Lago di Braies Micro-Wedding

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Carine & Pierre wanted their families to be a part of their elopement in the Dolomites. The chose to have a sunrise first look on the dock of the boathouse at Lago di Braies, with their families watching from the upper deck.

After taking a short boat ride on the lake, they let their families explore and take a boat ride, while they talk a walk with me around the lake.

After spending a couple of hours at the lake, they all headed up to a second spot higher on the mountain, for their family ceremony.

Can You Get Married At Lago di Braies?

If you’re hoping for a legal wedding ceremony, unfortunately this isn’t possible at Lago di Braies. If you’re happy to have a symbolic ceremony, you can do it here, but you might not want to if you don’t want an audience.

However, as a local photographer to the Dolomites, I no longer take couples to Lago di Braies. After years of working there, I’ve seen the experience that couples have there really start to suffer. Sure, the photos look pretty, but generally speaking, it’s stressful for the couple, for the following reasons:

• They often aren’t the only couple there in wedding clothes (I’ve seen multiple couples a day there)
  
• The crowds make it hard to have private moments
  
• Many people will shout and cheer, which is well meaning, but if you don’t like being the centre of attention, you’ll hate it here
  
• Other photographers and tourists can actually be aggressive and shout at you if you’re taking too long to take pictures in one spot if they want to take pictures there too
  
• I care about sustainability, and going somewhere that is suffering from over-tourism is contributing to the problem.

Tips For Getting Married At Lago Di Braies (if you decide to go ahead with it)

Have Your Ceremony Elsewhere

If you want to have your wedding photos at Lago di Braies, I recommend finding a more private spot elsewhere for your ceremony and vows.

Go Early Or Late, Midweek and Out Of Season

Get to the lake around sunrise or sunset to avoid the biggest crowds. There will still be people around, but the huge coaches full of people usually come between 9am and 5pm. Before and after these times, it’s only private travellers

Weekends and July to September are high season in the Dolomites and literally EVERYWHERE is busy. Lago di Braies is the most popular spot of all, so it gets busier than most locations.

Book The Boathouse

The only real way to guarantee some amount of privacy is to book the sunrise private experience at the boathouse. This gives you 1.5 hours of exclusive private use before they open to the public.

Check Access Restrictions

Because the lake is suffering from over-tourism, the local authorities have started to impose restrictions. Between July and September, this means you can’t just drive up to the lake any time you like. Unless you arrive before 9am or have a reservation, you’ll need to park at the valley entrance and take a bus there.

You can find more details about planning a wedding at Lago di Braies here:

Credits:

Photographer: Wild Connections Photography
Hair & Makeup: Ulli Thomaseth
Flowers: Atelier Aimer
Dress: Else Gary
Suit: Tailor Trucks
Hotel: Gailerhof Hotel B&B Superior