Practical Information
TRANSPORT
There are 5 vans that will transport guests from Chamonix to the forest ceremony in Argentiere. Everyone has been assigned to a specific van. You can find the assignments here.
FOOTWEAR
The wedding ceremony is held in the forest above Argentiere. The path leading up to the ceremony location is easy for the first few hundred meters as we walk from Argentiere to the forest. The last 70 meters is rougher as we enter a side path which goes slightly uphill and has some rooty and rocky terrain. Please therefore chose your footwear carefully - we don't recommend trying the footpath in stilettos! If you prefer, you can bring a change of shoes and leave these in the bus and change after the ceremony or pack your evening shoes in your overnight bag.
If you are joining the hike on the morning after the wedding then you should bring hiking or running shoes as the terrain up to Signale Forbes is rocky.
WEATHER & CLOTHES
At the time of writing, the weather forecast is looking promising and we seem to be in luck: a generally sunny day with some occasional cloud. For the forest ceremony, we are currently expecting temperatures of around 20°C and no rain. From there, the train will take us approximately 1,000 metres higher in altitude, where it is likely to be around 6°C cooler. The outdoor cocktail reception will also take place outside, and by the time we head indoors for dinner and the party, we expect the temperature to have dropped to around 10°C. Later in the evening, temperatures can fall quickly in the mountains and may approach freezing overnight. Our main advice is therefore to bring something warm in your overnight bag. And if you are packing now, it may also be sensible to include something suitable for rain, just in case the forecast changes. Mountain weather can be unpredictable — so come prepared for a little bit of everything!
OVERNIGHT
BAG
You need to bring a small overnight bag for your stay at the Montenvers Hotel. You can leave this bag in the bus during the forest ceremony in Argentiere but do not forget to bring it with you when you get dropped off at the Montenvers train station.
Upon arrival at the Montenvers Hotel, you can check in and leave your overnight bag in your room. The rooms are pre-allocated.
OPTIONAL
HIKE
On Friday, after breakfast, we will be taking a short hike to the Signal Forbes summit. You can find the trail description here. The trail is 3.2km in length with an elevation gain and loss of 300 meters. We will take it easy and the entire trip should take between 1.5 and 2 hours.
TOILETS
There are public toilets at Chamonix train station, where the van pick-ups will take place, as well as at the Montenvers train station.
Please be aware that there will be a period of approximately three hours between the van pick-up in Chamonix and arrival at Montenvers. There is also a small public restroom approximately 150 metres from the forest ceremony location. At the moment, however, we cannot confirm whether it will be unlocked and available during the ceremony. We will check this on the Tuesday evening before the wedding and update you if necessary.
Our general advice would therefore be to use the restroom before the van pick-up in Chamonix.
FOOD
Our general aim is to make sure nobody goes hungry before dinner.
There will be a champagne toast with light snacks immediately after the forest ceremony around 14:30, followed by canapés during the welcome drinks at Montenvers at 17:30. A full dinner will then be served at 19:00. Lunch is not included in the programme, so we strongly recommend having a substantial lunch before the van pick-up in Chamonix. Until dinner, please assume that only light snacks and canapés will be served. And if you know you get hungry easily, feel free to hide a Mars bar or other emergency snack somewhere in your wedding outfit. We won’t judge.