This Couple Said Their Vows Overlooking the Swiss Alps—In the Exact Place They First Met 15 Years Earlier (2024)

Elle Chody and Jack Paul have a shared passion for the mountains: The couple first met in 2009, when they were both attending a skiing program in Switzerland during eighth grade. “Jack was already a confident and attractive teenager, while I sported braces–colored orange and black for Halloween that I couldn’t change in time for the program,” Elle remembers. “Although Jack and I weren’t a couple then—we were quite young after all—the friendships we forged there remain some of the most cherished in our lives.”

The two reconnected in November 2018 in Mexico, while both of their families were there on Thanksgiving vacation. “I was having dinner at Flora Farms with my family and a few friends,” Elle explains. “And Jack walked in and saw me—he asked his little sister Caroline, ‘Is that Elle?’ and then said you must come with me to say hi.’”

Elle and Jack hadn’t seen each other since 2009—nor did they follow each other on social media. He asked if she lived in New York (she did), and told her that he did as well. “As he returned to his table across the restaurant, a family friend remarked, ‘That’s your husband!’” Elle recalls. “I laughed, considering I was only 22 at the time.”

Coincidentally, as Jack sat down at his table, his father commented, “Is that the future Mrs. Paul?!”

Two days later, they went on their first date in New York City. “I cannot imagine my life if he hadn’t come up to our table—full of eight women—to say hello,” Elle admits.

Jack proposed on January 13, 2023, at the same restaurant where they reconnected five years prior. “It was a very special full-circle moment for us,” Elle says. Their wedding was on July 13 (ironically, it’s the couple’s lucky number) in Luzern, Switzerland. “We were getting married on July 13, and we were engaged on January 13,” Jack says.

The Bürgenstock Resort with its stunning mountains, lake views, and skiing felt like the perfect venue for the couple, and Elizabeth Slossberg of EKS Events oversaw the planning. The bride’s vision was centered on the natural beauty of Luzern, channeling the energy of friends and family, and of course, the food, the wine, and the music. “Elizabeth, Caroline, Lindsey, and the rest of the EKS Events team handled any and every challenge that comes with planning a destination wedding with grace and professionalism,” Elle says. “Words can never express my gratitude and love for them.” For help on the fashion front, Elle enlisted stylists Carrie Goldberg and Lex Alexandris of CLG Creative. “The queens!” she says. “They are everything. I had the best time working with them and honestly wish they were guests at the wedding—they truly are incredible humans, incredibly talented, and are incredible friends.”

The weekend’s festivities began with a welcome party at a Moroccan-inspired restaurant. “For this, we chose a 1960s gold Lanvin dress that almost looks like a coat,” Elle says. “I loved this look. It went perfectly with the ‘zesty’ energy as everything was greens, golds, and there was even a hookah bar.”

On Friday, they took an old Swiss boat to St. Charles Hall, a historic villa across the lake. Elle wore a white Alexander McQueen dress with a rose designed to appear as holographic rose on it. “It was the perfect amount of ethereal with the low, draped back and fun ’90s style in the front,” she says. Elle knew she wasn’t going to wear a veil, but she really wanted to add a little something. “I love the idea of hoods, but Carrie and Lex didn’t want to take away from the beauty of the back of the dress,” Elle says. “They figured out a way to do a detachable hood so I could wear it for part of the night. It was perfect—that was my veil moment.”

For the bride’s main wedding dress, she turned to Christian Juul Nielsen of Aknvas. “I remember having Carrie and Lex over at the beginning of our work together and Lex saying, ‘What if we made a gown using the swan top as the base?’” Elle says. “I was over the moon with this idea and after discussing the concept at length. We knew this was it.”

For the reception, Elle wanted a more fitted silhouette since her wedding gown was so voluminous. “The Di Petsa wet-look gown just felt so me,” Elle says. Carrie and Lex also had a clear vision for the hair and make-up and collaborated with Victor Henao and Brian Buenaventura. And for her after-party look, Elle found a red Cavalli mini dress from 2005 that had coral, feathers, and sequin embroidery that almost looked like a beating heart. “We sourced it vintage and then tailored it to perfection,” Elle says. Meanwhile, stylist Souri Kim, who also works at CLG Creative, collaborated with Jack on all of his looks—which were custom J. Mueser—and he coordinated with Carrie and Lex to make sure he always complimented the bride.

The wedding day began with a gentlemen’s lunch, while the ladies started hair and makeup overlooking the lake. “I am not a traditional person, but one thing I truly cared about was that Jack didn't see me before I walked down the aisle,” Elle admits. “The ceremony encapsulated who we are as individuals and as a couple.”

About a year prior, Elle asked Jack’s oldest brother—who she describes as like the older brother she never had—to officiate the wedding. “I wanted the ceremony to be short, sweet, and fun,” she explains. “His personal, articulate, and hilarious ‘sermon’ made us laugh, cry, and smile so much.” The bridesmaids walked down the aisle to a string rendition of Carole King’s “Where You Lead, I Will Follow,” while Elle’s niece, the flower girl, was accompanied by Jack’s brother. Once the service started, Jack at one point had to ask Alex to repeat part of the vows as he became distracted looking at Elle. After the ceremony, the couple exchanged private vows overlooking the lake while guests enjoyed co*cktail hour on the terrace before being ushered by the sound of Swiss cow bells into the tennis domes that were reimagined as spaces for dinner and dancing, all overlooking the Alps. Guests entered the reception and immediately hit the dance floor. Elle and Jack followed, getting the party started to “Right Back Where We Started” by Maxine Nightingale—a nod to where they first met and how their love story began.

Now, the couple can’t stop reminiscing about the weekend. “We are beyond happy with how everything turned out and could not have asked for a more perfect wedding,” Elle says. “My favorite part is looking at Jack’s hand and seeing his wedding ring. I snuck an emerald—my birthstone—and thinking about it makes me smile.”