guys in advance for any help,
Camila and Laurence.
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Hi Camila and Laurence,
Oh wow. I had to read that twice 🙂 Congratulations by the way. I could suggest you so many scenic venues with Swiss Alps as the background (http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/naturalsites).
But I’m not sure any of them would be good for the ceremony you intend to have. Or to be more specific, I don’t know if you would be allowed to have the ceremony without going through some kind of red tape first.
I think the best way to get it done is to hire a professional. If you google ‘elopement Switzerland’ I’m sure you’ll get a list of search results and contacts that can provide you with the specific information you need. Some may even offer you the full service package.
Perhaps other forum members can help out with some suggestions too.
Just to let you know, Switzerland is also a good place to have your honeymoon 🙂
Good luck.
Anna
Hi Camila and Laurence,
I suppose that a “symbolic ceremony” is not an official one, otherwise, as Anna mentions, some red tape is involved. Among others, a religious wedding will only take place after the civil wedding. Will your officiant be a church officer ? Will you bring the officiant and the photographer along or do you need to find them in Switzerland ?
Now, for a place reacheable by cable car and not overcrowded, I would recommend Lake Tremorgio in Ticino (the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, on the southern side of the Alps). Image-google Lago Tremorgio.
Hi Camila and Laurence –
Adding to the comments from Snowman, I’ll note that on June 16th, the high Alpine trails will possibly still be impassable from snow on the trail and the potential for snow slides. June 15th +/- a few days, is the date usually expected for the trails at 2000 meters and above to be opened, for example, near the Jungfrau. At those altitudes, Winter is still hanging on in early June…just barely.
This one in particular is a good example. Mid-June is the normal opening date. A beautiful setting is possible, and the views from that trail are exceptional:
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
Lower altitudes are preferred at that time of year, in the Alps. That does mean that you’ll have snow covered Alps in the background, if you take your pictures from a lower altitude, and, if the weather is clear. You may be lucky on that point, but June is still a month with a fair amount of clouds and rain. And, if you are actually up in the Alps, the weather forecasts are unreliable if you look out much beyond 24 hours. The weather in the Alps can change quickly.
All that said, a site in the Ticino as suggested by Snowman, south of the Alps, is far more likely to have suitable weather.
Slowpoke
Hey guys, thanks a lot for your replies!
Yes, we’re getting legally married in the US and then we fly to paradise (a.k.a. Switzerland) to have a symbolic ceremony in the alps! Yes, a symbolic ceremony is just what the name implies and it’s replacing a religious ceremony in a church or something like that and we won’t need to go through any more beaurocracy other than the one required by American law.
Wow, let me tell you something: you guys gave us a lot of very useful information here and we are happy to have joined this community! We can tell you have a lot of experience and knowledge when it comes to Switzerland and can almost read my mind! Yes, we were a little concerned about the weather and the temperature and also our idea of location is just like what Slowpoke described! A place not too high but preferably not in a valley either, although this option is not completely out of the question. I’ve been looking at places like Klöntalersee, Grindelwald, Sisikon and the Jungfrau. Sisikon, for what I feel by looking at the pictures would offer nice spots to have our little ceremony done as it appears that there are plenty of public spaces away from the town to do it. It’s a beautiful setting with lake Lucerne and the alps in the background! I know, these are all somewhat different places but looking at the pictures and scouting the surroundings using Google maps and street view I can see some accessible areas but I don’t know if I would be in public or in private land. We checked out Lake Tremorgio and what a place! Thanks for the tip, Snowman!
I want to thank you guys again for your kindness, for taking the time to respond to our questions! Anna, Snowman and Slowpoke: you are awesome! But hey, this isn’t the last time I bother you guys, I will probably come back with more questions, especially now that I know you guys know what you’re talking about!
Maybe across the lake from Sisikon? This link discusses a hike round the southern end of Lake Lucerne. There are a whole bunch of pictures:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-swiss-path-and-southern-lake-lucerne
Here are images from the Rigi., attached. Some are from Rigi Kaltbad, part way up the Rigi. At least one is from Weggis on the lake shore. Weggis is hardly free of people, but they’ll stay out of your way, since you would not be on a narrow path.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/destinations/weggis /
Maybe at one of the lake shore hotels?
There are excellent views from the terrace of the Hotel Bergsonne in Rigi Kaltbad.
The Bergsonne has changed management in the last couple of years, so I don’t know much about it these days.
Grindelwald is definitely in a valley.
Some friends were married in the small church above Ligerz:
http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/destinations/platea u-de-diesse-tessenberg/
Pictures attached, also views from the church. The Alps are a bit distant.
You can see the attached view of the Lauterbrunnen valley from the church in Wengen; there is small courtyard to stand on. Not sure how much of the valley would be captured in an image, because you have to be able to see down as well as out. Photographer could stand on a ladder….maybe.
map.search.ch/?pos=636919,161878&z=25 6&poi=bergbahn,kirche, zug
The church of concern is the one one the left, in the small section of town called Wangfura. Switch the map back and forth between map view and aerial view.
Slowpoke
Attachments:
Hi Camilla & Laurence,
I was just curious and searched ‘elopement in Switzerland’ on Google. Surprised that there is actually a long list of services that cater to this demand. I don’t know if you did a search too but here’s a few links that caught my attention. Have a look at them to get some ideas how to get your ‘symbolic ceremony’ done in the Swiss Alps.
marylinrebelo.com/en/p ortfolio/ (the one in Blausee looks stunning)
http://www.elopeinswitzerland .com/blog (plenty of Swiss Alps background for inspiration)
http://www.love-gracefully.com/package s/switzerland/ (mainly in Geneva)
switzerlandweddingcomp any.com/services/elope -in-switzerland/ (offers wedding planning services)
Best regards,
Anna
Hi Camilla and Laurence
Slowpoke’s suggestions may be exactly what you need but I’ll add one more option. There are zillions of places with good mountain vistas in Switzerland. The challenge is to find one that is readily accessible and not full of people to compete with for the ceremony and photos.
You might look at the Riffelalp resort just above Zermatt. It has a very large front lawn with great views of the Matterhorn and surrounding mountains. Also a good view down on Zermatt. It is the 3rd stop on the train that goes from Zermatt up to the Gornergrat summit but is not high enough to have snow in June. We have stayed there 3 times and the lawn was almost never used and there was never any hotel staff around. There is a small chapel on the side of the lawn that I think is open to the public. The Matterhorn is generally considered an icon in Switzerland and would make a nice backdrop I think. I have attached several pictures taken from the front of the Hotel but I didn’t have one of the entire lawn but public hiking trails pass along the front and side of the hotel so I don’t think there would be any problem with using the lawn or chapel for your purposes. However you might consider staying there a night or two. Although pricey it has a great spa, outdoor pool with great views, and very upscale rooms and furnishings.
Congratulations Mark
Great suggestion!
Hello Laurencesima,
Congratulations on your engagement!
The only thing I want to add is a suggestion for a photographer in Switzerland. I had IsaBelle take photos at my wedding, and as well as my children. Take a look at her link on Facebook and contact her if you’re interested. Just let her know that you got her contact info from me (Suzanne). She speaks English and Swiss German as her native languages too!
I wish you all the best in planning your ceremonial wedding in Switzerland!
Best regards,
Suzanne
Really, lots of great information here! Thank you very much, everyone!
Let me try to answer some of your recommendations: Sisikon looks great and I noticed that there is a small chapel right by the water. I don’t know if it’s possible to occupy that place for, let’s say, 30 minutes.
All of those pictures showed by Slowpoke are gorgeous but the one of Lauterbrunnen Valley is awesome! I can see us having our little ceremony there!
Anna and Suzanne, we’ve done a search and spoke with some people and yes, we found one very friendly officiant and we might use her services. The photographer part of the whole thing is crazy expensive, isn’t it)! It makes me think I’m in the wrong business!
Mark, I just looked at pictures of the whole place using Google maps and street view and noticed the hotel’s front lawn and also the little chapel. Seriously, I think we would have a great time there and I also wandered around and noticed the cablle car from the city all the way up to many other different advantage points high on the mountains! Great stuff!
Thanks to you guys we are learning a lot and having a better understanding of what we should do and where to go! Keep the recommendations coming, we’re loving it!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Camila and Laurence.
Hello Laurencesima,
I’m glad both of you are finding all the recommendations helpful! I look forward to reading and seeing photos of your symbolic ceremony on MySwissAlps.
Best of luck,
Suzanne
Hi Camila and Laurence-
Following up on your interest in Siskon –
I don’t have a picture of the opposite (western) lake shore, with Uri Rotstock, Oberbauenstock or the other Uri Alps visible as they would be seen from Sisikon. Actually, I do, but is buried in the files and is on film, and would require cranking up my film scanner. So, I have a substitute, as follows:
This map shows the topography in considerable detail:
On that map, just south of Sisikon, the lake shore kind of bumps out a bit, where Tellskapelle is located. That is William Tell’s Chapel. Usually well touristed.
If you look at the attached image, taken from the boat dock at Brunnen, you can see on the left that “protruding ” part of the lake shore. It is possible…not certain, but Sisikon may be the cluster of buildings partly blocked by the lady’s hat. More likely, Sisikon is hidden by the lake shore at that angle.
In any case, the view of the lake from Brunnen is illustrative of the western shore, but not from the same angle as the view from Sisikon. Still, it gives you some impression of what you would see from Sisikon.
I have attached a page from a photobook that I prepared after a trip with my daughter and granddaughter in 2009. On that page, the image that shows the Riemenstaldnertal ( Valley of Riemenstalden) shows Sisikon, as it sits on the lake shore at the base of the valley. The other pictures on that page give an impression of the Urner See ( Lake Uri) which is the southernmost arm of Lake Luzern.
On the western shore of the lake, on a plateau above Rütli meadow where the Swiss Federation was founded in 1291, is Seelisberg. It is highlighted in the image “Waiting for the lakeboat….”
At the highest point in Seelisberg is a famous old hotel, the Sonnenberg, which is now owned and run by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guru of Transcendental Meditation. On the attached enlarged image from the map, you can see a terrace with two circular flowerbeds that is in front of the hotel. That is at the edge of the cliff.
It has been there a while, as you can see form his old image:
The map:
I have attached a view of the lake from that terrace, also selected from the 2009 photobook mentioned above.
It could be a spectacular place for a wedding, on a clear day, but, as with Sisikon, it is not in the high Alps. It is not as easily accessible as Sisikon. The terrace is on a hiking trail, and many people visit it, but it is not crowded. I suspect that permission to photograph there or have a ceremony there could be gotten from the hotel. Certainly, no permissions are required to walk on the terrace and look over the lake.
Sisikon is on the main line train line to the Gotthard Pass.
Seelisberg is reached by bus from Beckenried, or by lake boat, then funicular up from Treib, plus a walk or bus ride uphill a bit to the Hotel Sonnenberg..
Slowpoke
Hi Camila and Laurence-
<<“Let me try to answer some of your recommendations: Sisikon looks great
and I noticed that there is a small chapel right by the water. I don’t
know if it’s possible to occupy that place for, let’s say, 30 minutes.”>>
Quite likely the officiant could learn about that for you.
Unfortunately, the Uri Tourism web site is only in German, and does not give a contact address in Sisikon.
http://www.uri.swiss/de/regio nen/urnersee/sisikon/
The tourist info office in the main station on Zentralstrasse at Luzern would know how to sort that out:
Scroll way, way down for their contact information..Don’t know if this sort of thing interests you, bit some of the boats on Lake Lucern are steam-powered side-wheelers, maintained and updated from the time they were built. They stop at Sisikon. The timetable has symbols to show which are those boats:
http://www.lakelucerne.ch/en/ timetable-fares/timetable/
( get the proper seasonal time table)
Here are a few pictures, attached.
Slowpoke
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