The Ice Hotel, located 30 minutes west of Quebec City in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, opens its crystalline halls for its guests and visitors yearly in early January, only to be fated to disappear in early April as it slowly melts away under the warm spring sun. The inspiration for this unique tourist attraction comes from the small Swedish village of Jukkasj³rvi where an Ice Hotel has been welcoming guests every winter for more than ten years. 2005 marked the Quebec City version's fifth season, with a redesigned chapel and more than 30 couples celebrating their weddings there.
In 2005, "We surpassed last year's total by at least a dozen," says Jacques Desbois, CEO of the Ice Hotel. "Increasingly, people look to add an unusual element to their special day and choose a destination wedding."
Couples from across North America take advantage of the Ice Wedding adventure. In 2003, Carrie Van Vert and Thomas Gosselin Fontaine wished for a little non-traditional wedding. At first, the lovers from Masury, Ohio thought about having just their honeymoon at the Ice Hotel, but after hearing about the Ice Chapel, they opted for a destination ceremony as well.
After the wedding, their romantic escapade continued when they left the Ice Hotel in a dog sled, followed by an intimate candle-lit dinner and a cozy evening in the 007 Suite, a replica of the great room from the most recent Bond flick! Adventurous activities are actually the norm: dogsledding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, and skating are available in pre-arranged packages through local hotel partners.
For the less adventurous, creature comforts have not been ignored: bathroom facilities are inside and heated, the internal temperature is higher than outside, and rooms feature box springs and mattresses (on ice) with a high quality, well-rated warm sleeping bag.
Because the Ice Hotel is recreated every year, makeovers and fabulous redesigns are the norm. In 2005, the chapel was the focus of innovation. Inspired by the first churches built in Quebec, a design consisting of a snow dome and snow steeple that overhung an ice wall, a reminder of the region's magnificent ecclesiastical building facades from the early 20th century. Special attention was also paid to the interior decoration of this place of celebration, with soaring pillars and ecclesiastic details rendered in crystal clear ice.
