Italy is an amazing place to get married in! But as soon as a foreigner starts planning an elopement there, the first question that comes to mind is HOW TO ELOPE IN ITALY?

It can be very overwhelming to plan as there are so many puzzle pieces to put together, such as choosing a location, choosing the season, finding vendors, planning all the logistics, especially if more people are involved etc.

In this blog posts I am going to walk you through some main aspects to think about when you are considering eloping in Italy!

How elope in Italy?

When you start planning an elopement in Italy, there are couple of things to consider. Firstly, you should decide if you want to do the legal part also in Italy or you do it in your home country and do a symbolic ceremony in Italy. Then, you should decide when and where in Italy you would want to elope. Italy has a lot to offer all year around. And once this is set, you can start by choosing vendors for your elopement. In this blog post I’ll go through all those steps one by one to give you an overview.

Getting legally married in Italy

Foreigners can get married in Italy, but certain conditions apply that make this process rather difficult or not as romantic as you would think. Basically, you need to provide a lot of documents that are officially translated and stamped by an embassy. Legal ceremonies can only take place at a city hall, they are held in Italian and you probably need to get a translator as well. Additionally, you need two witnesses. I recommend getting legally married in your home country first and then have an amazing adventure elopement in Italy with a symbolic ceremony in one of the most beautiful places in the world! In this BLOG POST you can read more about getting legally married in Italy.

PLANNING AN ELOPEMENT IN ITALY

Where to get married in Italy?

Choosing a location where to get married at can be difficult as there are so many stunning places in Italy! Italy offers so many wonderful, stunning, jaw-dropping locations to choose from! Starting from seaside locations such as Amalfi coast or Capri Island, coming to gorgeous cityscapes such as Venice, Rome, Florence, adding some in-country landscapes such as world widely known Tuscany and finishing up with mountains in the northern Italy, such as the epic Dolomites where I mainly operate.

You do not need to know exactly where you want to have your ceremony at this point, but you might want to think about what kind of places inspire you? Do you want to be in nature? Do you feel the mountains, meadows, lakes or seaside calling for you? Are you more interested in cityscapes? Do you prefer the rustic cities or really small romantic Italian towns? Or rather a more modern city? If you have some vision in mind, you can start looking for vendors who can help you make your dreams come true!

Finding service providers for your elopement in Italy

As Italy has one of the biggest wedding industries in the entire world, there are thousands of service providers and it can be really difficult to choose somebody. Your main vendor for your elopement is your photographer. This is where I would start. Photographer is the one person who will be with you the entire day and will be the closest to you. This needs to be somebody you like, trust and whose photography inspires you!

An experienced elopement photographer is also your wedding planner. He/she can help you choose the locations for your ceremony, portraits and suggest fun activities. Your photographer/wedding planner help you put together a timeline and have back-up plans for all scenarios so that nothing can ruin your elopement, even the weather. A very good elopement photographer can recommend you trustworthy vendors, such as videographer, make-up and hair artist, florist, bakery for your wedding cake etc. And not only that – your photographer is also your travel buddy and needs to be somebody you want to hang out with and you feel comfortable with!

Choosing your photographer is in my opinion the most important decision when it comes to your elopement as everything else is dependent on him/her. Please do not hold back financially when it comes to this person. He/she has a ton on her plate and years of experiences that is worth your investment. Also, this person’s experiences, skills, trustworthiness and safety are the things you do not want to take for granted! This is one of the most important days of your life and if you wish to have the day stress-free, you need to have a service provider who has everything covered. Elopement photographers have been talking a lot lately how couples book them for 5-10K for their vow renewal as their original wedding photographer (way cheaper, less experienced) did not hold up to their end of the bargain and the couple was left with pictures they didn’t like. If they even got the pictures…

In order for your elopement to be perfect I want to give you three quick tips:
1. A wedding photographer is not the same as elopement photographer. Elopement photographer has a ton more on their plate (mainly all of the planning and preparations) and this is why I recommend you to book a photographer who is specialising in elopements!

2. Choose a person you click with! You are spending the whole day very close to this person, so it must be someone you like and trust and makes you feel good!

3. An adventure elopement is not just about stunning photos. It’s about the entire experience, from planning and support to seamless execution on the big day and delivery of epic visuals. A specialised elopement photographer isn’t just someone with a camera: they’re your guide, problem-solver and storyteller, ensuring everything runs smoothly. The reality is, experienced professionals who truly dedicate themselves to creating an unforgettable elopement experience charge accordingly. If someone is offering to capture your entire adventure for just a few hundred bucks, it’s likely because they don’t have the experience, resources or time to give you the level of service you deserve. This is a once in a lifetime experience and I want you to have the best!

This BLOG POST covers more in depth all the details to consider when choosing a photographer for your elopement. Also, I would love to be considered for being your elopement planner and photographer and I am so excited for your decision to elope! 🙂 I would be honoured to be on your side on one of the most important day of your lives and I would never take your trust for granted!

When to elope in Italy?

Luckily, Italy has something incredible to offer all year long! January-May is perfect for winter elopements in the mountains! You are able to have a gorgeous snowy mountain backdrop while you say your vows to each other! Or you want to ski/snowboard in your wedding attire? Yes, you can do that! In the winter season, a lot of hiking trails are closed due to snow and risk of avalanches, so heavy hiking is not recommended, but there are still places you can get up to the mountains via gable-car or snow-mobile! You can even come down with a sledge. You can see some winter mountain elopement inspiration HERE!

Spring is a perfect time to get married in Italy and avoid the crowds! Tuscany, Amalfi coast, Islands (e.g Capri Island or Procida) and the cities are beautiful and not so crowded that time of the year! It might not be as warm yet, but still warm enough to be in your wedding attire during the day without needing warm jackets and gloves. Spring in the mountains is still winter. There can be snow in the mountains until June or even July!

Summer has also a lot to offer! For summertime I recommend eloping in June as July and August are extremely crowded (it is holiday season in Europe) and also, it gets very hot! In June you can basically visit all of the locations I have mentioned by now! July and August, as I said, are crowded and hot. If you wish to have a mountain elopement in July or August, please bear in mind that the heat causes thunderstorms in the mountains that mostly occur in the evenings. Being in the mountains, inside the cloud that causes the thunder, is very dangerous! So, I would recommend morning to mid-day hikes only! Sunset photoshoots might be risky, but still doable if right weather apps are used. July and August are good times to elope in the cities and Tuscany and all other non-mountain areas if you do not mind the heat and the crowds. Example of the crowds: at certain photo spots you might need to wait in line for at least 30 minutes if not an hour to get a photo taken!

Autumn is just gorgeous! As in spring, less crowds and milder temperatures! And also, no snow yet in the mountains. All of the locations are beautiful this time of the year and as there are not so many visitors anymore and the temperatures are more bearable, it is definitely one of the best options timewise! By autumn I mean September-October. A lot of gable cars stop working end of October if you wish to go up in the mountains via gable car. In autumn the trees give a nicely colorful backdrop as well!

Conclusion

There are so many questions that pop up in the minds of an eloping couple, starting from choosing the location, the season, vendors, planning the logistics etc. It can all be very overwhelming. My advice is to choose an elopement photographer also doubles as wedding planner. Please bear in mind that wedding photographers are not experienced in the planning process! Planning is, in my experience, at least half of the work I do. Choose somebody who specialises in elopements. Elopement photography is a totally different genre than wedding photography!

Most of these beautiful photos are from Helena’s and Keio’s vow renewal. If you wish to read more about their day, locations, itinerary and more, you can do it HERE.

If “How to elope in Italy” is till on your mind and you want to find out more about it, also if you wish to have your elopement planning and elopement day as stress free and smooth as possible, please contact me via my website www.elopementswitheva.com and we can start by getting to know each other! If we both feel we are a good match, I will guide you through all the next steps with ease! Can’t wait to meet you!