A Ski-Down Ischgl Wedding
Oh my days – this wedding is one for the memory banks!
Alex and Spencer are such a beautiful couple: welcoming, relaxed, and properly visionary with what they wanted their day to feel like. Unlike most weddings, we’ve really been involved right from the start as they enlisted Abigail to plan their day through her planning business ‘Rather Be Wed‘. Their plan came together over the course of the year – a religious ceremony, a mountaintop aperitif, and then skiing down the mountain at sunset.
Both of them are talented skiers, with Spencer in particular having done ski seasons and taught across the globe in France, Austria, and even Japan. They had also visited Ischgl together, and enjoyed the town and the surroundings on their own merits, so this celebration really came from a personal space, and represented them as a couple.
We started in the centre of town at Hotel Madlein, where both Alex and Spencer got ready. It’s a great place to begin a wedding day in Ischgl because everything is on your doorstep – shops, guests arriving in town, and the mountains sitting right there in the background. Prep was relaxed, and it gave us time to photograph the details and the build-up before heading out into the cold.
Their ceremony took place at the historic St. Nicholas Chapel right in the heart of Ischgl, dating back to 1443. It was absolutely freezing. The holy water at the entrance was literally frozen solid, which tells you everything you need to know about the temperature that day. Even so, it was a brilliant place for a wedding ceremony – absolutely stunning within, and Father Bernard was an absolute dream to work with. We wrapped everyone up in thermals, jumpers, and coats, and despite seeing our breath in the air – enjoyed a religious ceremony that meant a lot to A&S.
After the ceremony, we moved across to the cable car gondola to head up the mountain for the next part of the celebration. We sent the guests ahead, and I rode up with A&S in a private car to allow them to take a few minutes together and catch a few pictures in the gondola as we transitioned into the second half of the day.
Up at Pardorama we had the drinks reception, the first round of speeches, and some group photos with the Alps as a backdrop. It’s hard to beat that kind of setting for portraits and group shots – clean light, big sky, and vibes for days.
As the sun dropped, we did something I’ll never forget: Alex and Spencer skied down the mountain at sunset, and we photographed it as it happened. I’ve been skiing for many years, but charging down icy black runs without poles while carrying thousands of pounds worth of camera equipment was a new experience at a wedding. The light was perfect – blue skies, warm glow, and snow catching the colour as we made our way down.
The finish back into Ischgl was unreal. As they approached the final descent, the sound from the waiting guests and the après ski crowd outside Hotel Elizabeth was huge. That roar as they came in is one of those moments that’ll stick with me for a long time. Not crashing at the bottom is maybe the greatest achievement of my wedding photography career.
From there we headed back to Hotel Madlein for a five-course dinner, more speeches, and a room ful of guests that was ready to celebrate properly. And then, because it’s Ischgl – we went out into town to Niki’s Stadl for après ski beers, eurotrash classics, and a messy party that rolled on into the night.
If you’re planning a destination wedding in the Alps – especially something adventurous like this – and want it documented naturally as it happens, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line.
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