Real wedding: Portia and Jack's mountaintop ceremony in Austria

It was an absolute honour to host Portia and Jack's incredible ceremony in Austria. Image description: Katie the celebrant officiating a ceremony for a laughing bride and groom, with the Austrian mountains behind them.

It's not every day that you get invited to host an outdoor wedding ceremony in the Austrian mountains, so I was over the moon when Portia and Jack booked me for their June 2025 wedding.

Portia and Jack's UK registry office ceremony left them wanting another celebration to mark their big day. Quite simply, the legal procedure of getting married didn't match their adventurous personalities or their story as a couple. They said:

"Our registry office ceremony was old-fashioned and serious. We knew we wanted another celebration after the legal part was done."

So, after months of working with them to plan their perfect, unique ceremony, I hopped on a flight to Zurich and got the train over to St Anton, the nearest town to their wedding venue. The day of the wedding had arrived.

On top of the world

Our bride and groom chose to get married in a nearby village, Pettneu am Arlberg, at Bergasthof Almfrieden, which is a stunning mountaintop restaurant. The venue boasts an incredible terrace with astonishing views down the valley.

We held their ceremony in a blooming alpine meadow, with the Tyrol mountains standing proud in the background. One sight I'll never forget is that of Portia, her parents, her bridesmaids and her dog emerging from their hiding places in the nearby woodland, and walking through the field of flowers, towards the ceremony space. She looked like an absolute vision; her cascade of blonde locks framed by her stunning bridal veil. Dreamy.

A ceremony to suit their character

The sun came out to join the party, and Portia and Jack said 'I do' in front of 70 guests who had travelled from across the world to be there with them.

With the jaw-dropping vista as our backdrop, their celebrant ceremony was upbeat and joy-filled, featuring plenty of humour, in celebration of their fantastic adventures together. I started the ceremony off in German and then switched to English (I offer ceremonies in German and French, as well as English). Together, we had prepared some funny wedding vows (some poignant ones, too), and we shared some of their favourite memories and their dreams for the future.

Friends of the bride and groom read out some gorgeous poetry, then we included a meaningful hand-fasting ritual. In this part of the ceremony, I tied blue and green ribbons around the bride and grooms joined hands to symbolize their unity. They exchanged wedding rings and, after much whooping and hooting, we threw confetti and cracked open the champagne to celebrate.

Portia was kind enough to say:

"You were simply THE BEST celebrant. And the day could not have happened with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You made the day!"

A sumptuous spread of steak and traditional Austrian fare was served up on the terrace, plus more champagne!

It was an absolute honour to be part of their big day. Thank you to Portia and Jack for an unforgettable weekend.

Do you want an uplifting, vibrant ceremony for your special day? A unique celebration of your story?

I'm very portable. I cover destination weddings like this one, and can travel

to venues across Manchester, the North of England, the UK and beyond.

To enquire about your wedding date, email: katie@spellboundceremonies.co.uk