Disclaimer - Some posts on this website contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase using my links, which I'll almost certainly use to buy more skis and climbing gear.
The dilemma is real – spend your money on a wedding or a ski trip? I feel your pain! When the highlight of the year is your annual pilgrimage to the ski slopes, it’s hard to imagine spending your savings on anything else, especially a wedding. BUT it doesn’t need to be a choice between one thing or the other. What if you could combine your ski trip with your wedding? Well, guess what – YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN!
I moved to the Austrian Alps in 2011 as a ski and snowboard instructor, and I’ve been photographing ski weddings here since 2017, so I have acquired a pretty good amount of knowledge about how to plan a ski resort wedding and the most common mistakes that many couples make. In this guide, I want to share with you my top tips on how to plan your ski wedding in Austria, from when the best time is to come, to the best resorts to hold your wedding in.
How to choose a ski resort for your wedding
There will probably be a few factors that will be key in deciding which ski resort is the ideal location for your winter wedding. Things you’ll want to consider will include:
How easy is it to get to the resort?
Can we/do we want to have our legal wedding here?
What venue and accommodation options are there?
What about non-skiing guests? Are there activities for non-skiers too?
And of course, your budget
The Best Ski Resorts In Austria
The “best ski resort” is quite subjective, in my opinion. Across the Austrian Alps, you’ve got so many different resorts to choose from, and each one will have its pros and cons. A lot depends on your priorities; are you looking for a ski resort with the most kilometres of pistes, or perhaps a smaller resort that offers quieter slopes and no lift queues? The most popular ski resorts in the Austrian Alps where I’ve previously photographed ski weddings include:
Mayrhofen / Zillertal
Zell Am See / Kaprun
Kitzbühel / Kirchberg
Obergurgl / Sölden
St Anton / Lech
Innsbruck / Stubai
Pitztal
When Is The Best Time of year To Plan A Ski Wedding?
Before you think “Well winter, obviously“, it’s not necessarily that straightforward. Unfortunately, climate change is making the seasons increasingly hard to predict. As I’m writing this post, it’s mid-November in the Austrian Alps, the mountains are white, and I’ve already had my first ski day of the winter season. BUT it isn’t always like this. For the last few years, winter has arrived late. It’s no longer guaranteed that Christmas and New Year in the Alps will be white, so coming between mid-January and mid-April means you’ll have the best chances of great skiing conditions. But it’s not only about when is the best time to come. You also should consider certain dates that you might want to avoid.
Dates to Avoid In The Winter Season
Christmas & New Year:
While the Christmas markets and New Year’s fireworks are a lovely thing to experience, I don’t even recommend visiting at this time to my own friends and family. In recent years, the skiing conditions over Christmas have been quite terrible, but the slopes are still really crowded, and the hotels are all fully booked. Yes, spending the festive period in the mountains is wonderful, but you are paying premium rates for pretty average skiing conditions. You may also find it hard to find wedding vendors, as many won’t work over the festive season, or will charge extra fees, as they also want to spend the holidays with their families.
February/March:
Whilst you might be inclined to think that the UK half-term week in February might also be a week to avoid, this isn’t always the case. The busiest weeks to avoid during the ski season are the weeks that coincide with Fasching (Carnival). This period before Lent coincides with Austrian, Swiss, German, Dutch & Belgian holidays (though rarely the UK holidays) and is always incredibly busy across ski resorts. If you’re unsure when the carnival period is just search for Fasching 2027/2028… for example.
Picking the right venue for your ski resort wedding can have some logistical challenges that don’t come with your average wedding venue. Some of the most unique and authentic venues to give you that rustic ski chalet vibe are in the most stunning locations, usually up on the mountain in the middle of the ski resort. So planning how you are going to get everyone there (and home again) can be the biggest challenge.
Getting there might be fairly straightforward if all of the people you are inviting can ski or snowboard, but often, the biggest challenge is getting everyone back down again. Most ski lifts close between 4-5pm, meaning that if you want to keep the party going through the evening in your mountain wedding venue, you’ll need to find an alternative way of getting back down the mountain. Different venues have different options, from paying for an evening ride on the ski lift to getting ski-doo or piste basher to transport everyone back down. One thing you’ll need to think about when choosing a venue on the mountain like this is that everyone will have to leave at set times, not simply when they are tired and ready to go home. That’ll also be the case for your vendors – you may need to keep them on for longer hours simply because they can’t get down until the first transport is arranged.
How To Go Skiing or Snowboarding In Your Wedding Clothes
1. Make Sure You Buy Outfits That Allow You To Move With Ease
When choosing your wedding outfits, keep in the back of your mind that you might want to hit the slopes in them. When you ski or snowboard, you’re usually quite active in your movement, so just as you want clothes that won’t restrict you on the dance floor, think about how you move when you’re on skis too and if you’ll be able to do that easily.
2. For Snowboarders
Think about how wide your stance is. A tightly fitted dress, or tighter pants, may stop you from being able to stand in your usual wider stance, so make sure you test this when shopping for your wedding clothes. If you are planning on wearing a dress, you may want to rethink having a train on your wedding dress, as you could end up getting it stuck under the board every time you go for a heelside turn. If you do have a dress with a train, make sure to get a bustle added so that it stays off the ground.
3. Research The Lift Situation
Chairlifts or cable cars are always preferable to drag lifts, as not only are they more comfortable, but there’s less chance of getting loose clothing, such as a dress or a veil, caught up in something.
4. Don’t Forget The Accessories
Whilst you might not want to put on a helmet and goggles, don’t forget to pack at least sunglasses if it’s going to be even slightly sunny, as there’s nothing worse than snow-blindness. And remember to pack a pair of socks so you don’t get blisters and have a jacket handy in case you need to cover up and keep warm.
5. Have A Competent Friend/Family Member Come Along
If you’ve got a jacket, bouquet or anything else that you want to bring on the shoot with you but perhaps not wear the whole time, having a competent skier or snowboarder in the wedding party who can tag along and hold stuff can be really helpful.
And don’t forget your lift passes!
Discover some real winter ski resort wedding inspiration:
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
