How Many Hours Should You Hire An Elopement Photographer For?

An elopement photographer’s guide to your intimate celebration in Italy

It is natural for an engaged couple to make a first plan of the day and then inquire with me, as an elopement photographer in Venice and all of Italy. They will come with an idea of what they consider to be enough time to capture their elopement. And the estimate is usually between 2 and 4 hours. This idea is not necessarily determined by the cost: sometimes you just don’t know what to do all day. You have never eloped before, you don’t know anybody who did, so you are not sure where to start.

Having photographed hundreds of couples, I have a specific insight on what makes for a magical, unforgettable elopement. The elopements I photograph always include 6 hours or more. And you might be wondering how can a just-the-two-of-you wedding possibly last all day long. There are many reasons.

If you’re planning a cool, stylish and adventurous elopement in your dream location, fulfilling your every wedding wish, it is not difficult for the elopement to fill a whole day, or even two.

Most of the times the elopement planning starts with eliminating whatever feels like a wedding tradition. You may think: no guests, no party, no huge dinner, no decorations… And you get stuck in eliminating elements, instead of focusing on what you want to add, what you truly desire. Is it a fabulous designer dress? (Even if nobody is there to compliment you, except you partner). Or maybe you think it is not worth it to do something expensive and luxurious, if nobody is there to see it. Isn’t that funny? If you really think about it, you actually might want to have a truly adventurous, unique, luxury experience, because it is just for you two. You don’t have to satisfy anyone’s needs, but yours.

Why hire a photographer all day for your elopement

An elopement is a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience, of course, but it has an extra layer of magic. You’ll be creating a story to tell your friends, family, children and grandchildren. This is a day you will cherish so much down the road, and those memories are just irreplaceable.

Traditional weddings usually take up a whole day, more than 12 hours. During that time, as a wedding photographer, I am documenting the getting ready, the first looks, the couple portraits. Then the ceremony, the dinner, the after-party. But I am also photographing all of the relationships of love and family that connects the guests to the couple.

As a photographer, I am documenting an entire life story. This is true for weddings as well as for elopements. Your elopement day, is the day you get to tell your love story, and there is no need to rush that.

You might think that you only need a photographer for the ceremony and a few shots before the reception. But you already know that a wedding photographer is not there to provide mere evidence of your wedding day, as if it was any other day. As your elopement photographer in Italy, I will give your day the importance it deserves.

How do elopements last that long? Timeline ideas for your elopement in Italy

Image you are eloping in Venice, Italy. That story begins with the getting dressed, but also with the excitement, and the anticipation. You will make your way to the ceremony, and exchange vows. You might cry, laugh, and you will surely kiss for the first time as a married couple. After the ceremony, we will go around the city to find the most beautiful locations for couple portraits. I will pose you to get your best side and be sure that you are going to love what you see. But I am never focused on the beautiful portrait alone: I want to capture all the feelings you are feeling in the moment. Your story is in the candid photos that you didn’t even notice being taken.

It is a day to savor and embrace. Elopements are exactly the adventure you’ve always dreamed of for your wedding day. Which is why when you look at my elopement collections, you will not see a 2 or 3-hour option.
To me, your entire story deserves to be told, not packed into a short little window.

You are in a magical location, Venice, far away from home, and you want to take advantage of that as much as possible.

Having a photographer from sunrise to sunset not only means capturing the full story of your love story, but catching the day as it naturally changes.

You will be able to breathe the chilly air of dawn in the most perfect silence in Piazza San Marco. You will see the sun setting on the lagoon, bathing the most iconic monuments of Venice in a warm light, while you taste all the best Italian food with a private chef, and your husband or wife by your side.

That does not mean you should consider your elopement to be just a full day photoshoot. In many cases, your day is about having private, meaningful time away from family and friends, so you can focus on each other and your vows. A professional, sensitive photographer knows when to leave you alone, and shoot beautiful photos from afar, and when to come up close and shoot the more posed shots.

A longer day means a greater variety in the photographs, and a stress free day, filled with fun and organic romance.

Your elopement is not just a photoshoot in Italy: it is the first adventure of your married life together

For some, that will mean an exclusive private tour of a world renowned museum, and a boat ride to explore all of the Venetian lagoon and the most secluded islands, for others it might mean waking up in a luxury Dolomites hut to catch the morning light. Each choice and each step of your day is part of your story, the memory of which you keep for years to come.

Your elopement day is so important. Beyond the essential importance of a photographic documentation of your elopement, the added value of having me by your side is the guidance and the knowledge of the city that I am able to share with you. I will show you what I know, and let you in on some local secrets. As an elopement photographer in Italy, and as a local in Venice, I am there to satisfy your curiosity and give you a glimpse of what the real Venice is really about (a fun, glamorous and unique city!).

The region around Venice is also incredibly rich in history, stunning landscapes, luxurious and unexpected experiences.

The region of Veneto includes the city of Verona, the Palladio Villas of Vicenza, the Botanical Gardens of Padua, Cortina and the Dolomites, Treviso and the Prosecco Hills, all UNESCO Heritage sites. Everything within a 2 hour drive from Venice. Here is the reason why it is so easy to start with a couple of hours coverage in mind, and ending up having a two days elopement! As an elopement and wedding photographer in Venice, I want to offer all of it, all of the magic I know will make your heart warm and your refined, art loving spirit feel at home.

I am there to tell your story, and create visual poetry that feels like you.