Epic Hiking Elopement in the Dolomites: Adventure Elopement in Italy
Hiking Elopement in the Dolomites, Italy | Adventure Elopement Photographers
One of the things we, as their elopement photographers, especially loved about Orest & Nicole’s hiking elopement in the Dolomites was how trusting, easy-going, and calm they were during all these two days. Yes, you’ve read it right! We spend 2 incredible days of adventures exploring such iconic mountain ranges and locations of the Italian Alps as Cadini di Misurina or Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The true core memory and the highlight of their hiking elopement was their sunrise vow ceremony at a secret lake in the Dolomites.
Trust us – you don’t want to miss these stunning elopement photographs! Even we, who have been into destination elopement photography for more than 10 years already, were deeply impressed by the eternal light and the totally jaw-dropping views and, of course, so much love between Orest and Nicole during this special moment!
Story of the Couple and Their Plan to have a Dolomites Elopement
From the very first inquiry to be their elopement photographers, we immediately understood that Orest & Nicole had a deep understanding of how intentional they are. The couple chose their elopement destination, The Dolomites in Northern Italy, due to its natural beauty and unique look. Depending on the lighting the mountains can vary in color/ shades; ranging from a pale color that makes them fascinating and mysterious to a phenomenon called “enrosadira,” where the Dolomites, struck by the light turn red. Besides that, they also liked the idea that their wedding pictures would be unique to their experience as there are many environmental factors that impact how pictures turned out which would make it difficult to replicate exactly.
Additionally, they had been already planning a trip to Italy, so it seemed natural to incorporate an elopement into that as well. Isn’t it just an ideal excuse to extend your trip and have an ideal honeymoon in Italy right after your elopement day in the mountains?
The couple gave themselves 16 months to plan, and with our support, they found the process stress-free. “They really made it very easy to plan,” Nicole shared. “Jane and Tony provided us with great tips and feedback, from suit colors complementing the landscape to recommending hiking boots suitable for the trek.” One thing they initially overlooked was the colder mountain temperatures. “We were glad to get that reminder from Tony and Jane!” Orest laughed.
orest & Nicole’s Multi-Day Dolomites Elopement
Day One: Sunrise Hike to Lago di Limides for Elopement Vow Ceremony
We started the day early, basically at night at around 4:00 AM, even before sunrise, as we needed to start a hike to the stunning water body high in the mountains, which normally takes up to 1 hour. The hike itself wasn’t too hard, that’s why the couple was fully dressed in a stunning wedding dress and a suit. We stopped a couple of times to capture some long-exposure portraits with incredible views of Cinque Torri & Mount Lagazuoi.
Once we reached the lookout, we had a while to breathe, have some warm tea, and enjoy the views. Once we noticed the first rays of the sun enlightening the Dolomites peaks, we decided to start the ceremony…Oh, boi! It was such a blast! The sun gave such a spectacular show; the birds were not just singing – they were screaming so loud the songs of love, being the only witnesses of the incredible vow ceremony.
The standout memory was the serene sunrise photoshoot. “We came upon a small little body of water at the top of a mountain that provided the perfect backdrop for the rising sun,” Nicole recalled. “There were no other people around, so it was a very quiet, private spot for us to exchange our vows as well. We absolutely loved it! Tony and Jane really went above and beyond in scouting locations and finding that one.” – shared the couple afterwards.
We ended up taking the pictures when the sun was up, and it was one of the most beautiful vow ceremonies we’ve ever captured in our destination elopement photography career…
Day Two: Slow Getting Ready at Cortina d’Ámpezzo & a Sunset Hike in the Mountains
We had a short and sweet gettign ready photos at the very heart of Cortina d’Ampezzo, at the cute hotel. We exchanged some impressions of the first day, and got some nice portraits of the stunning wedding dress and handcrafted details of Orest’s wedding suit. These details were the way the couple made their outfits special – “We incorporated a few little items into our attire in honor of some of our loved ones who are no longer physically with us.”
Afterward, we headed to the stunning mountain hike for the second-day hike. We had a great time enjoying the views and capturing incredible portraits set in the mountain peaks surrounding us at 360 degrees. And yes, we experienced this unique natural phenomenon called enrosadira at sunset! You can see how it looks at the very end of the shoot!
Couple’s Advice for Anyone Considering Eloping in the Dolomites
Nicole and Orest enthusiastically encourage couples to consider eloping to do it. “Our advice for any couple considering an elopement would be to do it! It is your day so don’t worry about what your friends and family will say. The day is supposed to be one for the two of you to remember. Upon returning and telling people about our elopement, many indicated that it sounded magical and wished they would have done that rather than a traditional wedding. Of course it was helped by showing some of the incredible unedited photos that Tony and Jane shared with us on the days of our photos. This experience definitely brought us even closer as we shared this incredible adventure to start the next chapter of our lives!”
Kind words from the Couple
It was extremely easy working with Tony and Jane. They are incredible in all aspects of what they do. Great response times to our many questions, they were constantly monitoring our locations for weather updates, they had back-up locations ready in the event of issues with the weather. The whole thing was very seamless. They have a very upbeat positive vibe to them as well which made it very easy to spend two days with. They put us at ease which made for much better, more natural pictures.
Orest + Nicole | Eloped in the Dolomites
THis is how it was…
ELOPEMENT VENDORS
Photographer and Videographers | ISKRA Photography
MEET YOUR ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHERS
We are Jane & Anton Iskra – a duo behind ISKRA photography – an award-winning destination elopement photographers in the Dolomites and beyond.
Here on our website, you can see our vision and our tastes match – then we will be happy to share the emotions of your special day and make tons of beautiful photographs for your long memories.
Since 2016, we’ve photographed and planned more than 300+ micro-weddings and elopements all over Europe and the world. Elopements shot by us have been numerously published on Junebug Weddings, Green Wedding Shoes, Dancing With Her, Style Me Pretty, and many others…We’ve won dozens of international awards for best wedding and elopement photographs but most importantly, we became true friends with many of our couples.
We sincerely hope we’ll get the opportunity to capture your story!
Get In Touch
If you’re looking for a photographer and you connect with our work, we would love to hear from you! Please allow 48 hours for a response.
Together with Tony Iskra, they are ISKRA Photography - a husband & wife duo shooting in Iceland and beyond.
