This Tuscany Elopement in Italy was a freaking dream! Ellie and Zac were such a fun and laid back couple who just wanted to embrace the adventure and scenery that filled their elopement day! I arrive at Hotel Villa La Palagina in the morning and went location scouting for some epic places to say their vows and to adventure around and to say the least it was very successful. We began their day at the Villa in Tuscany where they got ready and share their first look in a tunnel of trees. I mean, come on–it doesn’t get much better than that! Then, we hopped in the car together and drove around to some stunning locations where they got to enjoy each others company in the gorgeous Tuscany hills before they said their vows. We made it to the top of a hill overlooking vineyards and rolling hills where we caught a breathtaking sunset as they said their vows and ended the evening by drinking champagne in a vineyard under lights where they danced the night away!
Tuscany Elopement in Italy
Why did you decide to elope?
Elopement fits our personalities and relationship style. We’re not big into fancy ceremonies, but love our friends and family, so a private elopement followed by a BBQ back home is perfect for us. We’re excited to celebrate our love in such an intimate way.
How did you two meet?
We met in highschool, and are pretty sure our sophomore trigonometry teacher seated us next to each other a few times on purpose! Zac was very shy, but Ellie went after the smart cutie. We went on to attend UW-Madison together, then moved in with each other in Milwaukee after graduation. We celebrated 8 years together in January.
How did you get proposed to?
Zac proposed to Ellie at a Wisconsin state park with our dog, Blue. We both have deep roots in Wisconsin, and love hiking and the outdoors, so the Wisconsin state park was perfect. Zac had been hiding the ring for four months! Ellie suspected it was coming, because a month prior, she had asked to grab something out of Zac’s lock box and he wouldn’t let her in.
What was your favorite moment of your Tuscany Elopement in Italy?
Our vows were my favorite moment. We had an amazing day leading up to our sunset ceremony, and there were so many emotions. The entire day was filled with laughter and love, but when we shared our vows and expressed our feelings, the tears came so quickly! The amazing view of the sunset over the Tuscan countryside added to the magic of the moment.
Describe your elopement day in Italy in your own words.
Our day was full of beauty, adventure, laughter and love. There was no stress, and the simplicity of the day allowed us to focus on each other.
We started the day exploring the area surrounding the villa with Courtney, scoping out places to take pictures and share our vows. We shared lunch, and then left plenty of time to get ready for our event. We started with beautiful pictures, popped champagne, shared our vows overlooking the hillside at sunset, and ended the night with dancing under the lights of the vineyard and an almost-full moon. We ended the evening with wine, dinner and dessert at the villa restaurant, still soaking up the love from the day.
What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be or to someone considering eloping?
You’ll never please everyone, but you will remember how the day made you feel for the rest of your life. Do what is right for YOU!
We were excited to elope, but wanted to be able to share our day with our loved ones, and Courtney’s photography allowed us to do just that.
One friend commented, “Usually when I go to weddings, I’m anxious about the money I’m spending, what I’m wearing, and being around so many people I don’t know. On your elopement day, I felt nothing but happiness and excitement for you.”
Once our photos came from Courtney, another friend commented, “I love that I can see your wedding through them.”
We received so much support from loved ones who understand that elopement was best for us. To hear that our friends were excited for us and still felt they could experience our day through our photos — we would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
What was it like working with me?
Planning for our day and the day itself would have been completely different without Courtney. We only knew that we wanted to share our vows in the Tuscan countryside and have beautiful photos, and Courtney planned the perfect agenda for that to happen. She coordinated our timing around sunset, and not only were the photos breathtaking, but the actual evening was too. I remember looking out over the vineyards as the sun set, the view becoming more and more stunning by the minute.
Courtney also helped to remember everything we needed on our day — she came with me to get my dress pressed after some travel wrinkles, she ran to the kitchen to grab the bucket of champagne the villa prepared, and she drove us everywhere on our adventure because we weren’t as comfortable driving our little manual rental car! The result was a feeling of total calm and happiness.
Courtney helped us to turn our dreams into reality, and we hardly had to do a thing. She allowed us to be in control of our day but gently took all of our wants and needs into consideration while making everything happen.
Tuscany Elopement
My goal for every couple I work with is to be more than just a photographer. I am here to help guide you through planning your dream elopement and to help in any way that I possibly can! I will help location scout for you so you can pick the absolute perfect place to say your vows. I will help create the perfect timeline so that you can be stress-free and enjoy every moment of your day. Being stressed out on your day is definitely NOT what I want for you. So, I am here to fix that! Most of all, I will be by your side every step of the way and I will be your friend and support. I have been a part of many elopements so I can guide you on how to plan your dream destination elopement! If you’re searching for a destination elopement photographer I would absolutely love to hear your vision for day and would be so flipping stoked to document your day! You can contact me >HERE< and I am so excited to hear from you! In the meantime check out the guide on How to Plan a Destination Elopement!
Keep scrolling to see the full adventure of this Tuscany Elopement in Italy!
Check out these related blog posts!
11 Common Questions About Eloping Answered!
10 Tips for Planning an Adventure Elopement
3 Reasons Eloping is Better Than a Traditional Wedding
You captured their day perfectly!! The landscape, the emotion – stunning!!!! Congrats Ellie + Zac!!!
LOVE the little interview you shared and obsessed with those vibrant greens!
Man, what an absolutely incredible day. I love that you shared their story and perspective of their day!! I’m also 100% obsessed with the images of them reading their vows while overlooking the vineyard. So breathtaking!
Oh my god, what an absolutely beautiful Tuscany elopement! Gorgeous location, gorgeous couple, love the moon!
You have SUCH a consistent editing style even in varying lighting situations. It’s so lovely! Great job on these photos, they look so sweet and in love.
This series is just breathtaking. I love the way you used the landscape in the compositions. This couple must be beyond thrilled!
I will never get over the rolling hills in Tuscany!! I’m sure it was a dream to photograph this elopement 🙂
Oh my the photographs in the vineyard are my favourite! What a gorgeous Tuscany elopement!