Austria Elopement: Salzburg Wedding at Schloss Fuschl Hotel

Bride and groom share a tender moment on a dock by the lake

Karen and Josh hopped on a plane from their native California and flew to Austria for their European elopement. With the help of High Emotion Weddings, they were able to orchestrate the picture-perfect destination wedding.

Karen goes into more detail on how they ended up eloping to Austria. She was also so kind as to share her budget breakdown. Having an idea of how much having a European elopement cost is fantastic information if you're in planning something like this for yourself.

Color Story: White & Grey

Decor Style: Beautiful

Ceremony: Outdoor wedding ceremony

Reception: Outdoor

Wedding Season: July/ Summer

Location: Salzburg, Austria

Beautiful Jagerhaus building with flower boxes, a fountain and a sign

Classic black car parked in front of a charming European house Lake with stairs surrounded by mountains and flowers

Stunning turquoise lake surrounded by green trees and sunny beach chairs

About The Day

From High Emotion Weddings - By far one of the most emotional and happy elopements we have ever had the pleasure to plan and design - Karen and Josh came all the way from California, to tie the knot in beautiful Austria, during their European vacation. They immediately fell in love with the amazing views of lakes and mountains at the Fuschl castle, very close to Salzburg, right in the Austrian Alps.

Mid July, the sun was shining in the turquoise waters of the lake and Karen's blue eyes were sparkling. Their laughter filled the entire hotel with the best vibes ever. We arranged their legal ceremony on a private terrace facing the lake and mountains, followed by some bubbles and romantic photos by the very talented Katka Koncal. They also had their private five star dinner in their very own private gazebo on the lake shore, decorated with rich greenery and white flowers - it was just like stepping into a magical land...

Elegant Sam Edelman bridal sandals on a textured background Elegant lace wedding dress hanging in front of a window

Elegant white wedding bouquet with roses and greenery

Happy woman looking at her wedding dress with anticipation Makeup artist applying lipstick on a blonde woman in preparation

Elegant bride in a lace wedding dress by the window, holding flowers

Planning A Destination Wedding

From the bride -I was engaged! It was time to plan the wedding. Josh and I wanted to enjoy this experience. We wanted our wedding day to be all about us! It was clear we were eloping! We knew we were going to be traveling in Europe for the honeymoon but we didn’t know the exact destination we were going to get married . I needed help!

I found Irene from High Emotion Weddings quite quickly in my search for wedding planners in Europe. She has this elegance that you can see in every wedding she has done. It's hard to find that level of consistency. I had to know more about her and if she was available for us. I quickly sent an email. Irene promptly replied and answered all my questions.

Securing her as our wedding planner was an easy decision. We are in California and planning a wedding in another country comes with challenges. Irene and Mihai helped us find the country that we could have a legal ceremony without too many restrictions. Within Austria they helped us find the perfect location based on how we envisioned our wedding day. They helped us navigate the legal paperwork like rockstars because it’s confusing. This awesome duo then helped us find fantastic vendors to pull the details of the day together.

Bride smiling, holding a beautiful white floral wedding bouquet

Man in white shirt showing cufflink, groom getting ready Close up of the United States Marine Corps emblem, black and white

Happy groom in a grey suit smiling before his wedding day

Groom poses at the wedding venue, bride and classic car in the background Bride and groom share a sweet moment before wedding ceremony

Happy couple holding hands on wedding day, walking together

Wedding ceremony setting with floral decor and lake view

The Location & Vendors

We choose the Schloss Fuschl Hotel for our Wedding location. It’s beautiful and we could escape into our own world for a few days where we could be spoiled. Irene and Mihai helped us with every detail from reserving our room to the ceremony and dinner location at the hotel.

The make up artist, the salon blow out, the nail appointment, the massages, the champagne, the five course dinner, the wedding cake, all of the beautiful flowers, the amazing Katka Koncal and her husband, Daniel, for the stunning photography ......absolutely everything that we needed they helped coordinate. Ultimately we could not have had a better experience and we couldn’t say enough nice things about these two wonderful people

Wedding ceremony overlooking the lake with beautiful landscape view

Bride and groom at elegant outdoor wedding ceremony with lake view Bride holding a gorgeous white floral bouquet at a wedding ceremony

Bride and Groom at an outdoor wedding ceremony, happy and smiling

Destination Wedding Photographers
High Emotion Weddings

Bride smiles tenderly during a wedding ceremony, filled with joy Happy woman laughs with bald man close, a joyful moment captured

Wedding ceremony exchanging rings, happy bride and groom at altar Bride placing wedding ring on grooms finger during ceremony

Bride and groom kiss during a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony

Bride and groom toast with champagne at outdoor wedding celebration

Happy couple on wedding day posing on a path in nature

Bride and her escort walking down the stone steps, wedding Happy bride and groom laughing during their wedding ceremony

Romantic wedding gazebo with elegant decor outdoors

Elegant wedding setup with white flowers and vintage decor Elegant floral arrangement with golden vases on a table

Elegant wedding table setting with white floral centerpiece

Bride and groom laugh happily at an outdoor wedding reception

Elegant plate with dessert, flower arrangement and juice on the table

Wedding cake decorated with white roses on a rustic cake stand

Happy bride and groom sharing a laughter on their wedding day

Wedding Budget

Karen and Josh were kind enough to share their wedding budget with us, but please note that prices vary depending on the season and prices may fluctuate as time goes on.

Legal ceremony including paperwork: $1380
Venue space rental: $1100
Accommodation 3 nights: $1650
Photography: $1200
Decor: $1750
Make-up & hair: $300
Planning, design & coordination including travel expense: $2160