Kristy + Andrew
val di funes, passo gardena, cadini di misurina, & lago di braies
When Kristy and Andrew contacted me, they told me they would be celebrating more than just their wedding; Kristy would also be coming straight from a triathlon in France. With Andrew as her number one supporter, they planned on making the drive out here the day after the race. I thought they were crazy, but I love having bad-ass clients, so I was ready to cheer her on via instagram as much as I could the few days before their elopement!
They wanted to choose a place that resonated with them in the Dolomites. After looking through my example galleries, they decided that all the places resonated with them. Hence why we ended up doing a 3 day elopement! Or, at least, that’s sort of why. We had actually planned it for two days, but with some sketchy weather and thanks to all of our flexibility, it ended up being 3. And it all started with their micro ceremony in Val di Funes, with Kristy's sister as the officiant, and parents as guests.
Created: April 27, 2024
Micro Wedding in Val di Funes during Sunset
Kristy, bride
"She seriously delivered EXACTLY what we wanted and everything we envisioned. I couldn’t have asked for anything more."
Why they chose this path
Kristy and Andrew truly wanted to elope, but Kristy's family desperately wanted to be a part of their celebration. So they decided to have the best of both worlds. They started out with their micro wedding in Val di Funes, where Kristy's sister, Heidi, officiated the ceremony. Beautiful words were said, but admittedly, most of the tears were from laughter. Heidi did an amazing job, and her relaxed, fun personality really came through in her words.
So here's where the two days turned into three. That ceremony was supposed to be at sunrise, but there was stormy weather, so we did sunset. That bumped our sunset photo shoot to the next day, which we were also skeptical about, due to more stormy clouds. Even though there had just been a crazy snow storm a few days before, we still continued on to our plan, and did that sunset photo shoot at Passo Gardena. We did get blasted by a little snow, and our fingers almost froze off, but it was worth it! Luckily, we could all be flexible in our plans to make this magic happen.
Elopement photos in passo gardena
Elopement Day
And finally, they got to have their elopement day, nearly exactly how they wanted it. Originally, we had planned to do Cadini di Misurina at sunrise and Lago di Braies at sunset, but since the day was pushed, we had to do Braies at lunchtime so they could drive to Venice after. It still all worked out swimmingly, and we had an absolutely beautiful sunrise. Being the athletes they are, they were well-prepared for the early morning hike, and brought their headlamps like I suggested.
If you're curious to learn more about eloping in the Dolomites, check out this Free Ultimate Guide on How To Elope in the Italian Dolomites.
After our sunrise shoot, we went back to their beautiful hotel for breakfast. They kindly asked me to join them, and I had a breakfast for royalty! Being a dirty vegan (I like to joke about it ;) ), they still had a ton of options for me, and it was all so good. They even had a matcha latte, which is something I can't find often over here!
But back to the important stuff. After breakfast, I got to shoot some of their wedding details, and they finally took a moment to write their vows in their booklets. Once we were all ready, we drove to Lago dir Braies. There, I guided them to a spot that doesn't normally have too many tourists at that time, and we found the perfect place to read them. They got their private moment that they wanted so badly, and they poured their hearts out to one another.
After, they had a small picnic to celebrate. Their hotel made them the cutest basket with so many goodies inside; it was perfect for the moment.
And that was it! We were done. We all felt so good about how well their elopement worked out in the end, and we chatted about how we can see each other again one day! Many of my clients end up becoming my friends, simply because we end up spending so much quality time together. And Kristy and Andrew said they already can't wait to do a vow renewal with me one day, and they're thinking Iceland. So TBD, look out for that in the future!
Details & Vows
"OMG!!!!! The photos are unreal, we literally cannot believe the way Shawna captured our elopement! 😍 We could not have imagined anything better. They are beyond our wildest expectations, and we can’t thank her enough!!!
She seriously delivered EXACTLY what we wanted and everything we envisioned. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Shawna is by far the best decision we could have made. She (and Harry, her husband) delivered the best experience for us all and helped beyond your typical role. We can’t thank them both enough for all they've done for us. From jumping in the car last minute to drive to us to be able to take advantage of the change in weather, to rearranging our whole itinerary as our plans changed. Her ability to adapt in the moment and be flexible with the plans was HUGE for us. We needed someone with exactly her personality and experience. Especially helping us find a way back to Venezia for my sister, and our bags, and dropping her off. That was a huge stress taken off our shoulders.
We’ve connected with Shawna so quickly, and we miss both her and Harry already. We can’t wait to plan another adventure with them and seriously would love to get them to come to Iceland with us. We had an absolute blast, even though we were both sleep-deprived. Andrew literally said, “this was worth freezing my ass off” 😂. We would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Shawna was the perfect photographer for us. We are so so glad we found her (and ranked her #1 from the start 🫶🏼)
We couldn’t have done it without you, Shawna!"
"We’ve connected with Shawna so quickly, and we miss both her and Harry already. We can’t wait to plan another adventure with them and seriously would love to get them to come to Iceland with us."
Full Testimonial
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