After meeting abroad, Ashton and Brian knew having your traditional wedding wasn’t their cup of tea, so a destination elopement was an easy decision. The couple met in 2010, while studying through AIFS and immediately fell in love. After getting engaged, the bride and groom set their heart out to get married in the place where their lives changed. What better place than Rome. The city of visible history, the city of soul, and the leader of all landscape illusions. It’s safe to say this destination fits perfectly.

The couple decided on Rome, Italy for their elopement destination wedding, which was inspired from when they first encountered one another. “Brian and I wanted to combine an elopement with an epic honeymoon,” Ashton said. “And what a better place to get married than the place where we met.”

When it came to planning their special day, the couple left most of the preparations to wedding planner Deborah Taliani of Just Get Married in Italy, and extra help from their photographer, Peggy Picot.

“It was truly a team effort from our wonderful vendors since they knew the area and the wedding market best,” Ashton said. “Peggy, our photographer, recommended my makeup artist, Janita (she was amazing!) and Deborah Taliani made the planning process incredibly smooth – she secured the location, chauffeur, and even my bouquet based on photos I sent her.”

On the day of the wedding, the couple exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony shared with their marriage officiant. The couple chose to have pizza after their ceremony, instead of having your typical reception with family and friends. Though friends and family were not in attendance, the bride and groom were able to capture their special moment through photos to share with them.

Ultimately, Ashton and Brian got everything they could’ve asked for and more when it came to their elopement destination wedding. Looking back, the couple says they made the best decision choosing Rome for their destination wedding, and they leave other couples with this bit of wisdom.

“For a destination wedding (and especially an elopement), I would recommend prioritizing the search for your photographer. Since we were eloping, we wanted to be able to share great photos with our family and friends, as well as capture the grandeur of the location we chose. I fell in love with Peggy’s website and portfolio, and the fact that she responded so quickly to my emails/questions made us feel so much more at ease with our decision to do a destination wedding.”

Vendors: Photographer: Peggy Picot/Maison Pestea; Wedding Planner: Deborah Taliani; Celebrant: Wedding Celebrant in Italy; Ceremony/Reception Site: Capitoline Hill overlooking the Roman Forum; Hair & Makeup: Janita Helova; Gown Designer: Jenny Yoo; Groom’s Clothing Designer: 9Tailors; Accomodations: Hotel Baglioni Regina