More and more couples write to us with a short, slightly nervous message: we don't want a big wedding, we just want to get married in Italy, the two of us. Sometimes with parents, sometimes with two friends as witnesses. To elope in Italy is one of the most romantic things you can do, and it's much easier to organize than a full wedding.

Legal or symbolic?

You can marry legally in Italy, with a civil ceremony at the town hall or in an authorized venue, or with a Catholic ceremony. It requires documents from your home country and a few weeks of preparation, which we explain in our guide to getting married in Italy as a foreigner. Many eloping couples prefer to marry legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony in Italy: no paperwork, and complete freedom on the time and place.

Where to elope in Italy

Rome is our home and one of the most beautiful places in the world to elope: a ceremony at sunrise, portraits in empty piazzas, lunch in a trattoria. See our elopements in Rome.

Lake Como for a villa, a boat and the mountains. Tuscany for a cypress road and a long lunch in a vineyard. The Amalfi Coast for a terrace above the sea. We work in all of them: see Lake Como, Florence and the Amalfi Coast.

How long should the photographs last?

• Two to three hours for the ceremony and portraits in one or two places.
• Four to six hours to include getting ready, the ceremony, portraits around the city or the countryside and a celebratory dinner.
• A full day if you want to move between places, like a ceremony in the city and sunset by the sea.

Permits and public places

Photographing a couple in a piazza is normally not a problem. Setting up a ceremony with chairs, flowers and a celebrant in a public space is different, and may require permission from the town. Drones need authorization everywhere. A local planner or photographer will tell you what's possible in each place, and the answer is often a beautiful private garden or terrace nearby.

Timing is everything

In the big cities the best hours are early morning, when the streets are empty, and the hour before sunset, when the light turns warm. In summer we often start at sunrise in Rome, stop for breakfast and a rest, and meet again in the evening. It sounds tiring, and it's the most beautiful day you can imagine.

Make it yours

• Write your own vows. Without an audience, people say the most beautiful things.
• Book a dinner for two, or for six, somewhere special.
• Bring someone to film it, even just a short film. You'll want to hear your voices again.
• Leave space for nothing: a walk, a coffee, a moment on a bench. Those become the best pictures.

If you're thinking about eloping in Italy, write to us. Tell us where you'd like to say yes, and we'll help you shape the day around the light.