SUBMIT WEDDING
View Posts By:

categories

 

tags

 
See the True Meaning of La Dolce Vita with this Lake Como Wedding

I dream of traveling to Lake Como, the Italian city synonymous with beauty and glamour. And this wedding, captured by Thecablookfotolab, embodies all the luxury and romance that is Lake Como. With a romantic ceremony overlooking the lake and an al fresco reception on the Villa LaCorte Del Lago’s gorgeous grounds, this destination wedding is the very definition of la dolce vita. See why in The Vault!

From ThecablookfotolabAutumn on the Como lake is as beautiful as summer. Or even more beautiful? It’s not as hot as in summer and you can breathe normally) I think that the real fall in Italy starts much later, in the end of October. And before it it’s the most pleasant and lovely time “after summer”.

Alevtina and Timur are a wonderful couple! They are super calm and super romantic. To tell the truth, I’ve never seen such a calm bride. Calm and sweet, that’s how I can describe her. They chose the perfect location: villa “La corte del lago” that is situated exactly near water on the lake Como. I loved the ceremony, the bride going down the alley backlighted with sun, the elegant and simple decor, the aperitif on the terrace facing the lake and the dinner with one long table. I felt so cozy there, like it was the wedding of one of my friends. That’s the kind of weddings that I really love doing.

From The Bride…For us it was a long journey across cities, countries and continents. What a better place to start than London, back in the spring of 2011 we met during one of my short trips. It’s a small world and of course we already had a few friends in common. Friday night at its best in Chelsea and we found a common language straight away. Perhaps I was too nice and willing to listen to all that clever stuff, however kindness and genuineness gave away that special person. Afternoon walks and “feeding” squirrels in the Regents park started our path to friendship. But it was not straightforward, he already signed to reallocate to Singapore and as we have met once more in Moscow, we were both afraid this was the last time. But we were determined to stay in touch, even across thousands of miles. Through the year there were many conversations about everything going on to the very early hours in the morning, mind the 4 hour difference.

As destiny had it, I mentioned a planned trip to Austria with my friends. Little did I expect, he flew over from other side of the world to join me. What choice did we had but to fall in love over the New Year celebrations in the snow? Happiness came with a pinch of salt as it is really hard to be in the long distance relationship. How could have I resisted to fly over to see him in Singapore and get away for a week in remote island in Borneo? We had to make it work on the long term and we did…

More challenges were ahead of us to overcome. First reallocation, living together, then finding a career path in the new city, and many others. But we always stuck together and made our home in Singapore. Three years after we met, a dinner at Brasserie Les Saveurs at St Regis, it was almost empty with only jazz band sharing their passion for music. Of course I said “yes”, there was no need for anything as I felt complete, happy and ready to star our new journey.

Now it made all the sense to plan a destination wedding. Given our families are in Moscow, lots of friends in London and colleagues in Singapore, Europe offered best middle ground. By luck we struck an offering of weddings in Italy and I remembered of my amazing ex colleague, Asya, that became a wedding planner in Italy at ItalianEasyWedding. It took us a year to put everything together, with of course a lot of help from Asya, who was the most understanding and supporting person ever! We have picked mid-September, at Corte de Lago, lake Como. Just 6 month before the wedding we managed to travel to Milan together and met all people involved the process in person. It was a relief that Villa was perfect, especially as we could have all of the family staying over the weekend. The florists easily was on the same page with ideas that I had in mind. Food…There is just no point in describing, it’s Italy. Of course you can’t leave Milan and not to go shopping.

It was a truly special day! All of our dearest people in the whole world came together to celebrate one of the happiest moments in our lives. Looking back it felt like it all went too fast but we were definitely enjoying every minute and for sure will remember that day for many more years to go.

From Italian Easy WeddingWe have started with the preparation of this sophisticated wedding about 1 year and a half before. The bride Alevtina wanted some special location, the one with not only nice villa and view, but also with the beautiful territory – not very small and not too big, where you can divide zones for the welcome, aperitif, ceremony and dinner. Surprisingly, the villa chosen was the one, we did’t visited personally together with the bride. So I was very worried if the couple would like it or not, as they have seen it in real only one day before the wedding. I was happy they loved it!

All the flowers and decor chosen were in blush, light pink and ivory colors in style of elegant shabby chic. The arch was made of whitened wood and hints of flowers together with the lanterns with the falling garland on the way of the bride. We made a long imperial table for about 60 guests facing the lake in front of the villa. At the beginning it was hidden from the guests’ eyes with the nice fabric, which we opened just before the dinner. For the cut of the cake the guests were waiting the couple making a corridor with the sparkles in their hands. These simple but bright and happy things add additional magic to the moment.

Photography: Thecablookfotolab | Event Planning: Happy Moments Collector | Floral Design: rattiflora | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Bride's Shoes: Dolce & Gabbana | Rings: Tiffany & Co. | Groom's Attire: Z by Zegna | Venue: La Corte Del Lago | Groom's Shoes: Church's

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here
Glamorous Lake Como Wedding Even George Clooney Would Be Jealous Of

Can you believe that this dreamy celebration was just part ONE of a three day destination wedding? Well, you’d better believe it and better yet? The beauty doesn’t end there. Add in a Lake Como ceremony, one crazy chic cathedral veil, and an alfresco reception, and you’ve got the ultimate celebration that even Hollywood’s elite would vie to attend. Captured by Janis Ratnieks we’ve got it all waiting in The Vault!

From Janies RatnieksThis is a destination wedding of Catherine and Christophe – a couple from Paris – they got married at Lake Como, Italy. August wedding. Day one was a Christian wedding ceremony, held at Parrochia Di S Abbondio church in Mezzegra, reception and party at Villa Giuseppina. Dress and bridesmaids dress design by brides sister – Claudine Ivari. This is a day one of three day celebrations…followed by a persian ceremony and party at Villa Erba, and a post wedding photo shoot.

Photography: Janis Ratnieks | Cinematography: Cedric Bolluset | Event Design: Sabina Domenici | Floral Design: Clement Deymani | Wedding Dress: Claudine Ivari | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Claudine Ivari | Venue: Villa Giuseppina

Classic Italian Villa Wedding

If you’re looking for a little Italian escape today (I mean, why not?!) then you’re in luck because we’ve got it. Martina and Giovanni planned the perfect party complete with sweet details a la Margherita Orlandi. A million thanks to Marta Guenzi Photographer for delivering destination daydreams today for this classic Villa affair is just beyond. Find your favorite moment to share via The Vault!

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/146101660 600 338]

Colors
Settings
Villa

From Margherita Orlandi Martina and Giovanni got married during a sunny and warm day of June in the countryside around Lake Como, in Northern Italy. They chose a very special location where to celebrate their wedding reception, Villa Sommi Picenardi. This was the place where they met the very first time on the occasion of a friend’s wedding. So when they decided to become husband and wife, they asked me to start with the planning of the day visiting that particular location.

Villa Sommi Picenardi is an Eighteenth Century country house well known for its amazing english garden in the front side of the building, with rare worldwide plants, and most of all for its delicious italian “secret garden”, in the back yard, with fountains and statues and a staircase characterized by mosaics of Roman inspiration. Here overlooks the rustic hall where we decided to set the dinner, among the brick columns and under the oak-beamed ceiling.

The concept of Martina and Giovanni’s wedding was on the base of elegance and candor, so the main color they chose was white white combined with the most delicate hues of ivory and blush with small hints of green. Following this idea, Martina, that works in the industry of fashion, chose a lace and tulle big dress by the Italian designer Antonio Riva. After seeing the gown, Maurizio Buzzi, the flower designer, created the delicate bouquet made by white and blush peonies.

For the dining room the bride asked me to let my imagination run wild and to create something chic and refined. So I imagined a stylish atmosphere of lightness and freshness, pastel hues and luminous colors. My aim was to create an elegant setting in contrast with the rustic building where the event took place. With the help of the flower designer, I imagined a triumph of English roses (Martina’s favorite flowers), peonies and freesias combined with mirrors and antique silver candlesticks. For the napkins bows I used a satin blush ribbon with a lisianthus flower laid in the middle. Then I asked a calligrapher to write down the names of the guests on the escort cards.

All this scenery was made even more magical by the elegance of the couple and their lovely smiles of happiness for their marriage with each other. The talented photographer Marta Guenzi was so able to capture all these unique emotions with her romantic photography, making the memory absolutely perfect!

Vault CTA

[dotted]

See even more head-turning trends here!

Photography: Marta Guenzi Photographer | Cinematography: Riccardo Lavezzo | Event Planning: Margherita Orlandi | Floral Design: Margherita Orlandi | Wedding Dress: Antonio Riva | Cake: Pasticceria Ramperti | Ceremony Venue: Chiesa Di San Leonardo, Lecco | Reception Venue: Villa Sommi Picenardi | Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Catering: Maison du Food | Hair + Makeup: Veronica Fiorello | Calligraphy: Pettinaroli Milano

Al Fresco Lake Como Wedding

What began as a chance meeting through their careers in investment banking, turned into a love story with a perfect ending. An incredible destination wedding on Lake Como, to be specific. Planned in only three months, Italian Easy Wedding helped these two pull off a celebration their guests would never forget and Darya Kamalova photographed each and every bit. See it all inside The Vault!

From The Bride… We met each other working together in investment banking and our relationship began developing rapidly after few meetings. I remember that my first thoughts was like “no no no, no relationships with colleagues.” But sometimes rules are meant to be broken.

After being together for 2 years we’ve planned our regular trip, but that time my husband suddenly invited my Mom to join us. Later I found that my Mom was the carrier of my engagement ring. I remember that evening when we came to beautiful restaurant when you are sitting inside a beautiful aquarium watching the fish swimming around and I asked him “why he doesn’t want to take off his jacket?” It was quite warm inside the restaurant. Then everything became very clear.

He had quite big engagement box with the ring inside, so he couldn’t keep it in his trousers. After the moment he proposed I was so impressed with the engagement box design that I forgot to check out the ring. The engagement ring was handmade with the picture of a chipmunk – this is a special symbol of our family from the first months we are together. At the beginning it was his joke calling me “chipmunk” but we’ve both got so used to this “nickname” that we now collect chipmunk or squirrel trinkets from every trip.

Both of us were sure that we’d have our wedding somewhere far away from home. We wanted all our guests feel special. It took us long time to find that perfect place and perfect wedding planner. We weren’t in hurry looking for the right place, but when we found Villa Regina Teodolinda we knew that we’d celebrate our wedding nowhere else!

Thank you to our wedding planner, because she helped us plan everything in 3 months total, and it turned out wonderful. The location was just perfect with a beautiful villa, amazing food, plus lake and mountain views. The one thing we regret is that it all passed too, too fast!

Vault CTA

Photography: Thecablookfotolab | Event Planning: Happy Moments Collector | Floral Design: rattiflora | Wedding Dress: Svetlana Trebunskaya | Stationery: Letter B | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Rings: Tiffany & Co. | Hair + Makeup: Lidija Malinovskaja | Groom's Attire: Sartorio Napoli By Kiton | Venue: Villa Regina Teodolinda | Groom's Shoes: Fabi

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here
Romantic Lake Como Engagement Session

I’ve seen snippets of Lake Como’s beauty before but seeing these pics from Darya Kamalova of Thecablookfotolab brought my awe to a whole new level. Adding to Italy’s natural beauty, this handsome couple gave the region some serious competition, with the Bride-to-be’s red dress instantly added to my Pinterest style boards – see every amazing look in our VAULT right this way!

From Darya Kamalova of Thecablookfotolab… This engagement session leaves me speechless. The fire in the eyes of Kate and Artyom, the Lake Como view from the top of the mountain, the stunning burgundy maxi dress that was perfectly matching the bouquet and was a great bright spot on the yellow field background. Everything was so perfect that I wouldn’t change anything. We had fun taking the pictures in the movement, walking and running. Kate and Artyom were enjoying this last calm day before the crazy wedding day and it was amazing. I wish every couple could do this.

From the Bride-to-be… We shot this love-story a day prior to our wedding ceremony in the fields located in the mountains surrounding beautiful Lake Como. Planning this shoot I wanted something completely different from a wedding theme, I wanted to have a dark red dress instead of white wedding gown and a flower bouquet in colors similar to that dress. I didn’t want all the pastel colors which I’ve chosen for the wedding itself. And when I saw this dress on the Lulus website I immediately fell in love with it, there was only one size left and it was mine, like the dress was waiting for me. My fiance was wearing a white shirt and beige chinos. His look was casual but elegant at the same time. We were trying to find a perfect spot for the shoot in the mountains so that we would see the skyline with stunning Lake Como surrounded with the gorgeous mountains. We wanted to film our love together with this breathtaking view and fill the pictures with soft sunset light and fresh air. And although we were picturing fields covered with green grass at first, we fell absolutely in love with this one. It could not be better with the colors of the dress and my fiance’s outfit and it had all the views we wanted, that magic light and the air which played with the silk ribbons of my bouquet.

Peruse more Italian weddings + engagements here!

Photography: Thecablookfotolab | Event Planning: Merren Events | Floral Design: rattiflora | Dress: Lulu's | Bride's Shoes: Nine West | Hair + Makeup: Veronica Fiorello | Venue: Hotel Villa Cipressi | Ribbon: Silky Rivers

Romantic Italian Villa Wedding on Lake Como

We can always count on an Italian wedding to bring the romance, and this heavenly match is doing just that. Starting with their airline connection that eventually led to a hilltop proposal, every moment of their love story continually scales new heights. So it’s no surprise that their wedding is completely dreamy and Darya Kamalova of Thecablookfotolab captured it all in THE VAULT!

From Darya Kamalova of ThecablookfotolabI think that till now this is the most fabulous wedding I’ve ever shot. It was so sweet & perfect in every detail that I simply can’t express it with words.

Kate & Artem are wonderful people and so much in love with each other that you start shining when stand close to them. Kate started planning everything a year before the wedding. She is my “most responsible bride”, really. She was so attentive to all the smallest details! Calligraphy, details for the boudoir, dress for the engagement session… I spent hours and hours, months and months talking to her, inventing and planning every part of the day and of the shootings. She wanted everything to be perfect and in the end it WAS perfect!

I loved the fact that she trusted me and let me the space for imagination. And not only to me, but also to the event planners from Italian Easy Wedding and to the floral designer from Ratti Flora. There was a lot of decor, but it was not overloaded. It was in a perfect proportion. I also loved so much the intimate moment of cutting the cake outside with only candles light. And it was so touching seen the guys crying at the ceremony. I think I will remember this wedding forever, because for me it was so much special. I can’t thank enough Kate for choosing me and letting me to be the part of all her fairytale.

From The Bride…We knew each other for couple a month or so and he even tried to ask me for a date, but we never had a chance to actually do it when one day I was in the airport with my friend going on vacation and accidentally bumped into himself and his friends going to the same place.. This can only be a match made in heaven as two people just can’t go in one place simultaneously and absolutely unplanned! We live in Moscow, Russia and several months later I had to move to Los Angeles for two months and this time apart just made it clear that we cannot leave without each other. It was so simple, so natural; we just knew we’re meant to be together for our lifetimes. The day I came back to Russia we moved in together and could not be happier. Then I got an offer to work in LA for two years and I after I moved there we had a two-year long-distance relationship. Many people were saying that long-distance relationships are doomed but this was not our case. We talked a lot during early mornings and evenings because of the time difference and supported each other every day of our lives. Although we were physically apart most of the time we were never apart mentally. He visited as often as he could and he proposed me in LA as well.

One Friday night while working in LA I came home from work and he told me he’d love to go for a bike ride. He should have told me that the bike ride was… in the hills.. Hollywood hills… Which was pretty tough especially on a Friday evening. I was whining and grumbling that I’m tired and don’t want to go further, but he was cheering me up, telling that he wants me to see this beautiful spot he found on the top of the hill. We were biking during the sunset, so by the time we reached the top of the hill it was already dark, but the view from the hill was absolutely stunning. All Studio City area was covered with thousands of lights. We sat on a tree which had a trunk almost in form on a bench and then he told me he had a surprise for me and asked to give him couple of minutes and not to peep. He lit eighteen red candles which he put in a heart shape and told me that a journey of a lifetime can be sometimes compared with climbing (biking) up the hill, i.e. be pretty challenging, however we should always have each other by our side to cheer each other up, be supportive even when someone is moaning and grumbling we should never give up and continue to move forward together… he told me how deep he loves me and proposed.

My fiancé has a very good taste and he was always super picky about everything connected with the wedding, especially food, venue, etc.. That’s why when we started to plan our wedding we knew right away that we wanted something well planned, unique and romantic, with good food and surrounded only by our nearest and dearest people. We have explored several opportunities in Moscow, Russia where we live but there was always something not quite right there. Then my fiancé once told me, that it would be nice to have a wedding in Italy… How can you go wrong with Italy when it offers best food, best wines, prettiest places on earth. I was stunned… This was the most bold, the most romantic idea.. This was like a dream… A fairytale, which I thought, would never come true… But then I’ve started to explore the opportunities and realized that it’s not as impossible as I thought it would be. I’ve made a huge web research over couple of months to find a venue in Italy which would be perfect making inquiries of different wedding planners… until once I’ve found it… Villa Regina Teodolinda on Como Lake, it was hard to find a place as beautiful, as romantic, as perfect as this place was. Several weeks later, my friend told me that she knows a wedding planner, who was organizing a wedding on this villa just recently and that is how I have met Anastasia Aslanyan from Italian Easy Wedding.

I am very thankful to Anastasia who helped my dreams to come true and was supportive throughout the whole process. I was very involved in the planning process and tried to think through and discuss every tiny detail on that day. I have put my soul trying to make as flawless as possible. Anastasia also recommended me to work with Darya Kamalova – the most talented photographer I have ever met! My fairytale got real, we’ve spent the best days of our lives with our closest family and friends on this beautiful villa overlooking stunning lake Como, I’ve arrived to the ceremony on a classic Como lake boat Lucia which could not be more romantic. We had our symbolic ceremony partially in Italian and we have read our vows we had written for each other and kept secret until the very moment when we promised to love each other until the end of our lives. One of the best moments was then my super picky husband told me several times throughout the day that this wedding could not have been planned any better than this.

 

From Anastasia and Margherita of Italian Easy WeddingWith each new wedding we understand how important is when the couple pays enough attention to the point of decor and the flower arrangements. Because the details make the difference.

The spouses wanted to fulfill their dream of elegant and sophisticated celebration. That’s why they have also paid much attention to the choice of photographer and videographer who can catch and feel the atmosphere in the best way. Thecablokfotolab with her dreamy film photography and Marco Caputo with his stylish videos were the winning pair to the surroundings.

For the preparation of the bride and groom lots of things were discussed and bought preliminary. Starting from the brush of the bride and finishing with macarons for the morning coffee served in a silver set. We can’t help saying about the design of the invitations, menus and other typographic works. They totally suited the concept and the colours of the event thanks to Krasota v detalyah.

The concept of Ekaterina and Artem’s wedding was on the base of blush colours, lace, crystals and golden vases. The ceremony accompanied by string trio took place exactly on the shore of lake Como on one of the most beautiful and cozy villas. Oval arch full of flowers, succulents, ribbons, pearls and crystals together with the classical Parigina chairs decorated in the same style gave the atmosphere of elegance and love. The lounge zone was organised with old-style sofa and armchairs with a crystal chandelier hanging from the tree. During the aperitif guests enjoyed live music from a jazz trio.

For the imperial table there was made special mint lace runner that fit perfectly the mint classical vases where were not only flowers but also grapes. Golden candlesticks and vases were mixed together through the whole table in a harmonic way. Special attention was made to the cut of the cake. The best pastry chef of Milan – Nana Cakes – made the dream of the bride come true. The lace pieces on the cake were copied from the bridal dress. Each of the flower was precisely made and it looked like a real but totally perfect flower. The cake was put on the floral base and surrounded by candles of different sizes. Above the spouses there were a scenographic candle sky that gave to the moment special brilliant effect.

But the main point is the couple with their feelings of love, joy and happiness which they spread to all of the people around. And not only during the wedding day, during the whole time of the preparation of their own “the best day ever”. We believe that these kind of couples will definitely have that “happily ever after” because they start their lives together with a fairy-tale.

[dotted]

See more Italian weddings in THE VAULT!

Photography: Thecablookfotolab | Cinematography: Marco Caputo Films | Event Design And Planning: Happy Moments Collector | Floral Design: rattiflora | Wedding Dress: Pronovias | Cake: Nana&Nana Cakes | Stationery: Krasota V Detalyah | Bride's Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Hair And Makeup: Veronica Fiorello | Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss | Venue: Villa Regina Teodolinda | Ribbon: Silky Rivers

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here
Romantic Lake Como Bridal Session

Having made the trek all the way from Hong Kong for their pre-wedding bridal session, these two love birds were meant for Lake Como and for the magic of Greg Finck and his lovely lens. Scenic mountains and the quaint villages of Bellagio and Varena served as the beautiful backdrop for every breathtaking capture, which pair beautifully with the moments in motion from Naz Films.

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/105053136 600 338]

Greg Finck PhotographySylvester and Rachel had travelled all the way from Hong-Kong to do their engagement session on breath-taking Lake Como. I remember the first email when they enquire and asked me suggestions fif they should choose Paris, the Alps, or Lake Como for their engagement. I answered without a doubt, as Lake Como is such a wonderful location. Surrounded by mountains the Lake stretches as far as the eye can see. On its shores, the beautiful villages of Bellagio and Varena are the key touristic attractions. There are marvelous places and you need to take a boat to get there. Everything is preserved, and beauty is everywhere.

As it was a beautiful and sunny summer day, we decided to start shooting very early, meaning 6am. We had the most amazing sunrise on the lake and started to shoot with the first rays of sun backlighting the couple. We had a walk in Varena, and then took a boat trip on the Lake to reach the fabulous Villa Balbianello. This amazing venue held the movies James Bond’s Casino Royale, Ocean’s 13, and Star Wars.

This was undoubtedly a memorable day for our lovers. My friend Naz, from Naz Films, realized a great 8mm movie which translates, along with the photographs, the beauty of that day.

Photography: Greg Finck Photography | Videography: Naz Films | Bride's Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Private Villa: Villa Balbianello

Elegant Outdoor Lake Como Wedding

I’d give just about anything to abandon this brutal winter and whisk away to the shores of Lake Como, but this gallery from Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions Photography is probably the next best thing. He beautifully told the story of this destination “I do,” and if this image doesn’t instantly give you the Italian travel bug, I don’t know what will.

Colors
Settings
Villa

From The Bride… We met as starry-eyed finance graduates in our first “real job”. It didn’t take long before we were spending every spare moment as friends, and then evolved to something more. When we’re together, we’re always laughing with (and at) each other. We’re each other’s rock and partners in crime in every sense and we back each other up. We’ve changed a lot since when we first met, and whilst some changes were hard, we feel stronger for having evolved together and supporting each other through it.

When Jehan and I got engaged, we wanted a venue that had dramatic views, nature, water and somewhere our well-traveled friends and family had not been before. Jehan suggested Lake Como as he knew it’d been a dream of mine to go, and when we saw the first Google image of Villa Balbianello our jaws literally dropped and we knew we had found our place! With a destination wedding in mind, we had our hearts set on planning a week long amazing vacation with all of our nearest and dearest.

Living in New York and being away from our friends and family in Sydney, we were determined to maximize our time with our guests and make sure everyone felt spoilt!

Waiting for our guests in their rooms were handmade welcome bags with a personalized welcome note, local goodies and an events list detailing the fun to come for the week – Welcome Drinks at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s glam lakeside pool bar, separate on-the-lake bucks and hens, rehearsal dinner at a restaurant nestled high up on the hills complete with panoramic views, and a day-after pool party pizza brunch to aid in recovery. We also slipped in a custom designed map of Lake Como, a cheat sheet of must visit restaurants and activities, as well as a directory so guests could easily connect with one another.

Following the outdoor ceremony under the vine covered loggia, an acoustic guitar duo serenaded the guests as they enjoyed a selection of cocktails accompanied by Italian and modern canapés.

The overall aesthetic of our wedding day was modern chic with pops of glam. Lush Italian branches and small pared back arrangements of white flowers and candles gave the reception dinner an intimate feel and a luxurious touch without taking away from the already beautiful venue and surrounding landscape. We DYIed the save the dates, wedding invitations, the menus/ ceremony coasters, guest book forms, escort cards, after party lights, L&J marquee lights, buon appetito greenery letters and the welcome bags.

Guests were ready to party as they got off the boat at Grand Hotel Tremezzo where we had transformed a cave wine bar into our secret speakeasy-themed after-party. Rachel and the team from the Lake Como Wedding Planner did a great job in transforming the space with all the lighting elements we had DIYed and brought with us, including the L & J marquee letters we’d made to set the scene. The party ready guests, amazing cocktails and DJ did the rest!

Our favourite moments from the week would have to be the personalised vows we read to each other at the ceremony, the photo shoot on a Lucia boat (an ingenious idea by Marcus, our photographer!!), and our first dance, which we had secretly choreographed and practiced for weeks and never thought we could pull off!! But surprisingly, like so many other parts of the week, surrounded by our nearest and dearest, it felt natural and completely fun!

We are real DIYers at heart and our wedding was a true labour of love. We had the best time scheming on how to execute a particularly tricky idea or when beavering away together on our projects. We still feel giddy and extremely lucky to have executed our wedding in such spectacular fashion. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank our beloved family and friends who created the unique energy of the week, and our amazing vendors who made it all possible. In particular, the ladies at the Lake Como Wedding Planner and Marcus Bell our photographer who helped create and document our adventure with his breathtaking images to remind ourselves every day that it wasn’t all a dream!

We can clearly see all the depth and emotions captured from the day and we felt like it accurately captured who we are as a couple by the unique and innovative talents of Marcus Bell – the Lucia boat photos are inspired, and we feel so incredibly blessed with all the timeless mementos we now have of the wedding week, including the incredible day after photos!

A few words of advice: embrace the planning, and try to have fun with it! If you approach it as a chore, chances are it will feel like a chore and where’s the joy in that? Try to add your own twist to things, even with some DIY projects and personal touches to reflect both your styles. Remember what the day is meant to be about! The union of the two individuals as a couple. When making decisions during planning, whilst other opinions can be sought and taken into account, respect each other’s desires above all.

Photography: Studio Impressions Photography | Wedding Planner: The Lake Como Wedding Planner | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Ceremony Venue: Villa Balbianello | Reception Venue: Villa Balbianello | Shoes: Chanel | Bridesmaids' Dresses: BHLDN | Hair: Carolyn Oneill | Groom's Attire: Tom Ford | Jewelery: Chanel

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here
Lake Como Wedding from Andrea Kuehnis

We all know that Italian weddings are magical.  I mean, one look at this darling Lake Como wedding and it takes about five seconds to know that is true.  But dive even further into this pretty, pretty affair and it becomes something sooo much more than a drop-dead gorgeous wedding; it’s a day that is literally overflowing with heartwarming moments and smiling faces, a day that is all about the l.o.v.e and sharing that love with awesome friends and family.  See it all captured by Andrea Kuehnis right here.

Colors

From Andrea Kuehnis… This Wedding took place over three days, with a cocktail night, a rehearsal dinner and the actual wedding day on the beautiful villa Balbianello in Italy. The couple, Mallory and Travis, are both US citizens and world travellers, but live in Zurich, Switzerland. They had their whole family and friends invited to be part of this unforgettable, fantastic event.

Photography: Andrea Kuehnis | Wedding Planner: WeddingsItaly by Regency 1987 | Bridal Dress: Romona Keveza Legends | Cocktail and Residence: Grand Hotel Tremezzo | Rehearsal Dinner: Villa Aurora | Villa Balbianello: Villa Balbianello

Lake Como Wedding by SugarLove Photography

It is one of our favorite, favorite days here on Style Me Pretty where we get to delve into a mega-lineup of wedding inspiration that runs the gamut in terms of style and location. There is one common thread that runs throughout each of these features though…each is unbelievably, undeniably gorgeous. And since we have so much to share, we are keeping things short and sweet and if you are dying to see more, simply click on the gallery for the FULL wedding.

First up is a Lake Como wedding captured by the ever so talented SugarLove Photography that is filled to the tippy top with elegance and breathtaking Italian views. And believe us when we tell you that these two things are quite possibly the most perfect combination we’ve ever laid eyes on. Be sure to stop by the gallery for a little vicarious living in the form of this glorious Italian wedding.

take a little Italian holiday in the gallery!

Photography: SugarLove / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet for Priscilla of Boston / Shoes: Mui Mui / Rings and Jewelry: Philip Press / Wedding Planner: Lucia Masserini of LM Weddings / Bridesmaid dresses: Butter Dress from Bridesmaids Only / Groom’s Suit: Emporio Armani /  Venue: Villa Passalacqua, Lake Como, Italy / Entertainment: Nandy and Maya McClean

Lake Como Wedding by Corbin Gurkin

Ciao Ciao SMPers. Hope you all had a lovely, relaxing weekend because we have a jam packed day of wedding greatness and you will need a full tank of energy for these pretties. See, Mondays aren’t that bad. In fact, they just might be the new Friday. Up first is a ridiculously gorgeous wedding at Lake Como from destination wedding photographer Corbin Gurkin. I happen to have a extra special place in my heart for this photography genius because she shot my wedding so I know first hand, she is the bees knees. And this wedding, ohhh this wedding. It is bringing the romance and the pretty. Be prepared for a rapidly beating heart and of course,you can always find more glorious goodness from Corbin in the gallery.

{click here for the FULL gorgeous spread}

When Mark and I first started looking into places to be married we envisioned being near water. After visiting a few locations in California, my brother, Alex, mentioned looking into Italy. Villa Balbianello in Lake Como was Colpo di Fulmine (love at first sight) as the Italians would say! We knew as soon as we stepped on the property that it was the place for us. The ambience was perfect – we were in love with the deep blues of the water, the intense mountains, the gorgeous villas along the shores and the incredible gardens. It truly is a magical location! Bellagio, where we stayed before the wedding day, was the ideal little town the guests to enjoy a true Italian experience – quaint cafes, stunning views, truly an amazing place for a holiday.

My favorite colors are red, pink, green and silver. Lisa Hoffman (Ceci NY) helped me to find the specific shades of those colors when we were planning out the save-the-dates and invitations. We decided to go with just the pink, green and silver and work the red in through floral arrangements. Once we had those colors chosen we maintained it through all aspects of the wedding planning. Laura Hooper, who designed all my accessories paid specific attention to the colors as well as what had already been put in place. She created the most amazing maps, which I was able to use on totes (given as gifts to my bridesmaids) and to be given as keepsakes. She also used the same color green and silver on all of our menus and place cards. In doing so, she made everything look elegant, polished and consistent

Photography: Corbin Gurkin/ Venue: Villa del Balbianello / Invitation Design: Ceci New York / Event Coordination: Helen Kershaw & Helen Lord of Love & Lord / Flowers: Vertuani Fiori, Milan / Catering: Food Couture / Wedding Gown Designer: Jenny Lee / Shoe Designer: Jimmy Choo / Tuxedo Designer: Favourbrook, London England / Bridesmaid Dress Designer: Coast / Accessories: Earrings – Fourtane Estate Jewelers, Bracelet was a wedding gift from Mark / Veil: Judd Waddell / Calligraphy Menus, Table Cards, Totes: Laura Hooper / Music: Michelle Pappadia

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here