A Lakeside Elopement in the Swiss Alps

Stephanie and Andrew met while planning an event in school and quickly became college sweethearts. She was working in Florida for a few month assignment when Andrew fly down and surprised her. She found a note on her door instructing her to meet him on the beach. Andrew had set up a beautiful path filled with flowers and signs with various pictures and quotes, her favorite being, “you’re the cheese to my nachos.” The path led to a picnic set up with some of her favourite snacks. With the ring in a seashell Andrew proposed on the beach after 5 years of dating. The best was yet to come though, because Andrew had planned a celebration weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains north of Atlanta Georgia. They spent the weekend in a log cabin and hiked part of the Appalachian trail. It was a perfect weekend to celebrate their engagement.

Andrew and Stephanie tend to make their own path in some ways. A traditional wedding just wasn’t the right fit for them. There are so many places they want to visit, it was really difficult for them to decide where to have their wedding. They love the outdoors and once they saw some of the areas in Switzerland they knew it felt right. They chose to get married at Lake Oeschinensee because it had a bit of everything they love: the forest, mountains, and lake. The city nearby, Kanderstag, had a beautiful charm. It ended up being the perfect spot and they wouldn’t change anything about it.

They looked online for photographers in the area and found the Fearless Photographers website. It was a really useful tool for them to view portfolios and get a sense of the style of the photographers. After skyping with 3 photographers, they knew Veronika from Bendik Photography was a perfect match. Veronika could envision and understand Stephanie and Andrew’s hope to have a fun day outdoors and was along for the ride to capture it all. The location required some hiking and Veronika agreed with a smile. Julia got flowers from 3 different florists to create the perfect wildflower look.

It was important for them to keep the day about their relationship and commitment to one another. They made it their own by adding unique touches such as writing long love letters, having a beer pouring ceremony with engraved glasses, and more. Stephanie even surprised Andrew with photo books to look through from their favorite trips. In order to have good lighting and less people in the area, they went to the Lake in the evening. They knew it would require a hike down the mountain because the gondala would be closed. They weren’t aware what a beautiful journey it would be. Some of their favorite pictures were taken on the 3 mile journey down the mountain. Stephanie hiked down in her dress with only a quick shoe change. The journey back was representative of their relationship. They like to take their own path to appreciate the natural beauty and wonder of the world.

You’re never going to make everyone, or realistically anyone else happy with whatever plans you make, even if you plan a traditional wedding. Keep the focus about the two of you and try to have fun planning it. It should be something you look forward to planning, not dreading. Don’t be afraid to make it your own. Most likely something small will go wrong that day, but your excitement and happiness will overshadow it. We chose to avoid social media until we got back and were ready to share any photos. We felt it was a good decision so we could actually enjoy the moment and entire trip.