Hitching season used to hit a crescendo in the late spring. Now, a May or June exchange of vows is slipping out of fashion, as romance on the slopes slides in.
The Knot’s 2025 global wedding report found that October is now the most popular month for a marriage in the US, echoing Zola’s findings that showed October besting June and September.
But planners say you shouldn’t stop there, because a full-on wintertime wedding comes packed with cozy clothes, fireside ambiance and slippery slopes.
“A winter wedding is an untapped vibe,” said event planner Billy Folchetti, who plans unions from NYC to St. Moritz and everywhere else (including a Mexican matrimony for Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup last year).
“People automatically go, ‘We want summertime. We want sunshine.’ But they underestimate how beautiful and romantic the snow element, and saying ‘I do’ while skiing down the slopes, can be. The après-ski vibe is the new pool party.”
To get that Slim Aarons ski ambiance for your yoking, Folchetti says that nowhere is better than the Swiss Alps, where a wedding comes with snow-dusted mountains, velvet-trimmed everything, fur covered seating and fireside dinners.
To arrive in style, fly into Zurich before boarding the legendary Gourmino dining car to St. Moritz. It’s a 1930s wood-paneled time capsule that serves a lavish but leisurely lunch as the train winds through the Alps.
At St. Moritz, book the grand dame of the grand dames, the recently renovated Badrutt’s Palace. Its new wing has Loro Piana-wrapped suites. Like a little city, everything you need is in-house, from restaurants and event spaces, to spas and a nightclub.
Take your party to the mountain, have a slide and end at the Insta-famous Paradiso, which is only accessible by lift — or horse-drawn carriage. Have your ceremony on the frozen lake outside the hotel with guests seated on fur-covered chairs. Serve hot toddies and Champagne before and after.
“It’s cold, but when the weather is good, if the sun is shining, it’s not uncomfortable to stay outside,” Folchetti said. Plus, from NYC, the travel time isn’t much different than flying to Aspen. “St. Moritz is a two-hour drive from Lake Como, which everyone seems to be able to get to,” laughed Folchetti.
If your party prefers to keep their ski boots on US soil, there are plenty of state-side options for a wedding weekend built around skiing (or let’s be honest, après-skiing). Vermont has Okemo and Spruce Peak in Stowe, with charming B&Bs steps from the slopes. Of course, out west, there’s Deer Valley Resort, Park City and obviously Aspen, Colo.
Aspen’s No. 1 spot for a no-holds barred (or expense spared) wedding with plenty of (ski) pole dancing is the Little Nell. It has three stunning ceremony spots, including a wedding overlook at the top of the gondola at 11,212 feet. After pledging to your partner against sweeping Elk Mountain Range views, you could even, theoretically, ski all the way back in your tux or dress.
“Online, I’ve seen people go down the mountain in their wedding dress, but you need to be expert level to do that and no black diamonds,” said Alyssa Pettinato, owner of NYC’s Alinato Events.
“Little Nell is my favorite ski resort for weddings,” added Pettinato.
“It has the most beautiful, most picturesque ceremony location. But these places are not cheap. Getting married at a ski resort is never going to be an affordable wedding.”
That means be ready to drop more than $200,000 in season (prices in St. Moritz are similar or higher).
And, “whether it’s Aspen, St. Moritz or another legacy, chic ski town, there are certain weeks that are going to be a cluster,” Folchetti said.
“Aspen has Ski Week over Presidents Day weekend every year, when both coasts fly in. St. Moritz has polo and the ice races. During those weeks you can’t get into the hotels. But it’s no different than Paris. You wouldn’t plan to have a wedding during fashion week.”
There are other things to consider — like, the people in your party.
“Are they actual skiers? Or are they snowboarders? Because, for example, in Deer Valley there is no snowboarding,” said Pettinato. “You want your relationship to shine through, but you also don’t want to invite a bunch of 85-year-olds and then say, ‘Let’s go down a black diamond.’ ”
Another piece of advice: Look outside the resort. Ski towns are quaint and packed with fun activities for your party. You can organize bar crawls, local dinners, and, in Aspen, getting a custom hat made is a must. Just keep the altitude in mind, and consider getting your party IV drips for the morning after.
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