Most international couples choose a symbolic ceremony in Italy, which requires no legal paperwork here — you complete the legal marriage in your home country before or after. Civil ceremonies for foreigners are also possible but involve more lead time and bureaucracy. I can walk you through what makes sense for your situation and introduce you to trusted local officiants.

In my honest experience — almost always, yes. The best moments of an elopement rarely happen in the first hour. Once you stop feeling self-conscious, once you’ve wandered a bit, once the light shifts — that’s when the images become extraordinary. I’ll always be truthful with you about what will give you the best day and the best photographs.

This is one of my favourite parts of the process. I’ll ask you what matters to you — architecture or nature, the sea or the mountains, a city morning or a countryside afternoon — and suggest locations that genuinely fit. Most couples arrive with a vague idea and leave our first call with a clear vision.

I’m Italian and based in Venice — I’m not visiting. I have a cinema background as a Director of Photography, which means I think about every frame the way a film director would. I take a limited number of elopements each year so I can be genuinely present and dedicated. And I offer real planning — I help design the day from scratch, handle logistics, and connect you with vendors I trust personally.

I don’t personally film, but I work with a small number of trusted videographers whose aesthetic matches mine. Videography can be added to any collection — mention it when you inquire and I’ll make the introduction.

For peak season (April–October), I recommend 6–12 months ahead — especially for Venice and Lake Como. That said, I occasionally have last-minute openings. If your date is soon, always worth reaching out.

Absolutely. Multi-day elopements — a full weekend in Venice, a road trip through Tuscany, a sunrise in the Dolomites followed by dinner on Lake Como — are some of the most beautiful work I do. Contact me and we’ll build something fully bespoke.

Natural light, editorial composition, genuine emotion. Warm, luminous, and true to how the moment felt — never over-edited, never flat. You can see the full body of my work at camillam.it/portfolio.

Absolutely — an elopement doesn’t have to mean just the two of you. Many of my couples bring their parents, a sibling, or their closest friends. Up to about ten people keeps the day feeling genuinely intimate; beyond that it starts to become something closer to a micro-wedding, which I also photograph. Tell me how many people you’re imagining and I’ll design the day accordingly — the locations, the ceremony setup, and the flow all change slightly with guests, and I’ll make sure everything works beautifully.

Completely and wholeheartedly. All couples are celebrated here without reservation. Italy legally recognises same-sex civil unions, and symbolic ceremonies can be designed for any couple in any configuration. I work with officiants who feel the same way I do.

I always have a plan B ready before your day begins — an indoor location, a covered terrace, a change of route — so that rain never becomes a crisis. Honestly, some of my most extraordinary images have been made on overcast or rainy days. The light is softer, the colours are richer, and the mood is something that bright sunshine simply doesn’t produce. I’ll never ask you to be disappointed about weather. I’ll ask you to trust me, and I’ll show you what it can look like.

Not when you work with me. The planning — locations, timeline, vendor coordination, ceremony setup, accommodation guidance — is fully included in every collection. I am your photographer and your planning consultant in one. This is specifically how I work, and it is one of the things that makes an elopement with me different from hiring a photographer who simply shows up on the day. The only thing I don’t do is legal paperwork for legal weddings in Italy: I will refer you to a planner who can take care of that.

My honest answer: late April through May, and September through October. These are the months when the light is at its most beautiful, the crowds are manageable, and the temperature is comfortable for wearing a dress or a suit all day. Summer is extraordinary at sunrise but requires very early starts to avoid the heat and the crowds. Winter is atmospheric and intimate and severely underrated. Every season has something extraordinary to offer — I’ll give you a specific recommendation once I know your destination and your vision.

Fill in the contact form or send me an email with a little about yourselves and your vision — even if it’s still vague. I reply personally within 48 hours and we schedule a free video call, usually 30–45 minutes. On that call I’ll ask you questions, answer yours, and we’ll figure out together whether we’re the right match. If we decide to move forward, I’ll send a proposal and a contract. A deposit secures your date.

Yes — and I recommend it. A pre-wedding portrait session the day before does two things: it gives you a chance to get comfortable in front of my camera before the most important day, and it gives us a set of images in a different location or a different light to add to your Italy story. Many of my couples do a late afternoon session in Venice or a morning in Florence the day before their elopement and arrive on the day itself already relaxed and at ease.

Italy is where I am most at home and where I do my best work — it is the country I know most deeply and where I can offer the full planning and local knowledge service that makes my elopements different. I have photographed in Scotland, France, Japan, and more. I am occasionally available for international travel; contact me and I’ll let you know honestly whether it makes sense.

I define an elopement as any wedding day that is built around the couple rather than the guests — where the priority is your experience, your emotion, and your day, rather than the logistics of hosting a large celebration. It can be just the two of you, or it can include the people who matter most. It can have a ceremony or just portraits. It can last four hours or four days. If you’re drawn to something intimate, personal, and entirely yours — in Italy — then we are talking about the same thing, whatever you call it.