How Much Does It Cost to Elope in Europe from Australia? Real Costs
What one of our 2026 couples actually spent
These are real costs that one of our 2026 couples sent us. It lists out everything they spent on their elopement in France, and said we could share it. Nothing here is an estimate and hopefully this can help you plan your budget for a Europe elopement.
They flew from Brisbane to Paris, drove south, and married at their Airbnb in a small village in the south of France. Here's their spend, in Australian dollars.
Return flights, Brisbane to Paris, two people: $4,000. About $2,000 each, with Singapore Airlines.
Airbnb, 4 nights: $2,000. They held the ceremony there and took most of their photos there too.
Dress: $1,300.
Suit: $500.
Flowers: $200. A bouquet plus flowers to decorate the house, from a local florist at a market.
Private chef: $600. Including $200 for the chef's travel from Marseille.
Hire car, 5 days, full insurance: $650. "Driving in France can be really full on, so I would definitely get the full insurance."
Road tolls: $160. On the 7-hour drive from Paris. "The one that surprised us the most."
Rings: $0. Family heirlooms.
Photographer, celebrant and musician: $10,000. "This is so affordable."
Total: $19,410.
Then they added a honeymoon: a week-long Mediterranean cruise through Italy, France, Spain and Tunisia for $1,400 each, and four nights in Marseille for $500. That's $3,300 more, for $22,710 all up.
What an elopement can cost in Italy
These are indicative prices, based on our research in September 2026. Keep in mind that prices change, and they vary a lot by season, city and supplier. Always good to do your own research and get your own quotes!
Return flights, two people: $3,000 to $5,000. There are no direct flights from Australia to Italy. Sydney to Milan is usually one stop and 23 to 28 hours all up. Fly into Milan for Lake Como, or Catania or Palermo for Sicily.
Accommodation, 5 nights: $1,250 to $5,000+. Mid-range hotels run around €130 to €200 a night in peak season. More luxury accomodation is around €500 to €1000 a night
Wedding attire: around $1,800. (Based of our 2026 couple's real spend). This can be as little or as much as you want it to be.
Bride's hair and makeup: $500 to $1,000. Around €300 to €600 for an elopement, without a trial.
Bouquet and buttonhole: $200 to $400. Bridal bouquets in Italy are often €100 to €200.
Dinner for two with a private chef: $650 to $800. Around €200 to €250 per person for a tasting menu for two.
Private wooden boat with a driver, Lake Como, 1 hour: $650 to $1,300. Around €400 to €800 an hour. Fuel is sometimes extra. Smaller boats cost less.
Garden or villa photo permit, Lake Como: $0 to $1,300. See below. Free if you choose public spots.
Car hire and tolls: around $800. Our 2026 couple's real spend in France. Useful in Sicily. Less useful on Lake Como, where ferries and boats get you around.
Travel insurance, two people: $300 to $600. Depends on your ages, cover and trip length.
Lovefool Edition 1 or 2: $9,500 or $12,500. Includes the legal ceremony in Australia, the ceremony in Italy, planning, coordination, film, reels, and our travel.
Indicative total for two: around $18,000 to $27,000. Lower end: Sicily, Edition 1, public spots. Higher end: Lake Como, Edition 2, a boat and a garden permit.
Lake Como gardens and villas: what to know before you plan around one
Lots of couples want their photos in Lake Como's famous gardens. Before you set your heart on one:
Most have timed entry and a fee, plus a separate fee for wedding photos or a ceremony.
They're open to the public, so other visitors will usually be in the gardens at the same time. They often can't promise you'll have the place to yourselves.
Exclusive use costs a lot more, and usually means booking a time when the villa is closed.
Contact the villa directly for current prices for wedding photos and ceremonies.
Reported prices from our research, as a guide only:
Villa del Balbianello, Lenno: photo permit during public hours around €600 to €800 for 2 hours. Exclusive use from around €2,000 to €3,000. Ceremony venue fee from around €5,000.
Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo: entry around €15 to €17.50 per adult. Photo permit reported at around €400 to €800.
Villa Monastero, Varenna: photo permit reported at around €400 to €650.
We can help. We've been in touch with vendors on Lake Como, Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore, and helping you plan this is part of the service.
Two tips for driving in Italy:
Italian motorways have tolls too. Budget for them.
Many Italian old towns have limited traffic zones, marked "ZTL". Driving into one without a permit can mean a fine in the mail.
What about elsewhere in Europe?
Flights from Australia cost roughly the same to most big European airports. What changes most from country to country is accommodation, and whether you'll need a car.
The legal side doesn't change at all. If you marry at home, your ceremony in France, Greece, Spain or anywhere else is symbolic, with no local paperwork. Every country has its own rules for marrying legally there.
Lovefool travels anywhere in Europe. See our Destination Elopement Package page.
What changes if you bring guests?
Typically, we find that couples ask guests to pay for their own flights and accommodation. Other potential costs include:
Dinner for 12 with a private chef: $1,650 to $2,350 (around €85 to €120 per person at that group size).
A bigger house or garden to host everyone: varies the most. Get quotes early.
More photography time: Our Edition 2 package gives you 6 hours instead of 4.
Extra bouquets: around $100 each (around €60).
Indicative prices, based on our research in September 2026.
Lovefool's European elopements go up to about 30 guests.
How does that compare to a wedding in Australia?
What Australian couples actually spent on their wedding
Under $10,000: 8.9%
$10,000 to $20,000: 15.6%
$20,000 to $30,000: 23.0%
$30,000 to $50,000: 23.3%
$50,000 to $100,000: 23.7%
$100,000+: 5.6%
(numbers sourced from The Curve wedding survey 2026)
The average Australian wedding costs $38,252, according to the Easy Weddings 2026 Australian Wedding Industry Report.
Catering alone at a typical Australian wedding runs $100 to $150 per guest. At 88 guests, the Australian average, that's roughly $8,800 to $13,200 before anything else.
What does it cost to marry legally in Italy instead?
If you skip the Australian legal ceremony and marry at an Italian town hall, add:
Nulla Osta, per Australian: the euro equivalent of A$80 (Australian Embassy Rome).
Revenue stamp to legalise the Nulla Osta: €16 (Australian Embassy Rome).
Atto Notorio: a consular fee in Australia, plus official Italian translations and Apostilles on your birth certificate and single status certificate (Italian Consulate General, Sydney).
Town hall fee: varies by town.
Interpreter: varies. Required if you don't speak Italian.
Official change of name in NSW, if you're changing your surname: $203 each, plus $70 if you want a certificate (NSW Government, September 2026).
Plus the time: appointments in Rome or Milan, a Prefettura, and the town hall, often in peak season. More in Can Australians Get Married in Italy?
Where the money goes, and where to save
Worth spending on:
Photography. In The Curve's 2026 survey, it was the most mentioned "worth every penny" answer by a long way.
Where you stay. If you get married at a venue like an Airbnb and take most of your photos there, you’re getting more bang for your buck. One booking can do the job of accommodation, venue and photo location.
Easy places to save:
Flowers. Local florists in Europe usually cost less than at home.
Book a place you can marry at. It saves paying for a separate venue.
Go in shoulder season instead of July or August.
Keep the guest list small. Every guest adds to dinner and space.
Skip the Italian legal paperwork. Marrying at home avoids the fees, appointments and name change hassle.
Easy to forget:
Tolls. $160 on one drive surprised our 2026 couple more than anything else.
Travel fees for local vendors. Their chef charged $200 extra to come from Marseille. Staying closer to a town helps.
Full car insurance. Worth it.
About Lovefool Elopements
Lovefool Elopements is a photographer and celebrant team from Newcastle, NSW. Emily photographs on digital and 35mm film. Izzy is an authorised Australian marriage celebrant. From late August to mid-September 2027 they're running elopements and small weddings on Lake Como and in Sicily, priced in Australian dollars with their travel costs included. They also travel to other European destinations on request, for the same price.