the
adventure elopement blog

by Shawna Rae Photography

Bride and groom after they got married at Lago di Braies

Planning an adventure wedding gives you total freedom to design an itinerary packed with incredible things to do on your elopement day. In fact, trading a traditional timeline for an unforgettable experience is the whole point of eloping. Because your wedding day should reflect what you actually love doing together, there are zero rules holding […]

Lago di Braies, one of the best places to Propose in Europe

I get a lot of people DMing me on instagram questions like, “Where would you go if you wanted to propose?” As an adventure elopement photographer and experience designer living at the foot of the Italian Dolomites, hand-picking the best places to propose in Europe is what I do. Now I finally have an article […]

Bride and groom dancing on Stokksnes beach in Iceland during their elopement

You’ve decided to elope in Iceland. Hell-freaking-YES. But let’s be real for a moment: you’re not the only ones. So let’s talk fire and ice, baby. Standing beside a thunderous 200-foot waterfall with glacial spray on your face hits completely differently than sitting in a stuffy golf clubhouse. In fact, discovering the best places to […]

Lago di Braies, one of the top places to elope in Europe

A bride emailed me a month ago with some location doubts. She had hired me to plan and photograph her elopement next year in the Dolomites. When she first emailed me and told me her plans, she sounded very excited, and everything aligned with a “typical” Dolomites elopement. But then this bride told me she […]

Bride and groom at Lago di Braies in autumn on moody day, one of the top places to elope in autumn

If you’ve been quietly dreaming of trading a sweaty 35°C summer wedding for crisp mountain air, glowing golden foliage, and cozy wool layers, welcome to the autumn elopement club. While summer gets all the hype, fall is secretly the ultimate cheat code for adventure elopements. The summer tourist crowds have packed up and gone home, […]

elopement vendor boathouse lago di braies with bride and groom standing on the dock

Ditching a 150-person wedding circus to elope on a cliffside or in a wild fjord doesn’t mean you’re stranded doing everything entirely on your own. Planning a 2027 elopement gives you total freedom to curate a dream team that fits your exact vibe; whether that’s an epic local crew or a super stripped-back team. To […]

Bride and groom on Ultimate Faroe Island elopement guide: how to elope on the Faroe Islands with Shawna Rae Photography

If your idea of a dream wedding day involves dramatic sea cliffs, ocean drop-offs, misty fog, more sheep than human beings, and zero tourist crowds, welcome home. You have officially found your holy grail. You want to know how to elope in the Faroe Islands, and I’m about to tell you what you need to […]

Mountain elopement in the Dolomites with bride and groom against sunset, wanting a cool summer elopement and to avoid heatwaves and fires

If your dream wedding vision involves crisp mountain air, dramatic coastlines, and fresh breezes instead of sweating through your outfit in 38°C (100°F) heat, you are not alone. Finding a cool summer elopement location can be daunting as summer heatwaves across North America, Southern Europe, and Asia get wilder every single year, making traditional summer […]

Husband and wide exchanging vows at Lago di Braies. The Ultimate Elopement Guide

If the thought of dropping $40k to feed dry chicken dinners to your mom’s college roommate gives you immediate hives, welcome. You are officially in the right place. Ditching the traditional wedding circus to run off to a mountain peak, a moody coastline, or a foreign city is the ultimate main character move. But learning […]

Bride and groom standing holding hands and facing each other with the Dolomites and setting sun in the background. This is a hecliopter elopement

If you want jaw-dropping mountain views without spending four hours sweating up a trail, planning a helicopter elopement is about as epic as it gets. Imagine stepping out onto an isolated alpine ridge or a glacier landing with zero crowds, the wind in your hair, and the world literally at your feet. Let’s address the […]

© Shawna Rae Photography 2026

shawna rae

photography