A Rustic Chic Wedding in The French Alps

Kathy and James chose the enchanting French Alps as the backdrop for their special day. Surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the mountains, they celebrated their love in a rustic wedding that perfectly captured the essence of the region. For their ceremony, they wanted something special and choose a beautiful clearing nestled among the mountains which served as their outdoor sanctuary. A wooden arch adorned with fresh flowers formed the backdrop as the couple exchanged their vows, with the majestic peaks standing witness to their love…

Your story and the proposal

”We met in 2008, studying Neuroscience at the University of Bristol. We became close friends, studying and partying together, with our group of university friends; “The Neuros”. There was always chemistry, but nothing came of it until we graduated in 2011. Having been friends for 3 years, we quickly became close and started travelling around Europe at weekends and living between Manchester and Leeds.

We planned to holiday to Switzerland in August 2021, and so James devised a plan. He bought the ring whilst Kathy was away, and chose a location – The Aletschgletcher (“Aletsch Glacier”). Running for more than 20km, it is Europe’s longest glacier and a spectacular location in a part of the world so special to us both.
After 3.5 hours, and many beautiful moments too full of people, James knew time was running out. So he hurriedly rushes past Kathy, knocking her into a grassy bank! By the time Kathy was ready to tell him off, she realised he was on one knee and he asked “the question”!
Once Kathy had confirmed she would love to make things official, we had 30 minutes of walking to take it all in and start to talk about where we could possibly get married…”

Your inspirations, decoration and DIY ideas

”We were lucky that the venue we chose, The Farmhouse in Morzine, was so beautiful and characterful that it needed very little additional decorations. Not only is the Farmhouse already intricately decorated, but it’s also in the most beautiful setting, surrounded by mountains. So tip one is – choose a stunning venue and it will save you on decoration costs!
One decoration tip we do have is to make it as personal as possible. We met studying neuroscience, so we named all our tables after different areas of the brain. We made sure to explain on the table card, how that area of the brain related to that group of friends and family – for example sitting cycling friends on a table named after the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination!”

Your most beautiful memory of the day

”In a day of so many highlights, it’s tough to choose the best. But we both agree it was the moment we were introduced to our guests at the Wedding Breakfast.
Our band – Loud Noises, whom we knew from Leeds – had offered to process us into the dining area – a stretch tent in the garden of Morzine’s oldest building. We gladly accepted and asked if they did request. “Sure!” they said, so we asked them to learn a piece called “Carnival Culture” by Shy FX. We’ve spent many nights dancing away to this artist, and this piece had a fantastic horn section that we know would just work. It was a moment we will never forget.”

Good advice to give to our Brides-to-be

”You will have to make – what will feel like – millions of decisions in the lead-up to your wedding. These decisions can feel overwhelming and it can become stressful if you are worrying about making the wrong choice, eg on flowers, dress, food etc. What really helped us was remembering that we are choosing between lots of right decisions, not right and wrong choices Don’t put pressure on yourself to make the ‘perfect choice’ – there are many suitable choices!”

A few words about the photographer who accompanied you, how was he on the day, and what you felt when you saw your photos.

”Sylvain met with us before the wedding to discuss the vision we had for the day – we wanted colourful photos that showcase the natural beauty of the Alps! Sylvain took on board everything we said and really understood our vision. On the day, he was very discrete – we hardly noticed he was there and yet he managed to capture intense and sincere moments. To our opinion, he is one of the best to capture candid moments and emotions.”