Italian Lakes Wedding Planner

Today I would love to tell you about one of the most original couples I had last wedding season.
Niamh and Stephen are a wonderful couple living in Kuwait. Niamh as you can tell from her name comes from Ireland and Stephen is French.
They fell in love with Lake Orta having a look to our web site and seeing all the weddings we planned over here so they decided to get married here without coming here before for a visit.

For this reason they decided to have a little pre wedding photography service, just the two of them to live and explore the little romantic and charming corners of Orta village!
They simply took a walk with their friend Fwad Afzal Photographer in Orta village and got magic pictures that they will never forget!
Have a look at them isn’t it a great idea?

Niamh and Stephen got married the day after, our last wedding of 2011 summer season.
Niamh was simply beautiful in her romantic dress and have a look to the four bridesmaids too in ivory beige long dresses! Continue Reading »

Tags: beige, bridesmaids dresses, chocolate cake, civil ceremony, dinner, floral arrangements, France, Fwad Afzai, gerberas, guests, Ireland, italy, ivory, Kuwait, lake Orta, Orta San Giulio, photographer, pre wedding photographs, San Giulio restaurant, St.Julius Island, terrace, Town Hall, Villa Bossi, wedding cake, wedding dress, wedding planner

You’ve already decided for every detail of your special day, but you are looking for something more to make your wedding a fun day…



Do you want a pure Italian touch of originality? What about a special entry and exit?

You can choose a lovely APE-calessino to move through the narrow cobblestone streets of small villages on Lake Garda!
Calessino was born in Italy in 1948 as a three-wheeled transformation of the famous Vespa. Word “calessino” comes from its look. As a matter of fact it is very similar to a horse carriage, a sort of sofa on wheels finished in wood and covered with a semi-circular bellows awning.
The model was an breaking success: its small size made it the ideal vehicle to move in the ancient villages and seaside localities all over Italy, often characterized by narrow and steep alleys.

In the following years it became a great character of the Dolce Vita years, carrying the Hollywood stars around the islands and the most beautiful places on Mediterranean coast.
From Italy it reached Asian countries becoming a real bestseller. Perhaps because of its similarity to the exotic rickshaw, it spread across the south-east Asia as a means of public transportation and it is now known as tuk-tuk, a name deriving from onomatopoeic characteristic noise generated by its motor.

With its sixties design, it relive today the unforgettable charm of La Dolce Vita and it offers you a great opportunity to give a vintage and characteristic touch to your special day, like in Hayley and Chis’ wedding in Malcesine.

I love when also cars fit right in with the theme of the wedding!
Italian design offers many other solutions…of course Fiat 500 is a real Italian style icon.

So tiny and fun, it can be a great bridal car to take you from the church to your wedding reception… maybe dragging tin cans as tradition!

What’s your style? A sports car for a romantic getaway for just the two of you around the lake, a vintage car to reach one of the many castles on Lake Garda, or even a fun Buggy to surprise your guests?

….oh, and if you have no car, maybe you can hitch a ride on a Vespa, as suggested by these funny wedding photos! Continue Reading »

Tags: Ape Calessino, Ape Car, Buggy, castles, Fiat 500, italy, La Dolce Vita, lake Garda, Malcesine, sports car, tuk-tuk, Vespa, vintage car, wedding car hire, wedding planners

Lucia is a typical row boat once used at Lake Como for transporting goods to the markets. It got famous in the well known romance written by Alessandro Manzoni I Promessi sposi, a story about spouses that had to outrun lots of hindrances in the 18th century before getting married at Lecco.
Today some gentlemen do collect those old boats, restore them and rent them out for special occasions like marriages or row-competitions.

For Axel and Melanie we organized one of these old boats, got it decorated and had 2 strong men to row them 600 metres to Ossuccio with its really cute townhall. All guests were waiting and applauded at the arrival. As well the major awaited them under the historic arcades to start with the civil wedding ceremony.
Sure that all majors in Italy have to read out the legal articles, but they do it with much pleasure. And often there are situations to laugh as it is not always very easy for the celebrant to pronounce all those foreign names and cities. So with this, all wedding ceremonies get a very soft and smiling touch, although they are legally accepted.

After the ceremony we arranged a toast in the garden below the arcades, just to have some sips of Prosecco and some light fingerfood, nicely prepared right next to the lake.

Then we proceeded by boat to the famous Villa Balbianello for some beautiful photos of bride and groom in the elegant garden of this villa. Nice to walk here where already successful films have been registered, like Ocean Eleven, Star Wars, James Bond etc.

Our photographer Julian Kanz had much fun to shoot Melanie and Axel in all parts of the pittoresque property. And the best is, that even all guests do enjoy this one-hour-stop as they can stroll through the gardens and relax at each corner with wonderful views over Lake Como.
Continue Reading »

Tags: bracelet bouquet, candles, civil ceremony, dinner, finger food, green and white, Hotel San Giorgio, italy, James Bond, Julian Kanz, lake Como, Lecco, Lenno, Lucia, Ocean Eleven, Ossuccio, photographer, Prosecco, Star Wars, summer party, toast, Town Hall, Villa Balbianelo

Lucia ist ein Ruderboot vom Comersee, das vor allem für Transporte im 18. Jahrhundert von Arbeitern und Bauern genutzt wurde. Berühmt wurde die Lucia im Roman von Alessandro Manzoni I Promessi Sposi, worin es um ein junges Brautpaar geht, das nur über viele Hindernisse schliesslich heiraten konnte. Und so findet man heute wieder einige der alten Lucias, die von Liebhabern aufgefrischt und seetauglich gemacht wurden und bei ganz besonderen Anlässen zur Verfügung stehen.

Für Axel und Melanie hatten wir uns dieses besondere Transportmittel ausgedacht, um sie von Ihrem Hotel ca. 600m weiter bis vor das entzückende Standesamt von Ossuccio am Comer See zu rudern. Am Standesamt standen auch schon alle Gäste, die der Lucia und ihrer besonderen Fracht einen herzlichen Empfang bereiteten.

Der Bürgermeister wartete unter den historischen Arkaden, um die Trauung zu zelebrieren. Zum Glück ist das Amtshaus in Ossuccio so klein, dass die Gemeinde beschlossen hat, die standesamtlichen Trauungen im Freien unter den Torbögen abzuhalten und das ergibt natürlich eine ganz besondere Atmosphäre.
Natürlich lesen die italienischen Bürgermeister vor allem die gesetzlichen Eheartikel, aber einige persönliche Willkommensworte und Glückwünsche an einem so besonderen Platz werden ebenfalls ausgesprochen. Und dann ist natürlich auch das Übersetzen der italienischen Texte oft mit einem Lacher begleitet, geschweige denn, wenn der Bürgermeister über schwer auszusprechende deutsche Nachnamen und Städte stolpert. Alle Trauungen in Italien erhalten damit einen ganz besonderen lockeren Touch.

Nach der Trauung gab es im Gärtchen vor der Mauer am See einen netten Umtrunk, einfach Prosecco, Früchte und einige leckere stuzzicchini, so nennt man das typisch italienische Fingerfood.
Continue Reading »

Tags: Comersee, Italien, italienische Fingerfood, Lenno, Lucia, Ossuccio, Prosecco, Trauung, Villa Balbianello, Vorfahrt, zurück

We are back to Orta Beach Club the new, fresh informal wedding venue on Lake Orta.
We are sure you remember that we introduced it few month ago in summer right after its inauguration: ORTA BEACH CLUB… a dreamy frame for your wedding by the shores.

Many among the images posted come from the wedding of a lovely couple coming from Milan: Laura and Andrea.
Today we would love see some more details of Laura and Andrea’s wedding on Lake Orta.

First of all we need to explain the title for this post!
It was a bet because Laura and Andrea booked Orta Beach Club before its inauguration with all the risks you could imagine.
It was a winning bet because it turned out in a great choice from every point of view!
Let’s go step by step!

Laura and Andrea come from Peschiera Borromeo a small village close to Milan. It is famous for its WWF natural park.
Many years ago it was the hunting reserve of Borromeo Counts, the same noble family of Borromeo Islands and Stresa.

For their civil ceremony Laura and Andrea had a look to many venues around Milan and lakes but nothing was more beautiful than Villa Bossi!
They fell in love with it! Continue Reading »

Tags: aperitif, beach wedding, Borromeo Islands, civil ceremony, dinner, jazz band, lake Orta, Lake Orta wedding venues, Milan, Orta Beach Club, Orta San Giulio, Peschiera Borromeo, reception venue, restaurant, Stresa, sunset, terrace, villa, Villa Bossi

There is nothing more romantic and emotional than a ceremony by the lake shores… this is many couples’ dream!
Imagine an elegant villa facing the lake with a wonderful green lawn surrounded by a spectacular nature.
If this is your dream too the good news is that there will be two new posts on their way that you cannot miss!

We will keep the secret for now… without telling venue’s name.
We can only say that the first of the first ceremony has been held in Moltrasio on Lake Como and second one on Lake Maggiore in Stresa.

Photographer of both services is Riccardo Bestetti based in Lecco on Lake Como. Riccardo Bestetti has a long experience on wedding photography on all Northern Italy.
His photography has a unique style with deep colors and a very candid feeling.
Do you want some examples?
We recently showed you one of Riccardo Bestetti’s service in Venice in occasion of Francesca and Nicola’s wedding.

You can have a look to this picture taken in Palazzo Barbieri in Verona during Giorgia and Massimo’s wedding.
Continue Reading »

Tags: Angera, ceremonies, helicopter, italy, lake Como, lake Maggiore, lakeshores, Lecco, Moltrasio, Palazzo Barbieri, photographer, Riccardo Bestetti, Stresa, Venice, venues, Verona, villa, Villa Rocchetta

If you travel along the North shore of beautiful lake Bracciano , you will find the lovely little village of Trevignano, a medieval picturesque town, few km North of Rome, which is a real pearl of the lake.

Built on a volcanic lava cliff drop, the village is located on a little gulf, the secondary crater of an ancient volcano.
The medieval Borgo, is well preserved and the beautiful tree-lined promenade that stretches for about 3 miles, with many bars, restaurants and beach resorts, are the perfect setting for a relaxing italian summer vacation and above all for a romantic Italian wedding.

If you are thinking of a civil marriage, it can be celebrated in the beautiful town hall located in the main piazza, right in front of the lake.
The hall is richly decorated with beautiful frescoes and from the window of the ancient palazzo, you may admire the amazing landscape of the lake.

On the other hand, the catholic ceremony can be held in the old Assunta Church built on the ruins of a gothic building that towards the end of the eighteen century it was completely rebuilt in baroque style.
Continue Reading »

Tags: aperitif, catholic ceremony, church of Assunta, civil marriage, fortress, italy, lakeshores, Odescalchi Castle, Orsini’s Rocca, palazzo, private villa, reception, restaurant, Rome, Trevignano, wedding planner

As Lake Como planner I’m very excited to tell you the fairy tale of this fabulous couple coming from far away to celebrate their wedding on our elegant Lake Como.
Groom, Sigfrid, was born in Valtellina, Italy – not far at all from Lake Como – while pretty bride Wei-Ting and her family come all from Taiwan where the couple actually lives and work.
They met each other in US about 8 years ago and since then, they have always been together. Isn’t it very romantic?
Wei-Ting is absolutely in love with Italy and after having had a ceremony and party in Taiwan as well, they decided that definitely wanted an Italian wedding dream too.
I as delighted to help them!

When Wei-Ting and Sigfrid first saw Balbianello Villa, they had no doubt: this would have been their Italian wedding venue!
And here we started the whole wedding planning. Groom was very active and enthusiast: it has been a real pleasure working together with them to built the perfect wedding day.
We went through every single detail trying to make a mix of the 2 strong cultures: Italian one and Taiwan one.

Hand-painted parasol, gifts for the guests (Chinese gift for the Italians and Italian gift for the Taiwanese) and all the atmosphere was a perfect combination of different customs for this unforgettable Lake Como wedding.

Sigfrid and Wei-Ting Lake Como fairy tale began with a ‘cinematographic’ setting: the beautiful lake view ceremony, performed in the terrace of the Star Wars movie!
The guests arrived by boat. They picked-up the beautiful parasols and they and attended the ceremony handling the beautiful lace ceremony booklet with the red stamp reporting the names of the couple and the wedding date. This is another Chinese interesting custom!
A special thank to the lovely musicians: they’ve been great! They created a perfect atmosphere for the ceremony! Continue Reading »

Tags: boat, dinner, floating candles, flowers, guests, italy, lake Como, parasol, party, Star Wars, Taiwan, terrace, Valtellina, Villa del Balbianello, wedding planner, wedding venues

A Wedding day is a special day. Everyone wish to make it unique and unforgettable.
Lake Garda enchanted poets and painters for centuries with its beautiful and different landscapes- It offers fascinating solutions for the ceremony of your dreams.

Lake Garda East coast is embellished by many castles and crenellated cities.
This obviously is explained by the ancient history of this side of the lake and has its origins in the proximity to the elegant Verona.

Scala dynasty ruled the city for 125 years and extended its dominions to Lake Garda, leaving many historical testimonies.

One of the most famous is the castle of Malcesine.
Your Wedding in Malcesine will be certainly wonderful. You will enjoy this small village on the northern shore of the lake that seems suspended in time. It is a small village with cobbled streets that climb up a gentle slope until reaching the fortress overlooking the lake.

The castle hosts legal civil ceremonies in the incomparable setting of the tower: deep hues of the sky merging with blue of the lake will be the perfect background to your exchange of promises.
Malcesine can be visited by foot or by a funny “Ape Calessino” (tuk-tuk). You get lost in the labyrinth of alleyways between colourful houses and ancient palaces and to discover beautiful backgrounds for your wedding pictures. Continue Reading »

Tags: Ape, boats, castles, church, civil ceremony, Dogana Veneta, fortress of Lonato, italian cuisine, italian wines, lake Garda, Lazise, Lemon Groves, Lonato, Malcesine, Malcesine Castle, Palazzo Callas, reception venues, restaurants, Sirmione, symbolic blessing, Torri del Benaco, Torri del Benaco castle, tuk-tuk, wedding planners

In the last few years Winter Weddings are getting more popular and today we would love to speak about a very intimate and romantic one.

Barry and Novi are two lovely guys coming from Indonesia and living in Netherlands.
They wanted a very intimate and romantic setting for their winter wedding…. or better for their Christmas Wedding as they got married on December 18th!
They chose Lakes districts!
Some may think that lakes in winter could be less beautiful than in warm moths but for those who love intimate romantic and solitary spots they could be the prefect choice.

Berry and Novi wanted an intimate event so they invited only their parents and Novi’s sister.
They decided to stay in Orta for the getting ready and celebratory meal.
But for their religious ceremony they opted for a very special spot Sacro Monte of Ghiffa on Lake Maggiore. Continue Reading »

Tags: bridal bouquet, centerpieces, Christmas wedding, church, decorations, dinner, fireplace, florist, Independent Pictures, iPad, italy, lake Maggiore, lake Orta, light peach, Netherlands, photographers, religious ceremony, restaurant, Sacro, Ustaria Cà dal Rat, wedding dress, wedding planner, winter wedding

Today we are posting a lovely work our planners Valentina & Alessandra did for us.
As you probably know Valentina is our planner for Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore and Alessandra works on wonderful Lake Como. Today they take the opportunity of showing stunning landscapes of Lakes Como and Orta from a different perspective: wedding theme and decoration.
Isn’t it a great idea?
We are sure we will do it again with other post and themes so stay tuned for our Four-handed posts!

Two lovely couples got married on our Italian Lakes over 2011 weddings season, among different proposals they both choose a light and chic wedding theme: butterflies!

The result we obtained was really impressive: charming, soft and matches perfectly Lakes atmosphere.

Our Lake Como butterflies theme wedding was really natural and soft. Every single detail was studied in the style.
My bride chose wonderful orchids for corsages and bridesmaid bouquets… this was the first touch the best has to come!

During the meeting with the florist I thought about something different for the ceremony table and after having excluded several options, our final decision is exactly what you can see in these pictures: a giant and colorful butterfly created with many different type of precious flowers. My lovely bride, Christine, just loved the final effect of the decoration for her unforgettable wedding on Lake Como!

Continue Reading »

Tags: Amy Turner, bridesmaids bouquet, bridesmaids dresses, butterflies, buttonholes, centerpieces, ceremony table, cones, corsages, dinner, florist, flowers, Hydrangea, italy, lake Como, lake Maggiore, lake Orta, menus, names cards, open air, orchids, outdoor reception, petals, photographer, reception venue, table plan, wedding planners

Today we are discovering one among the most ancient villas in Lake Maggiore.
It still preserves the beauty of Victorian Age: Villa Claudia dei Marchesi dal Pozzo.

Villa Claudia dei Marchesi dal Pozzo is a unique wedding venue on Lake Maggiore.
Its main features are the following:

• Breathtaking view on Lake Maggiore.
• The possibility to celebrate a legal civil ceremony in its garden overlooking the lake, side the pool or in one of the rooms of the villa itself.
• A wide park with swimming-pool. It is ideal for a lovely aperitif, dances or a relaxing after dinner.
• A elegant reception area inside the wonderful rooms of the villa or in the wonderful outdoor space lake view.
• Three amazing suites inside the villa with wide terraces for your accommodation.

In Villa Claudia dei Marchesi dal Pozzo you can really enjoy the wonderful rooms having your reception inside them in a great atmosphere but you can also opt for the garden lake view.

Villa Claudia dei Marchesi dal Pozzo is located in Belgirate a lovely little town facing Lake Maggiore few kilometers from Stresa and motor-way exit of Arona.
Thanks to its private pier you can reach the villa with a private motorboat right after a lovely boat tour for wedding pictures on the Borromeo Island and Gulf or a moving ceremony in one of the churches on the lake such as Chiesa Vecchia of Belgirate overlooking the lake or San Grato Church or San Donato curch in Brovello Carpugnino. Continue Reading »

Tags: accomodation, Arona, Belgirate, Borromeo Islands, church, civil ceremony, Dal Pozzo, Dal Pozzo weddings, garden, lake Maggiore, motorboat, open air, outdoor reception, park, pier, rooms, Stresa, swimming pool, terrace, Villa Claudia Dal Pozzo