James Bond Inspired Elopement in Sölden - Sarah & Glen

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Sarah & Glen had two main wishes for their Austrian elopement. They wanted to be high up in the mountains, and they wanted great food. After sending them a shortlist of locations that I thought matched their vision, there was a clear winner, and that was the town of Sölden in Austria.

This popular ski resort isn’t just a winter destination. In the summer, there’s amazing hiking, biking, and climbing for those with an adventurous spirit. On top of the highest ski lift, at over 3000m above sea level, is a fabulous building that also houses an incredible restaurant, the IceQ.

But there’s even more to Sölden. Fans of James Bond might know that the Ötztal valley was one of the major filming locations for the 007 movie Spectre. Knowing that these two loved the juxtaposition of modern architecture with the rugged mountain scenery, I couldn’t resist taking them inside the 007 Elements exhibition for their own secret agent mission.

Groom in a black tuxedo standing by a concrete wall with 007 elements written on it

Sarah & Glen’s Story (In Their Words)

How did you get engaged?

Glen and I share a passion for food & wine. We take turns planning a day date for one another, a few times a year. On this occasion Glen planned a surprise date, booking me in to have my hair done and then we were off to Sydney Harbour where we were greeted by a skipper on a boat. Knowing my love for water, Glen had organised to pop the question whilst we took a boat trip around Sydney Harbour.

The skipper asked if we wanted a photo with the opera house in the background however, Glen had arranged for the skipper to record a video where Glen had gotten on one knee and proposed. Afterwards, the boat dropped us off to a beautiful seafood restaurant on the water where we celebrated with awesome food & wine!

Any funny stories leading up to your wedding day?

More so leading to our proposal…

Glen had planned to propose 6 months prior, planning for the sunset & timings however, COVID had happened and so he had to sit on it during the lockdown with my ring in our garage. He had also asked my father’s permission and because he had taken so long to pop the question, my dad thought he must’ve gotten cold feet!

We also bought a puppy and planned to get him the week after Glen’s proposal. Obviously, I didn’t realise Glen had planned this day so I organised to bring Winston home the day before the date/proposal. Glen was a little stressed, wanting to make the day perfect and having a brand new puppy just added to the stress. Whilst I was having my hair done and just before Glen was to leave the house to pick me up, Winston, our tiny puppy had crawled under the couch to nap. Glen couldn’t find him and again added to the stress. We now look back on it and laugh.

How did you decide on your location?

We originally chose Austria from googling beautiful countries. We also planned to travel to Austria in 2020 which was cancelled due to Covid.

Once we chose Austria, we looked at photographers on Instagram and found your incredible shots. We loved Cat’s style and locations and once we liaised with her, we narrowed it down to Soelden. This town was absolutely perfect because we knew we wanted huge dramatic mountains and this town had Ice Q which enabled us to celebrate the way we enjoy. With awesome food and wine!

Bride and groom walk hand in hand towards the IceQ restaurant in Sölden in Austria

What were the biggest challenges you faced in planning your elopement?

Not being familiar with the location and having to completely rely on Cat for checking out the location for us, and we really appreciated her looking at Soelden ahead of our wedding and sending the photos and videos.

The weather was an obvious challenge, being so unpredictable in the Alps. Again, Cat was so helpful and alleviated this stress with the suggestion of the 72 hour window.

A small logistical issue was getting our wedding attire across to Soelden without getting creased or lost. Thankfully our family joined us for our wedding so we were able to offload the wedding dress and not drag it around Europe on our honeymoon.

What is your favourite memory from the day?

Ohh this is tough!! The whole day really was perfect! I think the first look was amazing for us both. With over 12 months of planning leading to that point, it really was such a special moment!

Sharing our vows privately was a great idea and having yourself capture the memories. The ceremony was also a lot of fun! It felt really relaxed and intimate.

Wedding party spray a champagne bottle on the top of the mountain in Sölden in Austria

Is there anything you are really glad you did?

Eloping our way! It felt so relaxed, stress-free and fun!

What advice would you give to other couples planning their wedding?

Don’t listen to outside influences. Do what feels good for yourself. The day will be so much fun if you plan it the way you envision it!

What was your favourite thing about working with Cat?

Cat went above and beyond for us from visiting the location ahead of time, sending photos and videos, checking the weather and offering updates, assisting us with bringing the wedding a day ahead due to apocalyptic rain, getting us access to the James Bond museum to get specific shots that we wanted to create and helping us to pose to get beautiful photos from our day.