Wedding in Zermatt, Switzerland

Destination Wedding

Ed & Viki

Ceremony |  Zermatt Town Hall

Reception | Zum See, Zermatt

Wedding Photographer Cornwall |Paul  Keppel

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Back in March, I had the pleasure of photographing Ed & Viki’s wedding in Zermatt. I knew Ed from a while back when I used to run the ski school at Sheffield ski village and Ed was studying at Sheffield uni while working part-time as a ski instructor.

Ed and Viki first met in Zermatt while they were doing a ski season out there. Both have a huge love for the snow and Zermatt is very special to them it was only fitting that they had their wedding in Zermatt.  I have been to Zermatt a few times for various ski instructor courses and knew they had chosen a stunning place to get married with snow-capped peaks and the famous Matterhorn Mountain as a backdrop.

In the days running up to the wedding, there was glorious sunshine but the weather report wasn’t looking too promising for the wedding day with clouds and high winds forecast. The morning of the wedding, Zermatt woke to a nice covering of fresh snow in the resort but with a huge cloud covering the mountain. Ed, Viki and I spent the day before the wedding doing a recce/engagement shoot and had chosen some locations in case the weather wasn’t going to be the best. (These photographs can be seen in the engagement session in Zermatt’.)

The day was perfect for a wedding in Zermatt, with the clouds breaking and the sun coming out just as Viki and her father left the chalet in the horse and carriage. There are no motor vehicles in Zermatt. Apart from the electric cars, horse sleighs and carriages are the only allowed means of transportation so Viki had a wedding horse and carriage to take her to the town hall.

Wedding in Zermatt

The ceremony was lovely with a very unusual reading from the registrar about foxes meeting rabbits etc etc. lol  After the ceremony we took a trip through the town in the horse and carriage before heading to the ski lift to put our skis and boots on, Ed and Viki received loads of cheers from the people in the street as it is not every day you see a winter wedding in Zermatt. Having done the recce the day before we headed straight up the lift to an area with a tepee. One of my favourite wedding photographers are a company called winter wedding in Zermatt based in New Zealand.

This is where I looked for some inspiration as they take the most amazing shots of the bride and groom with stunning snow-capped mountains in the background. After a short snowball fight, we started to make our way to Zum See Restaurant. Full credit to Viki, as she firstly skied with no poles, in her wedding dress, and mostly without her fur jacket.

Due to the winds picking up the wedding breakfast took place inside Zum See but this didn’t spoil the atmosphere. The food was truly amazing and the wine flowed, which led to some funny and emotional speeches by Ed, Viki’s father and the best man.

We finished off the day with some photographs around the restaurant before a ski down to the Apre bar ‘Hennu Stall’for their legendary Ski shot rack. (an old school ski with shot glasses stuck to it and everybody has to drink the shot simultaneously.

Back at the chalet Ski Total had done an incredible job in turning the chalet into the reception area with a huge buffet and a wedding cake made by the staff. This I think was Ski Total’s first wedding in Zermatt. Even the cake cutting was done with a Swiss Army knife which I thought was a really ‘cool’ idea and a great way to finish the day before some hysterical ‘shirts off’ dancing took place. (less said about that the better) haha

As usual, here is a selection of some of my favourites from Ed’s and Viki’s Zermatt wedding.  Please feel free to share on social media, or leave a comment.

I had an amazing week and would like to thank Ed and Viki and their friends and family for making me feel very welcome.

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If you are considering a wedding in Zermatt, then please do not hesitate to Contract me. If you have a destination wedding in Italy why check out my Lake Garda Wedding blog post.  Or to view Ed & Viki’s engagement photographs head over to my blog.

19 Comments

  1. A fantastic collection of photos to remember the wonderful day….well done Paul…you worked so hard……

  2. What a very original wedding and the pictures are something to be very proud off! Wow

  3. WoW! The photographs tell the story of the day just perfectly :-) I have looked at them quite a few times now, and a massive smile is brought to my face every time! The day becomes a bit of a blur when your in it, so it is so great to have the photographs to be able to remember all of the special moments. (Ed and I had forgotten all about the photographs outside ZumSee! – the tractor one is so funny!)
    I am very proud of all of us for managing to ski (fairly gracefully) in our wedding attire! I just love the shot of Ed and I skiing along hand in hand :-) oh and the snowball in the face is one for the wedding album I think!
    I love the mix of black and white / colour photos in the collection, and the red in our outfits stands out so well in the snow!
    Thankyou for writing such a thoughtful blog post, and sharing our special day with the world :-) We are so pleased with the photos, and you made everything so easy and relaxed for us. Thank you for your patience and dedication throughout the wedding day, and whole wedding week :-)

  4. A bride and groom on skis – what a wonderful way to start your married life. Fabulous shots telling the story of the day. Love the pop of colour with the red and such a gorgeous bride too. Amazing!

  5. Well done Paul, great images and you’ve captured a very special day for the bride and groom.
    They look a really fun couple, and obviously appreciate good photography.
    Hope this is the first of many destination weddings for you.

    • Thank you, I’ve been very lucky this year, not only being about to photograph in the stunning ski resort or Zermatt, but also Lake Garda in Italy. :-)

  6. HI Paul

    I am getting married in Zermatt in december and was wondering if you could give us further insight into the registrar process as we wanted to decorate the room,etc but after emailing the people at the registrar we are finding it hard to communicate with them!

    Many thanks

    • Hi Calvin, Funny enough I’ve just flown back from Zermatt on Wednesday from a wedding and have another out their in Feb. I’m afaid as a photographer I don’t really play a part in dealing with the registrar’s. I’m sure you will be there a few days before the wedding I would pop into the town hall and speak to them direct, or phone them direct could a better appoach. Have you sourced a photographer as I have 2 weddings in Decemenber so I could be free? Kind Regards

      Paul

  7. Wow Paul! What an epic location for a wedding, snowball fights, skiing, and the Matterhorn thrown in as well. It looks like the perfect day, perfectly captured.

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