An Alps elopement is one of the most personal kinds of wedding days. The polar opposite of the huge and elaborate weddings that we see all over the socials today.

It is often just the couple, a very small team of people, and the mountains. There is usually a reason they are there. They have travelled together, skied together, hiked together, and adventured together. The elopement becomes an extension of that story.

From my perspective, elopements are deeply personal, very low-key, and very beautiful.

They are not about having more. They are about stripping things back until the day feels completely real and raw, a wild celebration that is purely about the couple.

A Chamonix elopement example

One of my favourite examples was Charlotte and Zane, who came across from Hawaii. Read about it on her blog.

We did their elopement by the side of a lake here in Chamonix, and then went up into the mountains for a picnic. It was bride Charlotte, groom Zane, myself as celebrant and makeup artist, and Mathilde Reitsch, a Swiss-based photographer with the most incredible ethereal style.

It was a small team, a beautiful setting, and a very personal day.

That is what I love about elopements. They can be bare bones in the best possible way. There are fewer moving parts, fewer expectations, fewer distractions. It is just about the couple and the experience they have chosen to create together. 

A Grindelwald elopement example

Then there was Grindelwald. Chaya and Matt had been adventuring in the Swiss Alps a couple of years before, during high summer, and fallen in love with Grindelwald. They chose to return in winter for their elopement; it felt true to them and their love story. Chaya and Matt are from Miami, so they had never experienced a winter in The Alps. They booked Mathilde Reitsch as their photographer, and me as their makeup artist and celebrant. It was -17°C that day and we adventured up to 2000 metres, did a very short vows ceremony at the top and then found that the cake had frozen solid. We all have the most amazing memories from that day. 

How makeup fits into an elopement

For an elopement, makeup needs to fit the feeling of the day.

It should not feel too formal if the whole day is relaxed and outdoors. It should not feel heavy if the bride is walking by a lake, hiking to a viewpoint, having a picnic, or standing in bright mountain light.

At the same time, it still needs to last. Elopements often involve travel, weather, emotion and photography. You may be outside for hours. You may not have a hotel room nearby for touch-ups. You may be moving between locations.

So I focus on makeup that feels natural, personal and durable, and I carry a touch-up kit with me just in case. 

Elopements still need planning

Even though elopements feel simple, they are not always logistically simple.

You may have an early start. You may be travelling to a remote location. You may be planning around light, weather, lift access, a photographer’s schedule, or a small ceremony window.

As a makeup artist in the Alps, that is part of the job. Early call times, travel, snow, mountain roads, remote venues - they all have to be considered.

The goal is to make the morning feel calm, not rushed, but celebratory and exciting.

The makeup has to work in real conditions

Mountain Elopements usually happen outdoors, which means the makeup has to work in natural light and real weather.

In the Alps, that could mean bright sun, dry air, wind, cold, snow or heat. The skin needs prep, the makeup needs longevity, and SPF is always part of the conversation.

I always want the bride to recognise herself and feel beautiful. For an elopement, especially, the look should feel close to who she is. It should feel like her, just elevated.

Elopements are often about adventure

A lot of couples who elope in the Alps are not choosing the mountains randomly. They are choosing a place that means something to them.

They might not want a huge wedding. They might not want a traditional structure. They might want to spend the day outside, in a landscape they love, doing something that feels honest to them.

That kind of wedding needs makeup that belongs in the landscape, not makeup that fights against it.

The best elopement makeup feels effortless

For me, elopement makeup should feel calm and effortless, even if there is a lot of skill underneath.

It should last through the day, look beautiful in photographs, and feel comfortable in person. It should work with the setting, the light and the bride’s own style.

Most of all, it should never distract from the feeling of the day.

An Alps elopement is already emotional and cinematic. The makeup should support that quietly: personal, natural, and completely true to the bride.

Planning your wedding or elopement?

I’m Laura Wilson-North, a makeup artist based in Chamonix but often in Geneva, working across the French Alps, Swiss Alps, Italy and beyond. If you’d like to talk about your big day, your ideas, or what your elopement could look like, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch!