The Dolomites don’t feel real the first time you see them. Even after returning here, I still feel it. The sheer scale of the mountains, the texture of the limestone peaks, turquoise alpine lakes, wildflowers, rifugios tucked into the hillsides, cowbells ringing somewhere in the distance, and the way the light moves across everything at sunrise makes you slow down and take it all in.

But after photographing elopements here, hiking, biking, driving mountain passes, riding lifts, location scouting, and even flying through these mountains by helicopter, I’ve also become increasingly protective of this place.

The same handful of locations have exploded on Instagram: Lago di Braies, Seceda, Tre Cime, the little church in Val di Funes. They’re otherworldly, and I understand exactly why people want to experience them. I do too. But I don’t believe your Dolomites elopement should become a race from one famous photo location to another, trying to recreate everything you’ve saved on Pinterest.

And I definitely don’t believe we need to keep broadcasting every quiet place we find to the internet.

For 2027, my approach to Dolomites elopements is becoming even more intentional: fewer locations, slower timelines, less geotagging, and more time actually experiencing the mountains. Maybe that means an iconic sunrise followed by a slow breakfast. Maybe we leave the crowds behind for somewhere I’ve personally scouted. Maybe we ride bikes, spend two hours eating lunch at a rifugio, or hop into a helicopter and experience the mountains from an entirely different perspective.

You didn’t fly all the way to Italy to spend your wedding day collecting photographs.

You came here to experience the Dolomites.

Because your wedding day doesn’t need to look like everyone else’s Dolomites Pinterest board. It should feel like yours.

What I’ve Learned From Photographing Elopements in the Dolomites

When you first start planning a Dolomites elopement, it’s really easy to start saving locations.

Lago di Braies. Seceda. Tre Cime. Cadini di Misurina. Passo Giau. Alpe di Siusi.

Suddenly you’ve built a list of six incredible places and are trying to figure out how to squeeze all of them into your wedding day.

I wouldn’t recommend it.

The Dolomites are much more spread out than they appear online. You’re navigating winding mountain roads, traffic, parking, lifts, changing weather, trails, crowds, altitude, and your own energy.

I’m much more interested in helping my couples experience one or two areas deeply rather than spending half their elopement sitting in a car racing toward the next photograph.

That’s also why I love split-day and multi-day destination elopements here. We can experience sunrise, eat breakfast, disappear for a few hours, meet again later, or save another adventure for the following day.

There’s room to breathe.

Read my 2-Day Destination Elopement Guide →

Stop Geotagging Every Beautiful Place We Find

I have strong feelings about this one.

Part of my job as an adventure elopement photographer is location scouting. I spend hours and entire days hiking and biking trails, watching how the light moves, figuring out access, noticing crowds, and finding beautiful places where my couples can have an experience that feels private.

That doesn’t mean every place I discover needs to become another pin dropped on Instagram.

On one of my recent scouting days around Lago di Braies, I hiked about six miles looking beyond the famous boat dock. The dock is gorgeous. Of course it is. But there is so much more to this landscape than the photograph we’ve all seen a thousand times.

I found quiet pockets of the landscape that were every bit as beautiful, without asking my couple to compete with crowds for the same photograph everyone else has.

Some of those places I’ll happily share with my couples.

I won’t necessarily share them with the entire internet.

Because we’re loving beautiful places to death.

The Dolomites aren’t alone in this. I’ve watched the same thing happen in national parks and wild places throughout the United States.

Social media can introduce us to landscapes we might never have known existed, but it can also funnel thousands of people toward the exact same fragile places.

I wrote an entire piece about this here:

How to Elope in National Parks Without Loving Them to Death

And this isn’t just philosophical. Lago di Braies has already required seasonal traffic-management systems because of visitor volume, while South Tyrol’s new ranger program specifically includes hotspots such as Lago di Braies, Tre Crime, Seceda and Alpe di Siusi.

Leave No Trace applies to the places we share online, too.

You Don’t Need to Skip the Iconic Dolomites Locations

I’m not going to tell you to skip Lago di Braies because it’s popular. I’ve photographed there. It’s extraordinary. And I’m not going to tell you Seceda isn’t worth seeing. It absolutely is.

The question is whether the location serves your experience—or whether your wedding day is being designed around collecting photographs from famous places.

If you’ve dreamed about stepping into a wooden boat at Lago di Braies at sunrise, let’s do it thoughtfully. We’ll understand the access, arrive ridiculously early, enjoy the experience, and then leave the crowds behind.

That’s where my years of scouting become valuable. We can pair one iconic experience with quieter places you haven’t already seen 4,000 times on Instagram.

You can have the photograph you’ve dreamed about without making your entire elopement about getting photographs.

Lago di Braies: Iconic, Beautiful—and Not Private

I have a much stronger opinion about Lago di Braies after spending more time there.

We stayed right at the lake while photographing an elopement, which gave us something most visitors don’t get: days of watching the lake, shoreline, and boat dock change from morning through evening.

It changed how I’d plan an elopement here.

Lago di Braies is extraordinary. The water, mountains, historic hotel, wooden boats, and morning light create something that genuinely feels cinematic.

But I want future couples to understand this:

Booking the private boat dock doesn’t necessarily mean your ceremony will feel completely private.

People may still be nearby along the shoreline, photographing the lake and watching what’s happening.

That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t elope here.

It means I’d plan it differently.

If the boat dock is part of your dream, let’s enjoy it. Get up ridiculously early. Take the boat out. Watch the mountains catch the first light. Let yourself actually experience it.

Then let’s leave the famous photograph behind.

I’ve spent time hiking and scouting beyond the dock and found beautiful, quieter parts of this landscape that feel much more spacious and connected to nature.

Some of them you’ll see in my couples’ galleries.

Some of them I’m not going to geotag.

And that’s intentional.

Where We Recommend Staying: Hotel Lago di Braies

If Lago di Braies is part of your elopement, we highly recommend staying at Hotel Lago di Braies.

We stayed here ourselves and loved it—the history, the hospitality, the food, and especially the accessibility of waking up right at the lake.

If you can, get a room with a balcony overlooking Lago di Braies.

Waking up, stepping onto your balcony, and seeing that view before the rest of the day begins is part of the experience itself.

It also makes an early-morning elopement much easier. There’s no long predawn drive through mountain passes. You can get ready at the hotel, walk to the lake, experience sunrise, and return afterward for breakfast and some downtime.

I’d book early for August. You’ll have more choice in rooms, and planning farther ahead may help you find better lodging rates than waiting until your trip gets close.

If Lago di Braies is part of your elopement, staying at the lake is worth the splurge.

Instead of treating the lake like another photo stop, make it your home for a few days.

Passo Giau: Huge Views Without a Huge Hike

Passo Giau is one of my favorite recommendations for couples who want enormous Dolomites scenery without committing to an enormous hiking day.

You can drive into this incredible landscape and suddenly find yourself surrounded by rolling hills and mountain peaks.

That matters because somewhere along the way, “adventure elopement” became synonymous with “you must hike eight miles in wedding clothes.”

Nope.

Adventure can mean whatever you want it to mean.

If you’d rather take a beautiful drive, wander through mountain meadows, stop somewhere for espresso, exchange vows with an incredible view, and still have enough energy for dinner afterward, I’m completely on board.

Alpe di Siusi: For Couples Who Want to Slow Down

We explored this area on mountain e-bikes and rode nearly 20 miles. And don’t let those rolling meadows fool you—I had to get off my bike a few times because some of the descents were pretty steep.

Stop at a rifugio—I already have a favorite I can’t wait to share with you.

Rolling alpine meadows, little huts, mountain views, wildflowers, trails, bicycles, and stretches of countryside where the experience doesn’t revolve around one viewpoint.

This is where I’d take a couple who tells me:

“We don’t want to rush.”

An elopement doesn’t need constant entertainment to be adventurous.

Sometimes adventure is simply giving yourself enough time to notice where you are.

Tre Cime di Lavaredo + Cadini di Misurina: For Hikers Who Aren’t Afraid of Heights

If you want drama, this area delivers.

Tre Cime feels enormous in every direction, while nearby Cadini di Misurina has that unmistakable jagged ridgeline.

And yes, people literally wait in line for their turn at the Instagram-famous viewpoint.

This is somewhere I’d build a plan around timing rather than simply arriving and hoping for privacy.

And if we go hiking, I want hiking to actually be part of your wedding experience—not an inconvenient commute to a photograph.

Bring snacks. Stop when the view is good. Have a picnic. Eat a giant bowl of pasta afterward.

Actually be here.

Val di Funes + Passo Gardena: Make the Drive Part of the Experience

This is less about one pin on a map and more about what happens between places.

Small villages. Winding mountain roads. Church steeples. Valleys. Mountain passes. Places where you pull over because the light suddenly looks ridiculous.

Passo Gardena can also be a great option if you don’t want a physically demanding wedding day.

This is the kind of area where I’d rather leave breathing room in your timeline than schedule every stop.

Sometimes the unplanned pull-over becomes your favorite photograph.

Seceda: Incredible, But Timing Is Everything

Seceda genuinely looks like another planet.

That ridgeline is every bit as dramatic in person as it appears in photographs.

But lift schedules matter. Weather matters. Crowds matter. Where you walk after leaving the lift matters.

And Then There Are Dolomites locations I Won’t Put on This List

If this is somewhere you’ve dreamed of seeing, we’ll build it into the experience intentionally rather than squeezing it between three other famous locations.

Check out this epic proposal in the Dolomites!

Some of my favorite Dolomites locations aren’t going into this guide.

That’s intentional.

Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time hiking, biking, driving mountain passes, and location scouting throughout the Dolomites, and we found several incredible places I’m keeping off the internet. Quiet trails, alpine meadows, mountain overlooks, lakes, and little pockets of landscape that still feel spacious and untouched.

When I find a place like that, I don’t feel the need to geotag it.

Those locations become part of what I can offer my couples.

If you trust me to help design your destination elopement, I’ll share what I know with you. I just don’t need to broadcast every beautiful corner of the mountains to the entire internet.

And honestly, that makes me even more excited for August 2027.

I can’t wait to take our couples into some of the places we’ve personally scouted and build elopement days around experiences that feel quieter, more intentional, and a little more off the beaten path.

The Dolomites are such a dream if you love mountains and food. You can spend the morning in cool alpine air, wander through wildflower meadows, stop for lunch at a rifugio, drink espresso with a ridiculous view, and end the day with pasta, limoncello spritz, local wine, and sunset in the mountains. Not to mention end the night with gelato.

If you’re trying to escape the heavy summer heat you can get farther south in Italy, northern Italy is such a good move. August is still warm, but being up in the mountains gives you that cooler air and a completely different pace.

For me, that’s the magic of the Dolomites.

It’s a mountain lover’s paradise and a food lover’s paradise. And the kind of place where your elopement can feel like an actual experience instead of a checklist of famous photo spots.

Helicopter Elopement in the Dolomites

One of the coolest ways I’ve experienced the Dolomites with a couple was from a helicopter.

And after doing it, I completely understand the appeal.

A helicopter elopement isn’t simply about creating epic photographs. It’s a way to experience the scale of these mountains from an entirely different perspective and potentially reach an alpine setting without spending hours hiking at high altitudes there in wedding clothes.

For my couple, we paired a private sunrise experience at Lago di Braies with a completely different adventure later in the day: a helicopter flight into the mountains for sunset.

Suddenly, we weren’t competing with crowds at the same accessible viewpoints. We were above them, flying past jagged peaks while our pilot pointed out mountains and villages below. Then we landed somewhere I’d chosen specifically because it wasn’t Instagram-famous: an alpine lake surrounded by wildflowers and enormous jagged peaks.

There were only a handful of people around, and it felt worlds away from the busy locations we’d experienced earlier that day.

The helicopter wasn’t transportation to a photoshoot. The flight itself became part of their elopement experience—a 45-minute aerial tour of the Dolomites before landing in the mountains for sunset.

A helicopter elopement might be perfect for you if:

• You want enormous mountain views without a long alpine hike.
• You want to combine an iconic location with something much more secluded.
• Hiking six miles at high altitudes in wedding clothes doesn’t sound like your idea of fun.
• You want the adventure itself to become part of your wedding story.
• You’d rather experience one extraordinary place deeply than race between five viewpoints and spend the entire day driving.

Helicopter operations and landing locations are regulated in Italy, so this isn’t something where we simply pick a mountaintop from Instagram and ask a pilot to drop us there. For 2027, we’ll work directly with an authorized operator to determine what’s legally and safely possible for your date, weather, and location. Italy’s civil aviation authority updated its rules around landing areas in 2026, so this is one detail I’d always reconfirm during planning rather than relying on an old blog post.

Cortina also officially lists helicopter transfers via its Fiames heliport.

Who We Flew With: KronAir

For our Dolomites helicopter elopement, we worked with KronAir, and I would absolutely recommend looking into them for your own experience. They offer panoramic flights throughout the Dolomites, including routes around Lago di Braies, Tre Cime, Cortina, Marmolada, and other areas.

What I loved most was that the helicopter wasn’t just a way to get somewhere for photographs—the flight itself became one of the most memorable parts of the wedding day. For couples who want huge alpine scenery without committing to a long, strenuous hike, this can be such an incredible way to experience the mountains.

Explore KronAir

What Can You Actually Do During a Dolomites Elopement?

Build your wedding around things you’d be excited to do even if I weren’t carrying a camera.

You could take a private boat onto an alpine lake at sunrise, hike to a rifugio for lunch, ride e-bikes through the meadows, fly through the mountains by helicopter, ride a cable car to an alpine ridgeline, try a via ferrata, have a two-hour Italian lunch, spend an afternoon at the spa, explore mountain villages, picnic, stargaze, or simply sit somewhere beautiful and do absolutely nothing for a while.

That last one matters.

You don’t have to maximize every minute just because you traveled internationally.

What a Full-Day Dolomites Elopement Could Actually Feel Like

Imagine waking up before sunrise in your mountain hotel.

You have coffee while everything outside is still dark, get dressed slowly, and head toward the lake.

The mountains begin turning pink.

You take a wooden boat onto the water.

You exchange vows.

George performs your symbolic ceremony.

Then we eat breakfast because everyone is starving.

You explore for a little while, return to your hotel, shower, nap, sit on your balcony, eat lunch, or simply disappear from us for several hours.

That break is intentional.

Later, we meet again.

Maybe you’re hiking.

Maybe you’re riding a lift.

Maybe we’re climbing into a helicopter.

You watch the sun disappear behind the mountains somewhere completely different from where the day began.

Then you go eat an enormous Italian dinner and talk about what the hell just happened.

That’s an elopement day.

Not twelve straight hours of being photographed.

A lived experience with photography woven through it.

Why I Love Split-Day and Two-Day Dolomites Elopements

Summer days in the Dolomites are long. Sunrise comes early and sunset comes late.

Trying to photograph continuously from one to the other is exhausting for everyone.

I’d rather split the experience.

Sunrise. Breakfast. Rest. Explore on your own. Nap. Meet again later.

Or spread everything across two days.

That also gives us more flexibility for mountain weather.

A destination like this deserves breathing room.

Read my 2-Day Destination Elopement Guide →

Come Elope With Us in the Dolomites in August 2027

George and I will be returning to the Dolomites for the first two weeks of August 2027, and we’re booking elopements while we’re there.

After photographing, hiking, scouting, and flying through these mountains, I have an even clearer idea of how I want our couples to experience this place.

I don’t want to rush you through five famous locations.

I want to find the version of the Dolomites that feels like you.

Maybe that’s private vows beside an alpine lake, biking through the meadows, a long rifugio lunch, an easy mountain adventure, or hopping into a helicopter for sunset.

And George will be there with me.

A Personalized Symbolic Ceremony With George

If you’d like George to officiate, he’ll create a personalized symbolic ceremony written specifically for the two of you.

No canned wedding script.

George is our Energizer Bunny. He brings this wonderfully positive energy wherever we go, somehow always knows when we need a laugh, and is also one hell of an assistant.

Having him with me gives me more freedom creatively too.

I travel with a lot of gear—digital cameras, 35mm film, Super 8, video, audio—and having George there to help carry gear and manage all the little moving pieces means I have less hanging off my body and more freedom to move, notice things, and create.

We work together naturally after all these years.

Your elopement doesn’t need a huge production crew following you through the Italian Alps.

It can be the two of you, the two of us, and a whole lot of Dolomites.

We’re booking Dolomites elopements during the first three weeks of August 2027.

Getting to the Dolomites

Depending on which part of the Dolomites you plan to visit, here are some of the closest airports:

• Innsbruck (Austria) – Closest for some areas of the Dolomites
• Verona
• Venice

Elopement Locations in the Dolomites

When planning your elopement in the Dolomites, it’s important to allow ample travel time between locations. Here’s a map to help you plan your journey:

Map of Dolomites Elopement Locations

Driving in the Dolomites can be challenging for newcomers due to steep mountain passes, winding roads, and occasional traffic. Plan your routes carefully to ensure a smooth transition between destinations. With so many incredible places to elope in the Dolomites, it may just be worth it to rent a car to explore as much as you can though!

Give Yourself Time to Arrive: Jet Lag + Slow Travel

Please don’t fly to Italy and plan your elopement for the next morning.

Give yourself a minute to actually arrive.

For our couples traveling from the U.S., we suggest flying into Venice Marco Polo Airport and giving yourself at least two to three days before your elopement to settle in and adjust to the time change.

Italy is six hours ahead of Eastern Time. If you’re coming from the Midwest or West Coast, I’d give yourself even more breathing room.

If Venice is on your bucket list, spend a night there.

Personally, one night is plenty for me in August. Venice is beautiful, but it’s also hot and busy in summer, and I’m always ready to trade the city heat for the cooler mountain air.

Then head north.

Sleep. Eat. Explore. Have an espresso. Take an easy walk. Let your body adjust before asking it to wake up ridiculously early for a sunrise elopement.

Don’t Try to See the Entire Dolomites

Here’s something I didn’t fully appreciate until spending more time here:

The Dolomites look much closer together on a map than they feel when you’re actually driving them.

Mountain passes, winding roads, summer traffic, and spontaneous stops add up.

On our last trip, we intentionally kept ourselves centralized around Lago di Braies and explored areas roughly within an hour of our home base.

And there was still more to see than we could possibly fit into one trip.

You do not need to cram Lago di Braies, Seceda, Tre Cime, Alpe di Siusi, Passo Giau, and every other place you’ve saved on Instagram into your elopement.

Choose a region.

Stay awhile.

Get to know it.

Make the Dolomites Part of Your Honeymoon

If your schedule allows, I recommend giving yourself one to two weeks in Italy.

Arrive early enough to recover from jet lag. Spend a night in Venice if you want to see it. Head into the mountains. Settle in for a few days.

Then elope once you’re rested and actually present.

And stay.

Instead of immediately packing your bags and flying or driving somewhere else, let the Dolomites become part of your honeymoon.

Hike. Ride bikes. Take a lift. Have a ridiculously long lunch. Go to the spa. Wander through villages. Book a helicopter. Sit on your balcony.

You don’t have to see all of Italy because you flew to Italy.

Part of the experience we offer our Dolomites couples is helping you figure out where to stay, where to eat, what to explore, and which activities are actually worth building into your trip.

We’d much rather help you create an incredible week in one region than watch you spend half your honeymoon hauling luggage from one Instagram location to another.

Arrive. Rest. Explore. Elope. Stay awhile.

Food Is Part of Your Elopement

Please don’t travel to Italy and treat food like something we squeeze into the timeline if we have time.

We’re making time.

Eat breakfast. Stop for espresso. Order pasta. Have lunch at a rifugio. Get the tiramisu. Sit outside and stare at the mountains.

Some of my favorite moments with destination couples happen around a table when everyone finally slows down.

The cameras go down.

People start telling stories.

We laugh.

The day becomes real.

That’s part of your wedding too.

Hybrid Film, Photo + Super 8 Videographer in Italy

Check out these Super 8 Films from the Dolomites! As your Super 8 videographer AND elopement photographer, I’m there to capture all the nostalgic memories!

My Dolomites Elopement Philosophy for 2027

I don’t want to take you to the Dolomites just to photograph you standing in front of the Dolomites.

I want you to live here for a minute.

Wake up in the mountains.

Drink espresso while the peaks turn pink.

Eat lunch at a rifugio.

Ride bikes through alpine meadows.

Take your shoes off beside a lake.

Hear cowbells somewhere in the distance.

Get caught in an afternoon storm.

Fly through the mountains in a helicopter.

Eat pasta when you’re starving from being outside all day.

And somewhere inside all of that, get married.

That’s the difference between traveling somewhere beautiful for wedding photographs and actually having your wedding experience there.

Planning a Dolomites Elopement in August 2027?

Tell me whether you’re hikers or you’d rather ride in a helicopter. Tell me whether you want the iconic lake you’ve dreamed about for five years or somewhere you’ve never seen on Instagram. Tell me whether your perfect afternoon involves a six-mile hike or a two-hour lunch.

Then we’ll build from there.

We’re booking Dolomites elopements for the first two weeks of August 2027.

• Dolomites Elopement Photographer
• Lago di Braies Elopement at Sunrise
• Romantic Elopement at Tre Cime & Cadina di Misurina
• Surprise Proposal in the Dolomites, Italy
• Dreamy Morning Elopement at Seceda in the Dolomites