A Quiet Elopement in Florence with a New Zealand Couple | Italy Destination Wedding Photographer NZ Couples

Eli and Abby have known each other almost their entire lives.

They met when they were seven years old, growing up side by side, attending the same school until adulthood, part of the same circle of friends. For years, their bond was rooted in friendship, laughter and a quiet sense of comfort that never left them.

After university, life brought them together once again. They both moved to Los Angeles during the same summer, and in a city as vast as LA, they found familiarity in one another. Coffee dates, concerts, conversations, moments that felt natural and unforced. Something shifted. They tried, gently, to protect the friendship they had always known, until it became clear that what they were experiencing had already grown into love. They have been together ever since. Eleven years and counting.

Marriage was not something Abby had always imagined for herself. Their life together already felt complete. And yet, when Eli proposed last July, it felt deeply right. Not as a declaration, but as a pause. A moment to acknowledge, honour and celebrate what they had built over a lifetime.

Both Abby and Eli work in fields centred around care, presence and mental health. Abby is a trained therapist and now runs a boutique lodge in New Zealand, while Eli works as a data analyst supporting mental health organisations, alongside helping with their shared business. Their days are often spent holding space for others. Their wedding became an opportunity to hold space for themselves.

Their connection was not defined by a single moment, but by years of growing together. Abby has always admired Eli’s intelligence, humour and curiosity, but most of all his joy. He brings light into the spaces he enters and offers a sense of safety that has been constant for nearly a lifetime. Their love feels grounded, calm and deeply lived-in.

When imagining their wedding, they knew immediately what they did not want. A large, traditional celebration never felt aligned with who they are. Instead, they chose intimacy. A quiet elopement. A way of honouring their relationship without noise or expectation.

They envisioned a day that felt true to them. A day spent slowly, exploring a city together, walking hand in hand, stopping for coffee, observing life unfold around them. Florence became part of the experience, not just a backdrop, but a living presence. Light, movement, moments in between. Thoughtfully planned, so that everything could feel organic and unhurried. More than anything, they wanted the day to feel like a holiday, a gift to themselves.

Neither Eli nor Abby enjoys being the centre of attention. By choosing an intimate elopement in Florence, they could focus entirely on each other, creating space for connection, presence and ease.

They were drawn to a garden setting with a view, something open and quiet. With the guidance of their wedding planner, they found Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo, a place that allowed the day to unfold naturally. What mattered most was not the location itself, but the moments created within it.

Their wish for photography was simple and intentional. Portraits and close-ups, Florence as a main character, candid moments, details, gestures, pauses. This would likely be the only time they would be photographed professionally, and they wanted the images to hold memory rather than performance.

A glimpse of real moments.

Slices of life.

Connection with each other, with the city, with the environment.

They were drawn to a photographic approach that felt honest and unforced. Photography that observes rather than directs. Images that allow the feeling of the day to live on, long after the moment has passed.

Their elopement in Florence became exactly that. A quiet celebration. A shared pause. A day lived slowly, together.