Summer brings all kinds of things, like light, heat, and people. But if you choose to elope, you may avoid most of the bothersome elements. You don’t have to worry about a huge, sweaty group of 150 guests or whether the buttercream cake is melting in the July sun.
You are just two individuals (or a group of close ones) doing something crazy, entering a season that brings unlimited light, warm skin, and pictures that will make your kids think you were rock stars. Let’s start with the best places to elope in summer
The blue skies and colorful, blossoming landscapes of summer make it the best time to combine your wedding and honeymoon into one amazing European trip. But where should you go?
As elopement planners who have helped hundreds of couples, we know that choosing the right place to get married during the busy summer season is important. You want to be close to someone while simultaneously being beautiful.
Here are the greatest summer elopement spots, along with real package details to help you start preparing. These are the places that brave couples are actually booking.
1. Santorini, Greece: The Famous Coastal Heat
You have discovered, if you desire beauty that is so exquisite it looks like a postcard. The Greek islands are blindingly white in the summer, the Aegean Sea is a bright blue, and the heat on the coast wraps around you like a warm blanket.
Santorini is on the cliffs of a volcanic caldera, which makes for a stunning, otherworldly view that doesn’t require any trekking. It is the best place to have a private, pleasant time. The greatest way to get married in Santorini is to have a morning ceremony because the heat in July and August can be crazy at noon. That early light is really addicting, and it lets you say your vows on a calm, sun-drenched patio in Oia before the cruise ship throng even wakes up.
- The Vibe: Mediterranean romance that is luxurious, famous, and easy.
- The Package: Santorini Elopement Package – Greece | Adventure Wedding (Starting at 2,150.00 USD) or Get married in Santorini | Wedding Package for Two (3,600.00 USD).
2. The Lofoten Islands in Norway: The Arctic Dreamscape
Norway is calling if your vision of the perfect summer doesn’t include hot beaches and instead includes rough, unspoiled wilderness. The Lofoten Islands are far above the Arctic Circle and feel like they are from another universe.
The Midnight Sun happens in Lofoten from June to August, which is summer. The sun rarely sets, so the sunset is slow and syrupy and lasts so long that you forget about time.
You can say your vows at 11:00 PM on a beautiful white beach or on a cliff with a view of a deep fjord and mountains rising straight from the sea behind you. It gives you a unique feeling of being alone, pure, and in the Arctic, with cute, colorful fishing cottages (the famous rorbuer) to relax in afterward.
- The vibe is remote and otherworldly, with infinite light and breathtaking mountain coasts.
- The Package: Get married in Norway | Intimate Destination Wedding (starting at $4,400) or Lofoten Wedding Elopement Norway (at $5,800.)
3. The Dolomites in Italy: The Wild Alpine Adventure
The Dolomites are in full flower throughout the summer. From June to September, the snow melts and reveals colorful alpine meadows. This is why it is one of the most popular places for elopements in Europe.
The Dolomites are where love and adrenaline meet for couples who like to be free. These sharp, craggy limestone summits are nothing like any other mountains in Europe. You can start your summer morning by hiking through wildflowers, being married at sunrise with a view of the famed Tre Cime di Lavaredo, or rowing a vintage wooden boat out on the famous blue waters of Lago di Braies. It has both rough, wild adventure and great Italian pasta after the hike.
- The Vibe: Thrills at high altitudes, craggy peaks, and reckless love.
- The Package: Lake Braies Elopement | Sunrise Adventure Wedding in the Dolomites for $2,850.00.
4. The Cliffside Romance on the Amalfi Coast in Italy
The Amalfi Coast is one of the best sites to experience the spirit of summer romance. If you want to see pastel-colored buildings clinging to the cliffs, smell lemon groves in the balmy air, and see the azure Mediterranean Sea for miles, here is the place for you.
The summer here is bright and brilliant. You can recite wedding vows in a historic, sun-drenched garden in Ravello or on a secret patio in Positano. We strongly suggest using the “Morning Pause” method because this is a very popular summer destination. Get up slowly, exchange intimate vows at sunrise to avoid the heat and visitors, and then enjoy the rest of the day sailing around the coast.
- The atmosphere is Mediterranean opulence, bright colors, and “Dolce Vita” style.
- The Package: Elope in Italy | Amalfi Coast Wedding Package for Two ($3,200.00 USD) lets you get married in Italy.
5. The Swiss Alps, Switzerland: A Fairytale in the Clouds
Switzerland is the best place to go if you desire summer warmth but also want the elegance of snow-capped peaks. From May to September, the weather is mild, and everything is in bloom.
The Lauterbrunnen Valley, which is known as the “Valley of 72 Waterfalls,” looks like a dream made up of glacial waterfalls and bright green meadows. The best thing about the Swiss Alps in the summer is how easy it is to get there.
You can say “I do” under huge cliffs, then take a smooth cable car up to Mürren, where you can see the Eiger and Jungfrau peaks in all their glory. It’s like being on top of the world without having to climb.
- The Vibe: Beautiful fantasy landscapes, lush green valleys, with easy access to the Alps.
- The Package: Swiss Alps Elopement | Switzerland | Adventure Wedding ($4,490.00 USD).
6. Iceland: The Land of Ice and Fire
The Northern Lights are famous in Iceland in the winter, but in the summer, the whole island is available for exploration. From June to September, the hard winter cold goes away, the days get longer, and the mossy lava fields turn a bright, shocking green.
In the summer, you may see a whole continent of backgrounds on just one island. You can make your vows next to big waterfalls like Skógafoss, on the famed black sand beach Reynisfjara, or at the base of a huge glacier.
The best time to book a specialized transportation service to get away from the main tourist area is during the summer when the roads are clear.
- The vibe is otherworldly, cinematic, rough, and raw.
- The Package: Glacier Elopement in Iceland with Private Jeep Tour or the Elope in Iceland | Reykjavik Wedding Package
How to Make It Through a Summer Elopement
You need to plan ahead for a summer elopement so that your day stays a private, relaxing celebration instead of a packed, sweltering tourist trap.
Enjoy the “Wedding-Moon” Combo
Summer is the best time to go on vacation. Instead of having two big expenses, your wedding at home and a trip abroad in the summer, combine them into one. The “Wedding-Moon” package is very popular. Your wedding day will flow right into your honeymoon if you get married in a place you want to visit anyhow. You only have to pay for one international airfare and one set of accommodations. This saves you money and lets you spend more on things like private chefs or boat rentals.
2. Hire local experts
To help you stay out of the way of the crowds. In the summer, the worst thing you can do is try to find your own location. Tourists come in the summer. When you book with Adventure Wedding, you will be put in touch with local elopement experts right away. Photographers in their area don’t guess; they shoot from memory. They know the quiet roads, the strange changes in the weather, and the hidden spots in Santorini or the Dolomites that visitors never find.
The Sunrise Plan
If you’re getting married in Greece or Italy in July or August, sunrise is your best buddy. It not only gives your pictures the best, most flattering, sugary light, but it also lets you see famous places in complete seclusion before the heat and throng approach.
Go for Your Summer Adventure
Your wedding day shouldn’t feel like a job you have to do; it should feel like a vacation you get to go on. Summer is the best time to write your love story, whether you prefer the midnight sun of Norway or the warm, coastal winds of the Amalfi Coast.
You don’t need a place to host 150 people; you only need a view for having a breathtaking ceremony. If you’re ready to leave the ballroom and go outside, let us help you plan it out.
Check out our carefully chosen experience. Wedding packages all around the world, get in touch with local specialists, and let’s start planning a summer experience that will stay with you forever.
