Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

I ski-do!

Ben Mondy reveals five of the best high altitude venues to make that special day the coolest too

Zermatt, Switzerland

Exchanging vows with the graceful curve of the Matterhorn in the background could well be the ultimate wedding photograph. The Riffelberg Chapel is a quaint church located in the heart of the Swiss ski resort of Zermatt and is the ideal space for an intimate ceremony.

Belgian couple Charles and Freija Vermeulen were married there in 2008. “It was as about perfect as I could have hoped for,” says Freija. “The town of Zermatt is so beautiful and easy to get around. We had loads of snow and all the guests went skiing together the next day – just the tonic for a few sore heads.”

But if a church wedding doesn’t appeal, there’s always the Zermatt ice pavilion, found over 3,800m above sea level at the end of the highest cable car in Europe.

With Zermatt’s cobbled streets being car-free, the stunning Matterhorn always in view and some of the best skiing in Europe, it’s no wonder that couples like the Vermuelens are making the extra effort for their wedding day. Operators like myweddinginswitzerland.com offer complete packages that include church hire, legal paperwork, reception, translators and accommodation, even throwing in ski hire.

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Chamonix, France

For creating your own winter fairytale, it’s hard to beat Chamonix, a place synonymous with all that’s special about a mountain retreat. If a traditional wedding is your heart’s desire, you can enjoy a religious ceremony in the baroque Saint-Michel Catholic church in the centre of town or tie the knot in the breathtaking architecture of the intimate Chapel des Praz.

But Chamonix is also about adventure. Couples with a bold streak can take a cable car to a mountain clearing and say ‘I do’ on a glacier. Naturally, the cable car ride back isn’t for daredevil newlyweds – a paraglide back to the valley floor or a hot-air balloon exit is more their style, both options here.

After a snowcat ride to the top of the mountain for their ceremony, adventurous Brits Sally and Mark Fenner then spent the day with their best friends doing what they love – snowboarding.

“With only a champagne and barbeque lunch to break up the non-stop powder play day of fun – we managed to accumulate over 50,000 vertical feet of riding – I can’t imagine a better day to have for our wedding,” says Sally.

Firms like Adventure Base (adventurebase.com) or Haute Weddings (hautewedding.co.uk) can negotiate French bureaucracy and help you plan your perfect day, from arranging the venue, service, catering, entertainment, transport, accommodation and photographer.

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Grandvalira, Andorra

The bride getting cold feet is normally the worst case scenario on the big day, but when the wedding ceremony is going to be held in a chapel hand-carved from snow and ice, 2,330m above sea level, it’s a pretty hard issue to get around.

Luckily the fantastic views over Andorra’s Grandvalira ski area and the Pyrenees more than compensate for slightly cold toes. This is the stunning setting of the Iglu-Dorf (iglu-dorf.com), an igloo village created each winter, where guests can savour untouched nature, gaze at gleaming stars, and bed down on warm sheepskin.

A wedding party can book out the entire Iglu-Dorf village, making use of the artist- designed igloos, not to mention saunas, whirlpools and two bars. The village can handle up to 52 guests in different accommodation options, from romantic igloos for two, to larger family and standard igloos for six people.

For the day after the wedding ceremony, there’s also access to 200km of slopes, fantastic for all levels of skiers and snowboarders, or the options of husky sleigh rides and snowmobile tours.

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Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

Few sights are more enchanting than a bride surrounded by crisp snow in a gorgeous alpine town. And when it comes to charming Italian resorts, Cortina is high on the list.

A town seemingly designed for romance, the ‘Queen of the Dolomites’ has everything a sophisticated wedding needs. The website italiandestinationweddings.com offers a range of packages and can even organise a horse-drawn sleigh for the bride and groom’s grand arrival. The wedding hall itself is an old palace in the heart of Cortina, complete with an elegant stone staircase and classic Italian interior.

You can choose from five star hotels to charming chalets for the reception, and with castles, huts, campsites, and a multitude of hotels and rental apartments available, wedding guests can choose the accommodation that’s perfect for them.

The other major draw, apart from the amazing skiing in one of Italy’s premier resorts, is the food. This is a region that prides itself on its locally sourced produce, and whether your reception is held at a Michelin starred venue or humble mountain hut (known as rifugi), your wedding meal will be as memorable as the day itself.

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Verbier, Switzerland

Here Comes The Bride may not be the most original ditty to be played as you walk down the aisle, but when it’s performed on an organ made up of an astonishing 3,000 components, you’re definitely part of a unique experience. You’ll hear the Wedding March like never before in the Hamlet of Verbier at All Saints Chapel, built by Pierre Dorsaz in 1985, decorated with stunning stained glass windows designed at the Ecole Française in Rheims by master glassworkers.

The outside courtyard is perfect for hosting a welcome reception of cocktails, champagne and canapés, with the fabulous view adding a guaranteed wow factor. In the distance, guests will see the eternal snows of the Combins and Mont Blanc, not to mention the piste and off-piste terrain that has made Verbier a legendary resort in the skiing world.

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