Jewish Winter Wedding at Austria's Highest Wedding Venue, Cafe 3440 in Pitztal

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Shani & Ran planned an intimate destination wedding in the Austrian Alps. Being a former snowboard instructor, it was Shani’s dream to get married in the winter and hit the slopes on their wedding day.

On the morning of their wedding, Shani was determined to be ready for the first lift, and to get some pre-wedding laps on the slopes. But when they arrived at the top of the first lift station, they found themselves in the middle of a blizzard, with all but one lift closed.

This also threw a spanner in the works for their ceremony plans, which were scheduled to take place at the top of the mountain. However, thankfully things eased off in the afternoon, allowing them to safely reach the top of the mountain to get married.

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How Did They Choose Pitztal for their Wedding?

Knowing they wanted to get married on the mountain, and to ski on their wedding day, there were only a handful of options open to Shani & Ran when it came to selecting their wedding location, as there aren’t many locations that allow the legal wedding ceremony to take place.

However, Cafe 3440 in Pitztal does. Not only that, this wedding venue is the highest in registry office in Austria.

Getting Married in Austria – How Easy Is It?

Austria allows non-residents (couples from abroad) to get married here, although certain paperwork requirements need to be met.

If your documents are not in German, most registry offices will require an official translation, sometimes with an Apostille stamp to legalize them. And if you don’t speak German, you’ll also be required to hire an interpreter for the ceremony.

How Easy Is It To Reach Cade 3440?

Shani & Ran invited their immediate family to be a part of their wedding day. Coming from Israel, most of them were not used to the cold or snowy conditions, so it was important to choose a venue that was easily accessible.

Cafe 3440 was the perfect choice, as it was accessible via two mountain lifts (a funicular train followed by a cable car) with only a short walk across the snow in-between them.

Bride and groom kiss on the balcony of Cafe 3440 in Pitztal in the winter

Tips For Planning A Winter Elopement in Pitztal

Get Help With Your Documents

Hire a wedding planner to assist with the legal paperwork if you do want a legal ceremony. Even if you’re planning everything else yourself, letting someone handle the back-and-forth with the registrar to make sure all the paperwork is correct will take a lot of stress away (trust me on this – I’ve personally been through this process). However, it’s not uncommon for couples todo their legal ceremony in their home country and just plan something symbolic in Austria.

Consider A Second Ceremony

Austrian legal marriage ceremonies are very short and matter-of-fact, with very little room for any personalization. Shani & Ran chose to make their day more personal by holding a second ceremony later in the day that included some traditional aspects of Jewish weddings as well as readings from family members.

If you’re not religious, your second ceremony could be a non-religious commitment ceremony, or even a simple, private vow reading, which allows you to add more personal meaning to the day.

Be Flexible & Have A Flexible Mindset

No matter what time of year you’re getting married, if you’re getting married in the mountains, you should allow for some flexibility in your plans as mountain weather can throw you curve balls. For Shani & Ran, the weather on their elopement day was particularly stormy, and the lift to the ceremony venue at the top of the mountain was closed throughout the morning. Luckily things eased off later in the day, but otherwise, they would have had to change their venue to an alternative one. Keep and open and flexible mindset as much as you can, and just roll with the adventure if your plans need to change.