Georden and Jamie initially contacted us in July 2017 to explore the options for their idea of a winter wedding in Italy.
The wedding party – 21 guests in total, arrived in Champoluc a few days before the ceremony, this allowed us to run through the various aspects of the wedding day with Georden and Jamie in advance, and for Georden to have a trial hair and makeup appointment with our resident hair dresser.
The majority of the guests stayed at the delightful Hotel La Rouja. This boutique hotel benefits from a great location in the centre of the resort, with wonderful views up and down the valley. It’s a stylish hotel that is comfortable and welcoming.
Photo Credit: PROtography
The Wedding Day
The bride and her 4 bridesmaids had their hair and makeup done at the hotel on the morning of the wedding. 7am does seem like an early start, but not too early to start drinking prosecco!
The Ceremony
Our wedding ceremony’s take place in the stunning Comune, a historic building overlooking the Ayas Valley and the peaks of the Monterosa range.
Lunch Time Reception
Georden and Jamie and their guests celebrated after the ceremony at a reception held at Bar du Soleil, located at the top of the Frachey funicular. The restaurant is easily accessible, an important consideration if there are guests who don’t ski, as they will still feel very much part of the fun and frivolities from the balcony or the wedding marquee.
The location is perfect for the novice skier too as the slope is gentle and has a travellator to get the guests back up to the restaurant. For those that wish to ski a longer run – La Mandria chair lift is just below the restaurant and this takes you higher up the mountain, which lends itself to wonderful photo opportunities.
Guests were greeted with a glass of Prosecco and then the couple made their entrance on the skidoo.
We put up an open sided marquee on the terrace of the restaurant, and built an ice bar for the drinks. A wonderful buffet selection was served under the marquee.
Another wonderful photo opportunity and a chance to enjoy the mountains for what was a perfect afternoon.
The Evening Reception
Georden and Jamie booked the Brasserie for their exclusive use for the evening reception. Georden decorated the table with some wedding items that she sent out with us when our buses left for Italy in November. This meant some forward planning on her part, but it allowed her to really personalise her reception with candles and other wedding decorations. The couple also brought their own music playlist to play over the restaurant’s music system.
Everyone was treated to a wonderful firework display half way through the evening. You know it’s a great party when everyone heads to bed at 3am!
The Following Day…
The next day saw the group, back up on the mountains for a couple of hours, along with Rob Grange, our recommended photographer – taking the photos which Georden and Jamie will treasure and remind them of their spectacular ski wedding.
And from our happy couple:
Firstly, thank you so much to Fiona, for arranging everything, you were so helpful and patient with us and answered all of our questions, you really went above and beyond to make sure everything was organised for us and ran smoothly.
Roger and the team were also great and arranged everything for our guests, it really took the stress out of arranging a group holiday alongside a wedding! The packs we received before we set off were a really nice touch too.
It’s hard to put into words how grateful we are to the team in Champoluc, they really did go above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. From landing to arriving back at the airport we were looked after. Everyone was helpful and friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had the best possible time. All of our guests have said how well organised it was and what an amazing time they had. Special thanks to Oli for the tour of the mountains, a great way to end the holiday 👍
The wedding day was incredible, everything was arranged perfectly, we literally just had to say ‘si’. We loved all of the special touches throughout the day, especially the ice bar! We really do appreciate all of the effort and planning it must have taken to make it the most amazing day for us and our guests. We didn’t even have to pack up our decorations, they were delivered to our room the next day in our hold-all ready to go!
Finally, we would just like to say it really was the best day/week of our lives and we really couldn’t have done it without you! Hopefully we will ski with you next season!
Mr & Mrs Jenkins
Heather and Paul are regular visitors to Champoluc and, like us, feel very much at home in the resort and the stunning location.