Scarlet Events

Luxury weddings and parties in Gstaad

Scarlet Events is a luxury wedding and party planner working across a long list of destinations, and its Gstaad page presents the resort as "the quintessential location to host a discreet luxury wedding or party." The company plans weddings and private parties and books headline entertainment; its site is written in English and aimed at clients planning high-budget celebrations who want privacy. The page says its team of luxury wedding and party planners "will organise a once in a lifetime celebration", and it adds that Scarlet has booked performers such as Lionel Richie and Elton John to play live at clients' events.

Gstaad is one of several Swiss destinations on the site, alongside Geneva, Zurich and St. Moritz, in a list that also runs from Venice and Lake Como to Paris, Dubai and New York. The page does not say where Scarlet's office is, and it does not describe a specific wedding the company has planned in Gstaad; it says that with years of experience planning high-profile parties worldwide, Scarlet can organize a winter wedding or party there.

The wider site shows how the business is organized. Its main menu is split into parties, weddings, entertainment, destinations, portfolio and profile, and the footer links to venue and event design pages, including two French châteaux, Chantilly and Vaux-le-Vicomte. Entertainment is a line of business in its own right: the Gstaad page invites clients to book their favorite headline act or DJ, and the planning and the performers can come from the same company.

The resort, as the page describes it

The page sells Gstaad itself as much as the service. It calls the resort a VIP hideaway and a ski destination, and mentions that it hosted the wedding of Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo. Nicknamed the "twin of Cannes", it says, Gstaad has designer boutiques on its promenade, among them Louis Vuitton, Prada, Maison Lorenz Bach and its sister store Bach Sign.

For guests, the page lists what there is to do beyond the wedding: skiing in winter, hiking in summer, and a strong classical music scene with three world-class music events a year. It also suggests taking guests by cable car to the top of Les Diablerets Glacier to dine with panoramic views. For a couple planning a weekend rather than a single evening, those are ready-made additions to a guest program.

Getting guests there

The page is more practical here than most planners' sites. It describes Gstaad as in the south-west of Switzerland and reachable by car and private jet. It names Gstaad Airport, Bern Airport, which it describes as a 1-hour drive, and the Gstaad Inn Grund Helipad, which it describes as a 30-minute drive, as places where private jets and helicopters can land, and suggests chartering a private jet for guests. By road, the page recommends flying into Geneva and hiring a car, a drive it puts at between 2.5-3 hours, on narrow, winding roads it calls "not for the faint-hearted".

For a wedding with many guests flying in commercially, that is the key logistical fact: Geneva plus a long mountain drive. The page does not say whether Scarlet arranges group transfers from Geneva, so that is a question for the first call.

Venues the page features

Scarlet does not own or run any of these venues; the page presents them as some of the most impressive places in Gstaad to hold a wedding or party.

Gstaad Palace. The page describes 90 suites and a 3-bed penthouse, with restaurants, bars and a spa, and calls it a good place to host and house guests.

Le Grand Bellevue. A hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant, an art deco bar and cocktail lounge, "charming turreted tower rooms and secluded hideaways", Leonard's Terrace and the Garden Lounge for evening celebrations, and Le Grand Spa in its renovated Alpine Sanctuary for the morning after.

The Alpina. A 5-star hotel built in traditional style, with three restaurants, its own private cinema and balconies on every room.

Park Gstaad. Described as a 94-bed luxury hotel in the heart of the resort, "super modern whilst retaining its warm chalet-like feel". The page says it suits full buyouts for parties and celebrations, and that its entire first floor works as a welcome dinner venue for large guest lists.

Private chalets. Through its contacts, the page says, Scarlet has access to private chalets that are not available to the public. It recommends them for intimate parties and clients who need discretion, since chalets offer more flexibility than a hotel on timings, noise restrictions, catering and privacy.

Ceremonies

The page includes a short note on religious ceremonies. It says there are Catholic and Protestant churches around Gstaad available for wedding ceremonies for Swiss citizens or residents. It adds that the closest Russian and Greek Orthodox churches are around Lausanne and Montreux, but that with special permission an Orthodox ceremony may be held in the Catholic church. The page says nothing about civil ceremonies, so a couple from abroad who wants a legally registered marriage should raise that with Scarlet and check the requirements separately.

What the page leaves open

The page publishes no prices, no minimum budget and no minimum guest count. It does not describe how planning works, which services are included in a wedding, or how Scarlet charges. It does not say how far ahead to book or how a summer wedding differs from a winter one. It gives no contact details on the page itself beyond "Contact us" and "Talk to us" links. And because the company works in many countries, a couple should ask who on the team knows Gstaad firsthand and which local suppliers they work with.

Who it suits

Scarlet Events suits couples planning a large, high-budget wedding or party in Gstaad with guests flying in from abroad, who want a planner able to book star entertainment, secure a hotel buyout or a private chalet, and handle guests arriving by private jet. The English-language site and the travel notes make it easy to picture the weekend. It is less suited to couples on a moderate budget or those planning a small, simple ceremony, and the page offers little about the planning process itself.