How To Plan An Elopement With Guests In Switzerland

You decided to say yes in Switzerland, and you want your people around you? But is it even possible? Do you have to hike with them? How accessible are the mountains here? How do you find a location? What if you still want some alone time? AHHHHHH. Don’t worry, I’ve got your covered with this blog post, where I’m gonna share my thoughts and expertise on how to plan an elopement with guests in Switzerland.

Can You Bring Guests To An Elopement?

I sometimes get couples inquiring, asking if it’s okay for me if they have guests on their elopement day. And my answer is always: HELL YES. Unless you have a a wedding party of 30 people, having a few loved ones with you won’t make your day more of an elopement. To be fair, I don’t even know if planners and other industry suppliers can really decide on one threshold where it goes from elopement to wedding.

To me, what matters most is the intentionality behind your day. Are you planning it as an elopement, only including the people you 1000% want to have beside you, while still making the day super special and personalised? Or are you bringing people along because you’ll feel guilty if Mum isn’t invited?

So if you were asking yourself this: yes, you can bring people over. As long as you’re aware of the challenges it might bring (and I’m here to help with that!), and that your heart is set on it for the right reasons, I will absolutely love to have all of you merry people in our beautiful mountains for a special adventure.

Is Switzerland A Good Option For An Elopement With Guests?

Switzerland is a very densely populated country. We have built infrastructures everywhere, including up to a lot of mountainous areas. This means that it’s possible to have beautiful scenery for your elopement, without necessarily having to hike. BUT. This also means that accessible places are, well, accessible for everyone, including other people. It’s always a fine balance to find a place that fits the needs of your wedding guests, that offers the views you’re after, and that has relative privacy.

What To Think About When Bringing Guests On Your Switzerland Elopement

If you’re having some friends and/or family attend your elopement, you will need to take a few more things into account than if you were on your own.

Location Choice – Finding An Elopement Location That Suits Your Guests Needs

Now that is all gonna depend on your specific party: are you briging a couple of fit friends, that are gonna rock that 5 miles hike, carry the train of your dress and hype you up on the steepest bits? Or are you inviting people that have mobility issues? Or maybe neither you nor your guests want to hike (and that’s okay!) in the first place. 

In all cases, picking a place that will be accessible for all levels, at least for the ceremony (more on that later), is a must. You don’t want guests struggling too much to get to the location, we don’t want anyone with a sprained ankle, and we absolutely want everyone to look their freaking best in front of that gorgeous scenery.

The good news is, I’m here for that exact reason! I love a hike, but I also love myself a lazy option with jawdropping views. I’m used to all kinds of activity levels and will always do my best to find the option that’ll work for your specific needs.

Read my article: 9 Unique Elopement Locations Ideas to Get Married in Switzerland

Which Part Of The Day Do You Want To Spend With Your Guests?

It’s not because you want your people around you for your elopement, that it means you have to spend the whole day with them if you don’t want to (hello people with limited social batteries!)
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You can have a private vow exchange and a ceremony with your guests. You can have them with you the entire day. You can have a day for yourselves, and a day with them. That’s the magic of elopements baby: you can do whatever the fuck you want, as long as everyone is happy!

Researching The Area For Your Guests To Explore

Since you might want to take some time of the day just with your partner, it’s a good thing to have a look at what your guests could do in the meantime. Of course they’re adults. But it can be a nice and thoughtful touch to send them a wee list of things they might want to check in the area, if you feel like doing it!

Switzerland is known for having a lot of activity options available. Here are a few ideas for you to research:

• Nearby restaurants
• Mountain activities: summer sledging, mountain biking, mountain carts,…
• Museums
• Natural caves/waterfalls
• A good spa in a hotel

Guest Friendly Areas For Your Swiss Elopement

Some areas are more easily accessible than others in general. In some regions, like Wallis, I always suggest to rent a car, as a lot of trails aren’t accessible by public transport (or it takes a lot of time). Some other more touristic regions, mainly the touristic ones like Zermatt, the Bernese Oberland, and ski stations in general, have a lot of public transport options to get you and your guests on top of mountains in just a few minutes.

Here’s a general breakdown of the different regions and how friendly they are for non-hiking wedding parties:

• Graubünden (far East): pretty secluded, some gondola options, but generally more suited if you have guests that can hike with you. St-Moritz has some good gondola options!
• Appenzell: generally more suited for hikers. Some gondola options.
• Central and East Switzerland (Glaris, Schwytz): generally more suited for hikers.
• Wallis/Valais: generally guest-friendly, lots of ski stations there.
• Zermatt: A LOT of gondola options, it’s a car free village. It’s also very touristic so expect a lot of other people.
• Bernese Oberland (Interlaken area): A LOT of gondola/cogwheel train options. Very touristic area

How To Prepare Your Guests For Your Elopement in Switzerland?

As happy as your guests are to be part of your big day, they might have no idea what they’re getting into in terms of weather, temperatures and conditions. To avoid people having a bad time because they weren’t prepared, here are a few things to think about.

Setting Expectations For Everyone

Once you’ve decided how you want to include your guests in your celebration, it’s time to let them know. Maybe they’ll need to purchase attire or gear, so do your best to send the information as early as possible!

Managing everyone’s expectations is also key to have a peaceful planning process AND day. You want your guests to feel excited about coming along, even if you might not spend the whole day with them. To avoid disappointment, be clear and honest about your intentions from the get go. Let them know how excited you are to included them, this will make it easier for them to accept that no, you won’t be sharing your intimate vows in front of them (for example). Also, this makes for a good excuse to still send some beautiful invitations to them. Yes, like the ones you saw on Pinterest.

Sending A Packing List

A good idea is to send them a packing list, especially if the day involves some hiking. This way, you’ve done your work to ensure everyone will come prepared. 

Same as with a wedding, you can also send them a plan of the day. Let them know when you’ll want them and where. This is also where you can suggest some activities, for the parts of the elopement where you’ll want to be just the two of you.

Sample Timeline for An Elopement With Guests in Switzerland

Here’s a sample timeline from a couple that brought roughly 15 people with them on their elopement day. This couple decided to spend most of their day with their guests, but still had a small hike after their ceremony!

8:15am-10:45am: Getting ready + details

10:45: end of getting ready, leaving for the gondola station

11:15am: parking

11:30am: catching the gondola

11:50am: arriving by gondola to the summit, walk down to the ceremony spot

12:15-12:45pm: ceremony

1:15pm: time with the guests at ceremony location

2pm-4pm: rest of the hike on your own + couple pictures

5pm: back at the hotel for drinks + dinner

A Last Note If This Already Feels Like A Lot…

Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat after me. “This is my elopement, if the thought of having guests is actually making me anxious, I am allowed to change my mind.”

Having guests will definitely add a bit more planning and coordination on your end. If you decide that in the end you really want it to be just the two of you, go for it! You didn’t choose an elopement to have to fit into people’s expectations, did you?! That’s what I thought.