Gabby + TJ’s Two-Day Switzerland Elopement in Grindelwald
Gabby + TJ
There is something incredibly special about slowing down your elopement experience and giving yourself more than just a few hours to celebrate. And Gabby + TJ’s Switzerland elopement was the perfect example of exactly that.
Instead of trying to fit everything they wanted to experience into one packed wedding day, they turned their celebration into a two-day adventure in the Swiss Alps. They hiked through the mountains, shared a picnic beside an alpine lake, explored Grindelwald together, and then met back up the following day to exchange their vows in a quiet private meadow surrounded by some of the most incredible mountain views in Switzerland.
Their elopement was simple, intentional, intimate, and completely centered around spending time together in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Day One: Hiking to Bachalpsee
I met up with Gabby + TJ the day before their ceremony for a little pre-elopement adventure at Grindelwald First.
One of my favorite things about planning a multi-day elopement is that your wedding experience doesn't have to revolve entirely around your ceremony. You can dedicate an entire afternoon to simply exploring somewhere beautiful together without worrying about fitting vows, portraits, dinner, and every other wedding-day moment into the same timeline.
For Gabby + TJ, that meant heading into the mountains.
We took the gondola from Grindelwald up to First, where we started the hike out to Bachalpsee, one of the most iconic alpine lakes in the area.
The hike to Bachalpsee is relatively approachable compared to some of the bigger hikes in the Swiss Alps, but the scenery is absolutely unreal. You're surrounded by rolling green hills and massive mountain peaks throughout the hike before eventually reaching the lake.
And when the mountains reflect perfectly in the water? It seriously doesn't get much better.
A Picnic in the Swiss Alps
Once we reached Bachalpsee, Gabby + TJ settled in for the sweetest little picnic overlooking the lake.
There was no rushing from one location to another or trying to check things off of a wedding-day timeline. We simply had time to hang out, explore around the lake, take photos, and let them actually enjoy being in Switzerland together.
It is one of the biggest reasons I love incorporating activities into elopements.
Your photos don't have to come from hours of posing in front of pretty scenery. Some of my favorite images happen while couples are actually doing something together. Hiking through the mountains, sharing a picnic, riding a gondola, grabbing dinner, or simply sitting somewhere incredible and taking it all in gives you the opportunity to create memories while we document them.
Eventually, we started making our way back toward Grindelwald First so we could catch the gondola back down before the final departure of the evening.
Switzerland elopement tip: If you're incorporating gondolas or mountain railways into your elopement timeline, always check the final departure time and seasonal operating schedule. Transportation in the Swiss Alps can stop surprisingly early, and schedules can change depending on the season and weather.
Day Two: An Intimate Ceremony in Grindelwald
The following day, we met back up with Gabby + TJ for the most meaningful part of their Switzerland elopement: their vows.
And the location could not have been more perfect.
Tucked away in Grindelwald was this incredibly beautiful private meadow surrounded by towering mountains. It had everything you picture when you imagine getting married in Switzerland: lush green grass, little Swiss chalets scattered throughout the valley, and enormous alpine peaks rising in every direction.
But what made it even better was how peaceful it felt.
There weren't crowds of tourists gathered around them or dozens of people walking through the background of their ceremony.
It was simply Gabby + TJ, standing together in the Swiss Alps.
Exchanging Vows Surrounded by the Mountains
Gabby + TJ exchanged their vows privately in the meadow, and it was seriously so, so sweet.
There is something surreal about standing in a place as massive as the Swiss Alps while having such an intimate moment with your person.
You have these enormous mountains surrounding you, but somehow everything else feels incredibly quiet.
They weren't putting on a performance or worrying about what their ceremony was "supposed" to look like. They were simply able to focus on each other and the commitment they were making.
And that is exactly what an elopement should feel like.
Why Grindelwald Is Such an Incredible Place to Elope
If you're dreaming about a Switzerland elopement, Grindelwald is one of my favorite places to consider.
The scenery alone is obviously incredible, but what makes this area particularly amazing for elopements is how accessible so much of the landscape is.
Switzerland's network of gondolas, trains, and mountain railways means you don't necessarily have to complete an enormous hike to reach incredible alpine scenery.
You can ride the Grindelwald First gondola into the mountains and hike to Bachalpsee. You can explore beautiful meadows throughout the valley. You can take mountain trains into nearby villages like Wengen or Lauterbrunnen. And you can combine several completely different landscapes without spending your entire day in the car.
It makes Grindelwald especially perfect for couples who want their elopement to feel adventurous without necessarily wanting an extremely strenuous wedding day.
Consider Turning Your Switzerland Elopement Into a Multi-Day Experience
Gabby + TJ's celebration is also such a good example of why your elopement doesn't have to happen entirely within one day.
If you're traveling all the way to Switzerland to get married, why rush through the experience?
A multi-day elopement gives you room to experience more of the destination while keeping each individual day relaxed.
Your first day could include something adventurous like hiking to an alpine lake, paragliding over Grindelwald, taking a scenic train ride, or having a picnic in the mountains.
Then your second day can be slower and more intentional, centered around getting ready together, exchanging vows, exploring somewhere meaningful, and celebrating afterward with an incredible dinner.
You get more variety in your photos, but more importantly, you get more time to actually experience the place you've chosen for your wedding.
Planning Your Own Switzerland Elopement
If you're considering eloping in Grindelwald or elsewhere in the Swiss Alps, give yourself permission to make the experience exactly what you want it to be.
You don't have to spend your entire wedding day hiking.
You don't have to squeeze ten locations into eight hours.
And you definitely don't have to follow a traditional wedding timeline just because that's what you're used to seeing.
Take the gondola into the mountains. Pack a picnic. Hike to an alpine lake. Wander through a quiet meadow. Spend an afternoon exploring together. Exchange your vows somewhere that makes you stop for a second and wonder how a place this beautiful can actually exist.
Gabby + TJ's Switzerland elopement wasn't incredible because they filled every minute with something elaborate.
It was incredible because they gave themselves the time and space to actually enjoy it.
And with the Swiss Alps surrounding you, you really don't need much else.
