Looking for an amazing place to elope? Italy might just be perfect for you! But as soon as a foreigner starts planning an elopement there, the first question that comes to mind is HOW TO ELOPE IN ITALY?
Planning can be overwhelming. There are so many puzzle pieces to put together from choosing the perfect location, season, finding vendors, planning all the logistics, creating a timeline that allows space for spontaneity and pivoting if needed. It gets even more complicated if more people are involved etc.
In this blog post 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 decide if you want to get legally married in Italy or back home. 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 these questions are answered, 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 how it all works.
Getting legally married in Italy
Foreigners can marry in Italy, but the legal process includes several steps that might feel complicated or less romantic than you imagined. Here’s a quick overview of how legally eloping in Italy works:
- You must gather several documents, translate them officially, and get them stamped at your embassy.
- You can only hold legal ceremonies at a city hall.
- An Italian official leads the ceremony, so you’ll probably need to hire a translator.
- You also need to bring two witnesses.
Want a full breakdown of how to legally marry in Italy? Read it here: Getting legally married in Italy
PLANNING AN ELOPEMENT IN ITALY
Where to elope in Italy?
The next step when eloping in Italy is choosing the location. It at can be a difficult choice 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 hills of Tuscany. Finishing up with mountains in the northern Italy, such as the epic dramatic-looking Dolomites.
You do not need to know exactly where you want to have your ceremony at this point. But you should 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 when you elope 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 helps to put together a timeline and have back-up plans for all scenarios so that nothing can ruin your elopement, even the weather. A good 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!
Why is it so important to choose a great photographer?
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. I recommend not to hold back financially when it comes to this person. They have a ton on her plate and years of experiences that is worth the investment. Also, this person’s experience, skills, and trustworthiness ensure that everything goes smoothly—so you can relax and enjoy your elopement without a worry! 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 talk a lot lately how couples book them for 5-10K for their vow renewal. Why? Because their photographer from their original wedding (way cheaper, less experienced) did not hold up to their end of the bargain. This means that the couple was left with pictures they didn’t like. If they even got any pictures at all…
Things to bear in mind when choosing a photographer
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 specializing 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! 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?
Winter
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! During winter, snow and avalanche risks force many hiking trails to close, so I don’t recommend heavy hiking. But you can still reach the mountains by taking a cable car or riding a snowmobile! You can even come down with a sledge. You can see some winter mountain elopement inspiration HERE!
Spring
Couples who get married in Italy in spring can enjoy perfect weather 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
Summer has also a lot to offer! I recommend eloping in June if you’re planning a summer wedding in Italy—July and August bring extreme heat and big tourist crowds since it’s holiday season in Europe. In June you can basically visit all of the locations I have mentioned by now!
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. At certain photo spots, you might need to wait in line for 30 minutes—or even an hour—just to take a single photo. At some very popular locations, e.g Tre Cime, Italy expects over 14K people wandering around PER DAY in the summer of 2025! Can you imagine this?!
Autumn
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!
I recommend spring and autumn for eloping in Italy. And for snowy elopements, February and March will be the best. I do not recommend eloping in Italy in July or August. It can be extremely crowded and also hot!
Conclusion
There are so many questions that pop up in the minds of an eloping couple and the main one usually is “How to elope in Italy”. It includes so many other questions 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. Choose somebody who specializes in elopements.
If “How to elope in Italy” is still 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 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!
Other blog posts you might be interested in:
How much does it cost to elope in Italy?
Getting legally married in Italy
How to choose a photographer for your elopement
How your photographer’s approach defines your entire experience
How to include family in your elopement
Should we hire a videographer for our elopement?
How I help couples make their elopement day true to them
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