Here is a story of Ron & Shir who had a last minute full day winter elopement in the Dolomites and by lake Garda. They are such a beautiful couple inside and out. They met 9 years ago in a library when studying there. Long story short: Ron organized a party, invited Shir and made his moves there. They’ve been together ever since. After their recent engagement they decided to have the day for themselves abroad. Just the two of them 🙂 They felt like a big wedding and entertaining others is not true to them and being in the center of attention for the whole day just felt unpleasant. An elopement was way more THEM.

Last minute elopement

Their situation was very unique. They are from Israel and with the current tension between US and Iran, things get complicated. And that causes flights sometimes being cancelled within very short notice. In summer they were traveling to Argentina and on their way back they got stuck in Spain for weeks because their flights home had been cancelled for this very reason. Therefore it is very understandable why they needed a lot of flexibility. They booked their flights and accommodation with last minute cancellation options. But how do you plan an elopement with a photographer this way?

They wanted snow, mountains, spruce trees, hence the Dolomites. They found a stunning hotel in the western part of the Dolomites where they’d like to stay. They had already booked the hotel and flights, so the date and area of the elopement were rather fixed. Now they needed to find somebody available with a week’s notice to capture their day. They contacted a few photographers who know the area to get their availability. Half of them were not available.

“From the very first conversation with Eva, I knew we were in good hands – and that feeling only grew stronger when you realize this was a last-minute elopement. We reached out to her just one week before our day, and instead of stress or hesitation, she met us with calm, flexibility, and genuine excitement.

Planning an elopement in the Dolomites on such short notice could have felt overwhelming, but Eva made the entire process feel easy and reassuring. She was incredibly responsive, adaptable, and thoughtful, helping us shape a day that felt intentional and meaningful despite the tight timeline. At no point did we feel rushed or like an afterthought – quite the opposite. We felt truly supported.”

Ron & Shir

Planning a last minute elopement in Dolomites

I am living in a country that is also very close to a war (Russia-Ukraine), therefore I know that things can get complicated unexpectedly. I guess this was one of the reasons I was willing to be extremely flexible in my conditions for them. We had our plans set and also back-up rescheduling plans in case they can not get on their flight. We were in contact with each other every day before the flight to see the latest conditions. Luckily they were able to get on their flight and we met in Italy.

Shir did her own hair and make-up so we did not need to hire a hair and make-up artist. As for the flowers, I put together a bouquet out of fake flowers I had in my home. Not having many or any other vendors definitely made the flexible planning more pleasant. They wanted to have thermoses with bride & groom written on them, but it was too late to order them. But what a coincidence that my neighbor just started his business with engravings and was testing out engravings on thermoses. I reached out to him and he was able to make two thermoses for Ron and Shir’s elopement day. I took those with me to Italy.

I recommended them locations in the area to show them snow, spruce trees and anything else worth seeing in this area where they were staying. But with any elopement, most of the location decisions are done the day before the elopement based on the latest weather forecast.

The elopement day

Hotel

We started the day in their hotel. They did not want getting ready photos, so I got there by the time they were already dressed. Since the hotel was literally the reason they chose to elope there, it only made sense to take a little time to capture this stunning hotel as well. We took photos in their hotel room and in the stunning resting area the hotel had.

Mountains

After this we headed out to our mountain top location. Cloud coverage for the day was 100%. That can make mountain top locations risky because if you arrive up there and you are entirely in the clouds you don’t have any views at all. This is why most mountain tops have live-cams and you can check before you get up. And the mountain top was luckily above the clouds and we got the mountain views!

Ceremony

After this we went half way down the mountain where there were more spruce trees. Couple really liked those a lot, so I tried to find a spot for them where they could have spruce trees and privacy for their vows. They said their vows and laughed a lot! I remember thinking during their vows that if your hubby can make you laugh like this, this is the real deal! 😍 The ceremony continued with a rings exchange and champagne pop.

Since I knew how much they adore spruce trees, I made sure that they’ll have at least one double exposure photo with spruce trees in their final gallery.

After this we went back down and had lunch in their hotel’s restaurant. Amazing pastas are a must in Italy! Short toilet break and we started our drive to the next location.

Riva del Garda at lake Garda

Riva del Garda is the most north town at Italy’s biggest lake: lake Garda. Riva del Garda has stunning views over the lake and mountains on both sides of it. We had the most beautiful sunset light and we even saw alpenglow.

Alpenglow is an optical phenomenon appearing as a horizontal reddish or pinkish glow on mountain summits, occurring just before sunrise or after sunset when the sun is below the horizon.

We took some portraits there, admired the stunning views and the day was finished with their first dance at this beautiful view point.

Itinerary

09.00 – 11.00 Photos in their hotel room and in the hotel’s chill area

11.00 – 12.30 Mountain top location

12.30 – 14.00 Ceremony

14.00 – 15.15 Getting to the hotel and having lunch there

15.15 – 16.30 Drive to Riva del Garda

16.30 – 17.30 Riva del Garda: photos, first dance

Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“From the very first conversation with Eva, I knew we were in good hands – and that feeling only grew stronger when you realize this was a last-minute elopement. We reached out to her just one week before our day, and instead of stress or hesitation, she met us with calm, flexibility, and genuine excitement.

Planning an elopement in the Dolomites on such short notice could have felt overwhelming, but Eva made the entire process feel easy and reassuring. She was incredibly responsive, adaptable, and thoughtful, helping us shape a day that felt intentional and meaningful despite the tight timeline. At no point did we feel rushed or like an afterthought – quite the opposite. We felt truly supported.

On the elopement day itself… wow. Eva was the perfect presence: warm, grounding, and intuitive. She knew exactly when to guide us and when to step back, allowing us to be fully present with each other and the moment. The day felt emotional, peaceful, and full of joy – never forced, never staged, just real.

And the photos… absolutely breathtaking. They don’t just show what the Dolomites look like – they capture how the day felt. The emotions, the connection, the quiet moments, the laughter, the scale and magic of the mountains – all beautifully preserved. Every image feels intentional, artistic, and deeply authentic.

If you’re considering an elopement (especially if it’s last minute!) and want someone you can truly trust – not just with your photos, but with the entire experience – Eva is that person. We couldn’t imagine our day without her.”

Ron&Shir

Full gallery

You can access their full gallery HERE.

Conclusion

Last minute elopements are doable if your vendors are available in this short notice. The less vendors you have, the easier. And with this short notice, the photographer doesn’t usually have time to go location scouting, so you need somebody who knows the area. And by the way – winter in the Dolomites is so magical! I can only hope more couples will opt for this kind of unique scenery ❤️

Other blog posts you might be interested in:

How much does it cost to elope in the Dolomites? 
Your ultimate guide for lake Garda Elopement 
Helena and Keio winter vow renewal
Paula and Arturs moody vow renewal in the Dolomites