Stargazing During Your Elopement
Why Stargazing Can Be the Most Magical Part of Your Elopement
Not every elopement includes stargazing – but when the clouds part and the night stretches open above you, it can be one of the most quietly powerful moments of the whole experience.
Stargazing asks for stillness. It invites presence. It doesn’t rush, or try to impress. And maybe that’s why it holds so much meaning – because in the middle of a day shaped by movement, emotion, and terrain, it offers a different kind of rhythm. One that lets you breathe. One that lets the awe in slowly.
Where to See Stars During Your Elopement
Some couples come to me with this specific hope – to include stargazing in their elopement story. And while we can never guarantee what the sky will do, we can give it the best chance.
The key is getting far from light pollution – away from villages, ski stations, or busy roads.
Each landscape shapes your experience in its own way, creating moments that feel both intensely personal and connected to something larger than ourselves.
Iceland’s Celestial Canvas
In Iceland, the vast interior or quiet southern coast offers night skies like nowhere else on earth. Here, the surreal, wind-shaped openness creates the perfect backdrop for stars that seem close enough to touch.
The Dolomites’ Mountain Majesty
In the Dolomites, you might find yourself tucked between peaks that rise like ancient sentinels. These wild silhouettes and sheltering stone formations frame the night sky in a way that feels both intimate and expansive.
Switzerland’s Alpine Serenity
In Switzerland, venturing into a clearing deep in the Alps rewards you with crisp air and forest-framed stillness beneath the stars. Hidden valleys and remote mountain passes offer perfect sanctuaries for stargazing, where the night feels both vast and intimate.
When Stargazing Happens on Your Elopement Day
Stargazing doesn’t always need its own headline in the timeline – it often exists in the quiet in-betweens.
It might be:
• After the elopement day but before celebrating with the first sunrise as a married couple
• In the silence between a golden-hour first look and a vow exchange at dawn
• Any other night during a multi-day elopement adventure
These are the breath-catching, whisper-soft moments where the sky feels close and your connection even closer.
How I Photograph Stargazing With Presence and Care
Creating stargazing portraits is an intentional, unhurried process. We usually need about 10 minutes for one good image – so it’s cold, it’s slow, and it’s worth it.
I carefully study not only the sunrise and sunset times as well as the weather, but also the moonrise and moonset to determine the optimal time for stargazing during your elopement. This attention to celestial details helps us find those perfect moments when the stars shine brightest against the night sky.
You’ll be bundled up in layers. When it’s time to take the photo, you might pull off a coat for a few seconds, hold each other close, and stay still just long enough for the stars to etch themselves into the frame.
What I love most? While I’m setting up, you’re already in it – quietly watching the sky shift, sharing the stillness. The stars don’t perform, but they do show up, every time, in their own way.
Tips for Including Stargazing in Your Elopement
Layer up. Nights can get cold, especially in the Alps or Iceland, even in summer. We’ll shoot in short bursts, so you can warm up in between.
Plan to stay still. Stargazing photos require long exposures – so you’ll need to be still (and cozy) for a few seconds at a time.
Trust the process. Sometimes the stars come out unexpectedly. Sometimes they don’t. But even without them, the night has something to offer.
Let it be a moment, not a goal. The best star-filled memories come when you’re not chasing a photo – you’re just there, sharing it together.
A Love Story Written in the Sky
You don’t need to hike for hours in the dark or map constellations to include stargazing in your elopement. You just need to be willing to slow down and look up – together.
The stars are always there. Quiet, ancient, and steady. Bearing witness as you begin something entirely your own.
Ready to explore how stargazing might become part of your elopement story? Reach out and let’s talk about creating space for these quiet, awe-filled moments in your day.
