A wedding for two. Three extraordinary places in a single July morning. And a glass of champagne with the Tre Cime in view.
Ornella and Erasmo didn’t want a big celebration for their wedding day. They wanted it entirely to themselves – no guests, no expectations, no distractions. Just the two of them, their love and the Dolomites.
Because sometimes a great wedding doesn’t need a great crowd.
Their day began deep in the night, at 4:30. While everything outside was still and the mountains still lay in darkness, Viktoria prepared Ornella for this special morning – a quiet getting ready, a little excitement, and finally that first look at one another that no one can plan.
By 6:30 the Kron Air helicopter was already waiting. With the first rays of sun we lifted off and watched the valley grow smaller beneath us. Ahead of us lay a whole morning above the Dolomites – and three places that could hardly have been more different.
The first took us to a hidden mountain lake, the Lago di Sorapis. There, where the sky mirrored in the still water and not a sound could be heard, Ornella and Erasmo said their vows. No onlookers, no noise in the background. Only their voices, the mountains and that particular light of a July morning.
From there we flew on behind the Marmolada, to a small patch high in the mountains that no trail reaches. For a moment it seemed as if that whole place belonged to them alone.
Our last flight finally brought us to the Cadini di Misurina – the jagged peaks before us, the Tre Cime close enough to touch, and a small breakfast picnic in the middle of that unbelievable setting. And, of course, champagne – to toast what had just happened, and, at the end, as a little champagne shower high above the Dolomites.
Between their first look in the early morning and that last glass of champagne, the mountains belonged, for a few hours, to them alone.
By ten o’clock Ornella and Erasmo were back at the hotel. Married. And carrying a morning in their hearts they will most likely never forget.
As light and effortless as an elopement like this feels afterwards, that’s how much love goes into preparing it.
We scout the places in advance, plan the route and shape the whole morning around the most beautiful light. Because high up in the Dolomites it is often a few minutes that make the difference – when the sun crests a peak, when a mountain lake lies perfectly still, or when the first rays set the rock aglow.
At the same time, the mountains can never be planned completely – and for me that is part of their magic. The weather can turn, clouds can swallow a summit in minutes, and sunshine can suddenly become wind. So alongside a good plan you always need the freedom to let it go: a plan B, warm clothing and enough flexibility to follow the light and the mountains.
Above all, though, it takes people who together make sure the couple has nothing to worry about that morning. Planning and coordination were handled by Dolomites Wedding Planner, Viktoria Aichner was with Ornella for the getting ready, Kron Air flew us to these incredible places – and I got to capture with my camera how a slightly crazy idea became real.
A secret wedding. A July morning above the Dolomites. Two people who needed nothing but each other – and a little champagne to finish.
For a few hours, the mountains belonged to them alone.
Shall we plan your elopement too? We’d love to hear from you.
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