Elope in Italy: elopements and small weddings on the Amalfi Coast and in Puglia

Why elope in Italy

An Italy elopement is about the two of you. Without a long guest list, the day can follow your own rhythm: a slow morning, a ceremony in a place that means something to you, a walk through the old streets, an aperitivo with a view and dinner by the sea. There is time to take it all in.

It is also a day that photographs beautifully. With fewer people around, I can spend more time with you, follow you to more places and catch the small moments that usually disappear in a big wedding – the nervous laugh before the ceremony, the first quiet minute as a married couple, the look you give each other at sunset.

Elopements on the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is made for an elopement. In Sorrento you can walk from a ceremony in the centre to the terraces above the Gulf of Naples, with Vesuvius on the horizon. In Positano the town tumbles down the cliffs to the beach, and I have photographed civil ceremonies at its town hall as well as weddings on hotel terraces and in private villas. Ravello, high on the hill, gives you gardens, quiet lanes and views along the whole coast.

One of my favourite ways to spend an Amalfi Coast elopement is on the water. A motorboat for an hour or two after the ceremony shows you the coast from the sea, and the photos are unlike anything you can take on land. We can plan it together when we talk about your day.

Elopements in Puglia

Puglia is where I live, and it is a wonderful region to elope. Polignano a Mare sits on limestone cliffs above a turquoise sea; Ostuni, the white city, glows in the evening light; and the countryside around Alberobello and Cisternino is full of olive groves, dry-stone walls and trulli.

For a small wedding, the masserie – the old fortified farm estates of Puglia – are hard to beat. Many have rooms for guests, a courtyard for the ceremony and long tables under the olive trees for dinner. On the coast, beach clubs such as Coco Beach near Polignano, where I have photographed a ceremony right on the seafront, are perfect if you dream of saying yes by the sea.

Small weddings with your closest family and friends

Many couples who contact me are planning something in between: not an elopement for two, but a small wedding with ten, twenty or thirty guests. That is one of my favourite kinds of wedding to photograph, because everyone knows everyone and the atmosphere is relaxed from the start.

My coverage goes from a few hours to the whole day, so it is easy to match the photography to the size of your wedding. After your enquiry I send you my information package with all the options.

The ceremony

You can marry legally in Italy with a civil ceremony, or choose a symbolic ceremony – many couples who elope marry legally at home first and then celebrate in Italy without the paperwork. Religious ceremonies are possible in some places, but the options depend on the town and the venue, and the rules differ from place to place.

Tell me what kind of ceremony you would like, and I will point you in the right direction.

How I photograph an elopement

My style is photojournalistic: I follow the day as it unfolds and stay out of the way, so you can forget about the camera. For an elopement that means a lot of freedom. We can start with the getting ready, follow you to the ceremony, and then take our time for portraits in two or three places nearby – a quiet street, a terrace over the sea, a garden – ending with the golden hour, when the light on the coast is at its most beautiful.

Whether it is just the two of you or a small group, you receive the same care as a large wedding: a private online gallery with all your high-resolution photos, delivered within a few days up to three or four weeks, depending on your package.

Planning your elopement in Italy

A few things to decide first:

• The area – the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, or Puglia
• The date and the season – spring and autumn are softer and quieter than high summer
• The kind of ceremony – civil, symbolic or religious
• The time of day – a ceremony in the late afternoon leads straight into the golden hour
• How many people – just the two of you, or a few family members and friends
• Send me your date, and I will tell you if I am free and send you my information package