Michel and Heather sharing a kiss on the steps of an ornate carved stone fountain in a sunlit Taormina piazza, the bride holding a peach and white bouquet

A Real Wedding · September 2017

Michel & Heather

An intimate Taormina elopement — a civil ceremony for just the two of them at Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano, followed by portraits through the old town.

When

September 2017

Ceremony

Civil, just the two of them

Venue

Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano

Where

Taormina, Sicily

Their Story

Just the Two of Them in Taormina

Some couples dream not of a big celebration but of something quiet and completely their own. Michel and Heather came to Sicily in September 2017 to do exactly that — to elope, just the two of them, in the hilltop town of Taormina.

Their civil ceremony was held at Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano, a historic Taormina palazzo of arched stone and quiet, timeworn interiors. There were no rows of guests and no seating plan — only Michel, Heather and the words that made them husband and wife, in a room that has watched over the town for centuries.

A civil wedding in Italy is a legal marriage, and that means real paperwork, translations and timing to get right. We took care of all of it for them — preparing the documentation and arranging the witnesses the ceremony required — so that the two of them could simply arrive, relax and be married.

Michel and Heather laughing together during their civil ceremony inside Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano, framed by the palazzo’s weathered stone columns and rows of empty chairs behind them

A shared laugh during the ceremony, inside the historic palazzo.

Once they were married, the whole of Taormina became theirs to wander. Newly wed and in no hurry, Michel and Heather stepped out into the afternoon light — across the famous checkerboard piazza, past café tables and flower-filled corners, bouquet in hand and nowhere in particular to be.

This is the quiet luxury of eloping: no timeline to keep, no crowd to manage. Just the two of them, a photographer a few steps behind, and a beautiful old town glowing in the sun all around.

Michel and Heather walking hand in hand across the black and white checkerboard paving of Piazza IX Aprile in Taormina, Heather in a short white dress carrying a peach and white bouquet

Across Taormina’s famous checkerboard piazza, newly married.

Taormina rewards those who wander. Down a narrow, sun-warmed lane the couple stopped to greet a friendly local dog — the kind of small, unplanned moment that makes an elopement feel so personal — before the streets opened out to one of the town’s great views.

From a flower-draped terrace, the coastline and the unmistakable outline of Mount Etna stretched out far below. It is easy to see why couples fall in love with Taormina — and why it makes such a breathtaking backdrop for two people who have just promised each other everything.

Michel and Heather pausing in a narrow Taormina alley lined with terracotta-pink walls and ferns to pet a friendly tan dog that has come up to greet them, a blue doorway behind

A friendly hello in a quiet back lane of the old town.

Portraits & Moments

A Day for Two

Michel and Heather standing close together beneath an old brick archway in Taormina, Heather in a white dress holding a large white and peach rose bouquet, Michel in a dark checked suit with a burgundy tie

Michel and Heather on a Taormina terrace framed by bougainvillea, looking at each other with the Ionian coastline and the outline of Mount Etna in the hazy distance behind them

Under the arches, and above the bay with Etna beyond.

Just the Two of Them

A truly intimate elopement — no guest list, no seating plan, only Michel and Heather.

A Historic Palazzo

A civil ceremony inside Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano, a centuries-old Taormina palazzo.

Paperwork Handled

We prepared all the legal documentation for their civil marriage, and arranged their witnesses.

Old Town Portraits

Wandering Taormina after the vows — the checkerboard piazza, quiet lanes and sea-view terraces.

A historic palazzo, the two of them, and an afternoon wandering one of the most beautiful towns in Sicily — Michel and Heather’s elopement was proof that a wedding can be small and legally solid and utterly romantic, all at once.

Taking care of the paperwork and the witnesses so a couple can simply enjoy being married is one of our favourite things to do. An elopement like this one is a reminder that the day only ever needed to be about the two people saying yes. — Lina

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