To kick off the week we’re heading up into the mountains today for a dreamy French Alps winter wedding which was captured beautifully by Eight Bells – Wedding Imagery.
Our bride and groom Claire and Chris chose the exact same spot that Chris proposed as the location for their intimate winter wonderland wedding. Choosing to get married in the Alps certainly gave a few logistical and weather related problems for our bride and groom, which you can read about below, however none of this got in the way of them enjoying a truly magical day.
We just love their utterly romantic snowy wedding ceremony! Although it wasn’t quite what Claire and Chris had planned it looked just like a winter fairytale.
We’ll now pass you over to our gorgeous bride Claire who will be walking us through her dreamy French Alps winter wedding…
“We chose to get married in Megève in the French Alps because we wanted to share the magical location where Chris proposed with our close family and friends. We therefore decided to get married in the exact spot that Chris proposed – at the top of the mountain. Claire had always dreamed of a winter wonderland wedding (hence the mountain proposal) but didn’t think it would ever become a reality. We had started to plan a traditional English wedding, but quickly realised that it wasn’t what we really wanted. We wanted our wedding to feel private and intimate, not a big showcase. We therefore decided to follow our hearts with a destination wedding in the French Alps.”
“At first we weren’t sure how to make our vision become reality. We started with online research and spoke to a wedding celebrant based in Geneva, who filled us with confidence and made us realise that the sky really was the limit. We immediately booked flights so that we could scope out hotels, venues and suppliers. We visited L’Arboisie hotel and instantly fell in love with the alpine charm and sensational views of the mountains and village.”
“We then spent time exploring the medieval village of Megève to source other suppliers. This was more challenging than it sounds given that: (1) Planning weddings was not part of the GCSE curriculum – knowing how to ask for directions to the boulangerie is no help in a quaint French village (2) The seasonality of ski resorts meant it could be difficult to track people down (not to mention the siestas) and (3) The French are very laid back and planning a wedding a year in advance seemed like an alien concept – one florist told us to come back a week before the wedding and we nearly had heart palpitations.” 
Claire wore a wedding dress from English designer Ronald Joyce, purchased from Devlin Bridal Couture in Wiltshire. She accessorised with a fur coat, burgundy gloves and a dewdrop garland headpiece, which was handcrafted by Hermione Harbutt based in Clifton, Bristol. Sensible waterproof shoes were essential, so Claire chose white Timberland boots.
“We were lucky to find some creative and reliable local suppliers. This included Laure at Fleur Privees who supplied our flowers and Jean-Pierre of Boulangerie Le Montagnard who we chose to bake our wedding cake because he makes the best croissants in the village. Choosing Reuben and Polly from Eight Bells to photograph our wedding was one of the best decisions that we made and we are overwhelmed with how lovely the photos are. Reuben and Polly exceeded our expectations from start to finish and were a joy to have around on the wedding day. Our videographer, Stewart Monk is incredibly talented and the quality of his work is self-evident. He has documented our day perfectly and captured everyone’s emotions throughout the day.”
“The wedding day didn’t go to plan at all, however it was more magical than we ever could have anticipated. A white blizzard swept across the mountains causing the ski lifts to close and making the ceremony location inaccessible for most of the day. We chose to get married in March, which is known for its blue skies and longer days, so we hadn’t anticipated it being a complete whiteout. At the ceremony there should have been panoramic views of the Mont Blanc and its Massif, however on the wedding day we could barely see a meter in front of us.”
“Lynsey performed a short but sweet personalised ceremony outside in the snow where we exchanged vows and rings from Tiffany & Co, before being showered in confetti. We provided biodegradable burgundy confetti so that this would stand out against the snow. The best part about having a small wedding was seeing our closest friends and family stood right by our side as we became husband and wife.”
“After descending down the ski lifts, a horse and carriage was waiting for us in the village square. Our guests and the villagers all waived us off and for that moment it felt like we were in a fairy-tale.”
“Vin Chaud was waiting for the guests at Super Megève restaurant to help them warm up, followed by a Kir for the toast by Claire’s father.”
“We were met at the hotel by a sparkler entrance before our wedding breakfast of Raclette and cheese fondue in the hotel’s private dining room. The cheese and wine was truly incredible and went down very well with our guests.”
“Later in the evening we went to Les 5 Rues Jazz bar where we had our first dance as newlyweds in front of a live Jazz band. The manager, Kevin, supplied us with cocktails all night long until we eventually called it a day at 3am.”
To see more of today’s dreamy wedding, take a look at the below film from Stewart Monk – Reel Wedding Films:
“Our sincere thanks go to L’Arboisie, Lynsey Trondsen, Eight Bells – Wedding Imagery, Stewart Monk – Reel Wedding Films and all of the other suppliers who have provided us with memories that will last a lifetime.”
Congratulations Claire and Chris from everyone here at French Wedding Style!
For even more winter wedding inspiration check out this breathtaking Mont Donon Winter inspired wedding
A Dreamy French Alps Winter Wedding Snapshot
Wedding Vendors
Venue: L’Arboisie | Ceremony Venue: Super Megève | Photographer: Eight Bells – Wedding Imagery | Videographer: Stewart Monk – Reel Wedding Films | Wedding Dress: Ronald Joyce | Shoes: Timberland | Accessories: Hermione Harbutt | Hair: Danni Dudd from Xtendit | Grooms Outfit: Master Debonair | Grooms Accessories: Barbour | Flower Girl Outfit: Monsoon | Rings: Tiffany & Co | Florist: Fleur Privees | Celebrant: Lynsey Trondsen | Cakes: Boulangerie Le Montagnard | Entertainment: Jazz bar – Les 5 Rues | Accommodation: L’Arboisie
Absolutely loving the snow shots!! This is really beautiful!!
What an amazing winter wedding everyone looked amazing.
Congratulations Claire and Chris wish you lots of luck in the future
It’s an amazing winter wedding