If you’ve ever needed proof that less is more – look no further. Clarice and Tom, a couple from the UK, originally planned to celebrate their nuptials in Canada. After their original plan was derailed due to COVID, they decided an intimate mountain elopement in Austria would be a better option. Their instincts were correct, as their day couldn’t have been any more magical!
Victoria and Fabian of Wild Embrace Photography couldn’t have done a better job capturing this day. The adventurous couple share a deep love for hiking and often find themselves waking up at 3 A.M to enjoy the glory of nature around them. They woke up before 1 A.M on their wedding day in order to pull this off! Clarice’s hair and makeup artist, Bibi Rhomberg was also on the scene at midnight and ready to make magic happen (all with coffee and snacks in tow)! Not only was the hike something to remember, but the couple made sure to include several meaningful traditions to their special day.
The Adventure of a Lifetime
The Austrian Alps served as the perfect backdrop to this fairytale wedding. The green wildflower fields and snowy mountain tops served as the perfect contrast to one another.
The early morning sunrise glowed almost as bright as these two!
Eva Roth, our free ceremony celebrant, really got to know us on the run-up to the wedding and made sure our mountain top ceremony was super personalized. We told her about how we first met and became ‘official’, Tom and I flipped a coin to determine who would ask who to be their boyfriend/girlfriend. Since then we use a coin Tom’s grandad gave him (a gold sovereign from the year of his birthday) to make a lot of our decisions. We took the coin with us to Austria and flipped it during our ceremony to determine who would say ‘I do’ first.
Commemorating Their Mountain Elopement
Look at that ring!
There were so many stand-out moments during our big day. In terms of our favorite parts of the day, we’d have to say either reading our vows on the Höferspitze which was really intimate and emotional. Our officiant, Eva Roth, also surprised us by playing messages from our family at the top of the mountain which was so lovely and set the tears rolling. Tom’s sister, Katie, wrote us the most amazing poem which will stay with us forever.
They shared coffee in the cutest custom mugs to warm up after the morning’s hike!
Hiking in the Name of Love
There could be no better fit for a “just married” sign for these two than for it to be on their backpacks. So adorable!
The gold tones of “Lunella” by Watters served to be the perfect fit for the occasion. As the sun rose, Clarice’s dress glistened right alongside it.
This simple eucalyptus bouquet by Dada Flower Boutique was the perfect finishing touch to the look.
One of the most memorable moments just because it’s such a funny story was the cows! We were followed by a group of calves on the hike back down from the ceremony. They were really excited as I think they’d just been let out for the first time so they galloped down the mountain after us. They wouldn’t stop licking our photographers and tried eating my bouquet.
As the Sun Rises
Cheers to the bride and groom!
The glow of the rising sun could never outshine the beauty of this couple in love!
Unbeatable views, and a love story to match.
Canoeing this gorgeous Alpine lake in Austria was the perfect post “I do” activity.
We absolutely adore this take on wedding boots. It’s the coolest contrast to their stunning attire – and stays true to the couple’s core.
The tenderest of moments.
Just remember why you’re getting married, focus on the two of you instead of trying to please everyone else, make sure you stay true to yourself so you have the absolute best day to look back on forever.
I’d also say for anyone planning a wedding abroad, make sure you find a great photographer. Especially if you plan on having limited guests, that way you can share the photos with everyone back at home and they can really get a feel for your day. Victoria and Fabian were absolutely amazing, you can really see the story of our day and feel all the emotions in every picture, our friends and family absolutely love them! We also felt like once we found our photographers they knew the best location ideas, the timeline for the day, and local vendors so everything else just fell into place
Needless to say, this mountain elopement was straight out of a storybook! Congratulations to Tom and Clarice. May you have endless adventures to come!
photography: Wild Embrace Photography // venue name: Warth / Lech, Vorarlberg, Austria // florals: Dada Flower Boutique // wedding dress: Watters ‘Lunella’ // wedding dress boutique: Flamingo Boulevard // hairpiece: Twigs & Honey // bride's ring: Rox Jewellery // hair stylist: Bibi Rhomberg // makeup artist: Bibi Rhomberg // groom attire: Crichton Bespoke // groom's ring: Rox Jewellery // cake: Renates Tortendesign // officiant: Eva Roth (mountain ceremony) // civil wedding officiant : Stefan Jochum // getting ready location: Hotel Steffisalp // civil wedding location: Hotel Goldener Berg // boat location: Berghotel Körbersee
Wow! I never knew the Austrian Alps were this gorgeous!!!
Did you have to have a permit to have the elopement out there? My fiance and I are eloping in July and this is a dream spot!