{"id":8531,"date":"2026-02-16T06:43:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T06:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/8531\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T06:43:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T06:43:38","slug":"this-couple-got-married-in-the-alps-and-brought-their-sisters-along","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/8531\/","title":{"rendered":"This Couple Got Married in the Alps&#8230;and Brought Their Sisters Along"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-601_websize-1.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\"  \/><\/p>\n<p data-image-hide=\"1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-601_websize-1.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>After getting engaged, Kelsey Row and Ali Reed felt reluctant about hosting a big wedding, so when they stumbled across <a href=\"https:\/\/wildconnectionsphotography.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">a photographer<\/a> who specialized in Alpine elopements, they jumped at the chance. The couple packed wedding outfits and hiking boots, invited their sisters, and set off for a weekend in the mountains\u2026<\/p>\n<p>DAY BEFORE WEDDING<\/p>\n<p data-bleed=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"1\" data-article-image-position1=\"1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341785\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-91.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\"  \/><\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"2\" data-article-image-position2=\"2\" data-article-image-continuo=\"1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341784\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-22.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Ali (left) and Kelsey<\/p>\n<p>Kelsey: The day before our wedding ceremony, we took <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alltrails.com\/trail\/austria\/tyrol\/drei-seen-wanderung-kuhtai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">a long hike<\/a> to three different alpine lakes. Our photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/wildconnectionsphotography.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Cat<\/a> helped coordinate our elopement \u2014 she asked us what we envisioned, recommended hikes, and found a great bakery. It was nice to be working with someone who knew the terrain so well.<\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"3\" data-article-image-position2=\"3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341809\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-133_websize.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Kelsey: We thought,\u00a0Why not get married with our sisters by our sides? The four of us are around the same age, quite similar in many ways, and very close. It felt really special. <\/p>\n<p data-bleed=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"4\" data-article-image-position1=\"4\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341786\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-135.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Kelsey: I felt a lot of hesitancy to get in the glacial lake. It was freezing but super fun.<\/p>\n<p data-bleed=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"5\" data-article-image-position1=\"5\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341787\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-169.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Ali: Then we had lunch at a restaurant on the mountain and kept hiking.<\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"6\" data-article-image-position2=\"6\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341789\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-254.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Ali: Before we came to Austria, we figured there was no way it could be as beautiful as it is in pictures. But it was even more beautiful in person.<\/p>\n<p>WEDDING DAY<\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"7\" data-article-image-position2=\"7\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341791\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-294.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Kelsey: We stayed in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbnb.com\/l\/YzkWl6Vm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">an apartment<\/a> in the city of Innsbruck, Austria. One of my favorite parts of the day was getting ready together. We are not morning people, so we slept until nine, did each other\u2019s hair and makeup, and had mimosas with our sisters. It was nice not to have a tight schedule and worry about a lot of guests.<\/p>\n<p data-bleed=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"8\" data-article-image-position1=\"8\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341792\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-451.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Ali: We finished getting ready separately, so we could do a proper first look.<\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"9\" data-article-image-position2=\"9\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341794\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-468.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Ali: I found a <a href=\"https:\/\/go.shopmy.us\/p-26155130\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">jumpsuit with a cape<\/a> for $98 and joked that I was yielding the rest of our dress budget to Kelsey. She had me guess beforehand what I thought her dress would look like, and I was totally wrong. I was thinking lacy and boho, and she had silk goddess vibes. It felt awesome to turn around and see her.<\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"10\" data-article-image-position2=\"10\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341795\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-536.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Kelsey: After our first look, we met up with our sisters and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tyrol.com\/activities\/sport\/hiking\/hiking-tours\/lake-obernberg-circular-route\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">hiked to a lake<\/a> for the wedding ceremony and a picnic.<\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"11\" data-article-image-position2=\"11\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341798\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-582.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Ali: Since our parents weren\u2019t physically there with us, we asked both sets to write something, and then our sisters read their letters aloud. We laughed, then cried, and then laughed at the fact that we were crying.<\/p>\n<p data-bleed=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"12\" data-article-image-position1=\"12\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-689.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Kelsey: Then Ali and I said our vows.<br \/> Ali: We took a few long pauses to just soak in the moment. It felt like the whole world stood still.<\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"13\" data-article-image-position2=\"13\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341803\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-714.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Kelsey: Hilariously, I forgot to bring water when packing for the picnic, so we only had Champagne to drink.<\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"14\" data-article-image-position2=\"14\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341806\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-838.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Kelsey: Ali and I covered our sister\u2019s expenses, and then, after the wedding, we all took trains together around Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Two weeks with four people in Europe \u2014 a once-in-a-lifetime trip \u2014 was still much cheaper than the quotes we were getting for larger weddings in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p data-offset=\"1\" data-article-image=\"1\" data-article-image-position=\"15\" data-article-image-position2=\"15\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-341805\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ali-Kelsey-Austria-Elopement-832.jpg\" alt=\"Austria alps hiking wedding elopement\" width=\"1067\" height=\"1600\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Ali: Getting legally married in Austria was complicated, so we signed our marriage certificate with Kelsey\u2019s sister at a random airport bar before we flew abroad. Now, whenever we\u2019re at the airport, we\u2019ll pass the bar and be like, \u2018That\u2019s where we officially got married!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>P.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/2020\/07\/16\/at-home-wedding-during-coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">A wedding at home<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/2025\/07\/24\/personal-wedding-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">how would you make your wedding feel true to you<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>(Wedding photography and planning by <a href=\"https:\/\/wildconnectionsphotography.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Wild Connections Photography<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/2025\/09\/24\/this-couple-got-married-in-the-alps-and-brought-their-sisters-along\/#comments\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>80 COMMENTS<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After getting engaged, Kelsey Row and Ali Reed felt reluctant about hosting a big wedding, so when they&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8532,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[50,6670,1063,521],"class_list":{"0":"post-8531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-alps","8":"tag-alps","9":"tag-elopement","10":"tag-travel","11":"tag-wedding"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}