Caitlyn & John’s Story:

Elopements are just like life – true beauty is found when you embrace both the highs and lows of the journey.

Caitlyn and John dreamed of starting their marriage in an intimate way, surrounded by nature and their closest loved ones. While planning a mountain wedding in the USA, they faced unexpected challenges, but they remained determined to have their dream elopement and we remained determined to help them make it happen. 

Inspired by their love of mountains, we suggested the Dolomites in Italy—a breathtaking alpine paradise. They loved the idea and turned their elopement into an unforgettable family adventure, exploring Italy with their 4-year-old son and parents!

Their journey up until this point was already about taking what life throws at you and making the most of it, and you’ll see that every part of their elopement itself continued that theme!

Their Italian Dolomites Elopement

Day 1: Heartfelt letters, rowboats & a change of plans

The day began before sunrise, with Caitlyn and John getting ready in separate hotel rooms. John took a quiet moment to write out his vows, while Caitlyn slipped into her stunning Rue de Seine dress and read heartfelt letters written by her best friends after her mother styled her hair. 

John’s childhood was filled with family boating trips and that grew into a lifelong passion for the water, so we knew we had to take them to Lago di Braies and have them explore the stunning alpine lake on these charming wooden rowboats. The early morning mist and light rain created a magical setting as John beamed with joy during their first look.

The weather was beautifully moody as they shared quiet moments together on a rowboat with the lake entirely to themselves. Their boat was number 12, which happens to be their favorite number and their wedding date! (The first of many amazing coincidences!) 

By the time we left the lake, the entire Dolomites was becoming covered in heavy rain, lightning, and below freezing temperatures making it impossible to proceed with the rest of the elopement plans. After some cozy time in a café, we decided to re-schedule most of the day’s plans to tomorrow.
We tried our favorite backup location, but the freezing temperatures were too much for everyone, so we confirmed our plans to meet up tomorrow and parted ways. We all continued to embrace the journey and make the most of it – and it turned out better than we could have dreamed!

Day 2: A ceremony surrounded by family & the Dolomites peaks

We began the day at a gorgeous alpine meadow blanketed with wildflowers that we had scouted the day before, fulfilling a dream that Caitlyn had always envisioned for her wedding! By embracing the adventure and adjusting our plans, we ended up at the perfect ceremony location. With their son as their ring bearer, Caitlyn’s father officiated an emotional ceremony filled with tears and laughter. We took family photos then before our next location we made a quick stop to fulfill another of Caitlyn’s wedding dreams: cows! She loves cows and so we had to take her to a beautiful pasture to visit some alpine cows. 

One of the main reasons Caitlyn and John came to the Dolomites was to see a specific group of mountains that looked straight out of a fantasy book, with their jagged shape and otherworldly beauty. We were filled with nervous excitement, hoping that the weather would allow us to see the view and take one photo in particular. 

Their breath was taken away through the whole hike as the incredible view of the mountains became clearer and clearer, with 360-degree mountain views, everywhere we looked was breathtaking! And to show once again that this was all meant to be, someone had arranged a pile of rocks along the trail into a heart formation with C+J inside of it. This was such a blessing from God, and Caitlyn couldn’t help but cry with joy.

The mountain clouds were kind enough to stay back and allow us to get “the shot” of Caitlyn and John standing on the viewpoint with the jaw-dropping Cadini mountains behind them. It’s one of our favorite photos we’ve ever taken.

And there was still one more unexpected blessing in store…

As we started to head back, a friendly Italian couple approached, congratulating them on their marriage and sharing that THEY also got married on this exact same mountain over 30 years ago! Even more serendipitous, they happened to have champagne and (despite the fact that it was just the two of them) exactly four glasses! Toasting with the couple, Caitlyn and John celebrated not only this spectacular day, but also the timeless sense of connection they now have to this enchanting mountain range.

Helping Caitlyn and John through their entire journey and documenting their experience with our elopement photography gave us so much joy! Their story reminds us of why we always encourage our couples to embrace the unexpected, because within it lies the greatest adventures.