Hiking Elopement in the Dolomites with a Sunrise Mountain Ceremony
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 those two days. Yes, you’ve read it right! We spent 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 an Adventurous Elopement in the Dolomites
From the very first inquiry, 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.
From a Sunrise Ceremony by the secret Alpine Lake to Epic Hike surrounded by mountain peaks: how orest & Nicole’s Multi-Day Elopement Unfolded
Having a multi-day elopement wasn’t the plan that Orest and Nicole had originally discussed. They were planning to have a full-day elopement, but after hearing the couple’s thoughts, we understood that they’d love to have an intimate and adventurous elopement experience. It meant that we had to divide the shoot into two days and plan a multi-day elopement in the Dolomites, which turned out to be an outstanding idea in the end. We thoroughly planned the timeline, which played off spectacularly – we got the most astonishing light ever. Just look at these elopement photos!
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 elopement photography career…
Day Two: Slow Getting Ready at Cortina d’Ámpezzo & a Sunset Hike in the Mountains
We had a short and sweet getting-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!
Why plan a multi-day Elopement in The Dolomites?
Well…because you can get everything during your elopement in the Dolomites this way. Your dream elopement doesn’t have to be a cookie-cutter experience – instead, dream big! The Dolomites are an astonishing elopement destination, having so much to propose. So you need time to experience, live through, and still be present to memorise every bit of your special day and of course, capture a bunch of stunning elopement photographs (we got you covered here!).
Here are more reasons why you should plan a multi-day elopement experience:
- Less Rush, More Freedom. Dolomites are no joke – they’re huge! So why would you need to feel rushed to squeeze everything planned into one day? Driving between the best elopement locations sometimes takes hours, despite being only a less than 100 kilometers (say thanks to narrow serpentine roads!).
- Be Fully Present. The only way to feel completely present is to plan a multi-day elopement. Soak into every moment, breathe, have a tea/coffee/beer mid-hike, and just enjoy your day.
- Chase the Best Light. With more time, you can plan shoots during golden hour, sunrise, sunset, and even under the stars — no need to compromise on lighting just to fit everything in one day. This is extremely relevant, especially if you’re planning an elopement in summertime – it’s often a very bright and sunny weather in the mountains.
Ready ot plan your elopement in the Dolomites? Dont’ miss our Elopement Guide having everything your need to plan your perfect elopement experience!
Couple’s Advice for Anyone planning to Elope in the Dolomites
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.
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