Our European Vacation Part 1 - A Fairytale Wedding in Gstaad, Switzerland

In early September we had the pleasure of traveling to Gstaad, Switzerland to celebrate with Emily, Philip, and the rest of their family and friends as they became husband and wife. We flew from Norfolk to Washington, DC to Zurich which was about 13 hours and then had a 3 hour car ride down to Gstaad. It was a long trip but truly worth every minute. We met up with family and friends, old and new, in Gstaad and enjoyed an amazing weekend celebrating Emily and Philip. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Liam and Mommy off on another adventure

(So happy to have Rolf with us this time!)

A 4 hour layover is no fun with a baby but there was a Potbelly's near our gate so that made the wait a little better.

Liam greeting people as they board the plane.

Every fairytale has a castle, this was ours!

(A view of the Palace Hotel from town)

Exploring the village of Gstaad.

A map of the mountains for hikers and skiers.
We hiked Wispile which you can see toward the top of the map.

My sweet hubby stealing a few moments of quiet on our beautiful balcony.

The view from our balcony was amazing!

We slept with our windows open and awoke to the sounds of soft bells ringing in the pastures below.

We went on a hike with others in town for the wedding. It was a great mix of people from all over the world there to celebrate Emily and Philip.

Pointing us on our way...

Liam literally backpacking through Europe!

Awesome Wonder

(One of my favorite photographs from our trip)

Mary Anne, Rolf, Liam & I broke off from the big group for some family time. We had a great time hiking by ourselves singing as we went. Watch out Von Trapps here come the Granings!

A view of the Palace Hotel from the top of Wispile.

The village of Gstaad at dusk from the top of Wasserngrat (the rehearsal dinner location).

Sunset on the top of Wasserngrat

Liam rode on or should I say, slept through his first chair lift to get to the rehearsal dinner which was on the top of a mountain.

The Farrell Sisters

Aunt Kathleen (Mother of the Bride), Aunt Barbara, and Mary Anne

Sunset at Wassergrat

The hand of God.

All dressed up!

Here comes the bride...

The beautiful bride and groom just after saying "I do."
Emily and Phil exchanged vows during a beautiful inter-faith (Jewish and Christian) ceremony outside in the gardens of the hotel. Rolf and I both felt very honored to be readers during the ceremony.

Dancing at the reception

Liam was such a trooper and endured many long nights.

He did great during the ceremony and at the reception but you can tell he was one tired little guy.

Emily & Phil,

We wish you all the best as you begin your journey together. Thank you so much for letting us celebrate with you and for sharing such a special place with us. We feel truly honored to have been apart of such an amazing adventure.

Aunt Kathleen & Uncle Paul,
Your kindness and generosity far exceed any words. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for such an amazing time. The memories that you have given us are priceless and we are forever grateful. Thank you for sharing your special place with us. We now know why you love it so.

Stay tuned for more.....