Italian Lakes Wedding Planner

It certainly doesn’t happen every day to decorate a Ferrari for a wedding. But a few days ago this is exactly what I did for Elena and Giorgio’s wedding on Lake Orta.

Elena and Giorgio tied the knot on a lovely warm April day, just perfect for a photographic tour of the lake thanks to the motorboat their chosen location for the reception, the Hotel Ristorante L’Approdo, made available to them.

Although it is just a few days since the event, I am delighted to be able to show you a preview of their photographs, thank to the rapid work of Raffaello Mazzoleni of Studio ArteFoto Omegna.
In fact the rapid delivery he ensures is photographer Raffaello Mazzoleni’s winning card as he will hand over the DVD of a wedding in a maximum of three days and at a very competitive price too, especially considering that he is one of a small number of Italian professional photographers who belong to the WPJA, the prestigious American association which makes a worldwide selection among the finest photographers operating in journalism and weddings.

I was the flower designer who organised the decorations for the civil wedding ceremony, for the bride and for the table centres at the Hotel Ristorante L’Approdo. Elena wanted red and white as her colours and chose the rose as her principal flower. Continue Reading »

After Suzanne and Christopher, Loretta and Scott, Nicky and Chris we are on Lake Maggiore again to tell you about another magic wedding: Simone and Stephans’ wedding. They were such a lovely couple coming from Zurich, Switzerland.

First of all a big thank you to Andrea and Marcus a great couple of Swiss photographers that kindly put on disposal their great images of Simone and Stephan’s wedding. A vintage and really unconventional service that we found really unique. The yellow shade gives to images a sense of warm and cosy brightness.

Simone and Stephan wanted a unique and unforgettable wedding. They looked for a real elegant and Italian style event to give their day a touch of glamour. After visiting many venue they choose Lake Maggiore and little town of Pallanza.

Bride and groom opted for a religious ceremony to Sacro Monte church in Ghiffa and a wonderful reception to Villa Rusconi Clerici in Pallanza just few minutes far from the church.

For all guests Simone and Stephan wanted a week end long event.
They started with a lovely dinner on friday night in a traditional pizzeria facing the lake.
Saturday the day of the wedding they decided for a big party to Villa Rusconi sipping champagne, delicious Italian cuisine and fun dances up to early hours of Sunday.

The big day of Saturday begun early in the morning to Grand Hotel Majestic where the group stayed for all the wedding week end.
Dividing herself among make up and hair trial Simone spend some hours with her mother and maid of honor Rachel.
On late morning they all reached Ghiffa where all guests and Stephan were waiting for them.

Simone and Stephan got married in the tiny romantic 1600 church of Sacro Monte of Ghiffa.
Floral decorations were arranged by Manuela the floral designers who works in partnership with La Piccola Selva.
Roses were main flowers. Arrangement at the church included external columns, pews, balusters, and aisle to the altar totally covered with rose petals. Continue Reading »

After the wedding to Villa San Martino we come back to Lombardy side of Lake Maggiore. This time we are going South. Here you will find sweet hills going smoothly towards the lake. This are is very well known from nature and water sports lovers. There are also artistic and cultural places to visit such as historic residence of Villa della Porta Bozzolo with its grand Italian gardens or Rocca di Angera, great Borromeo family castle or even Santa Caterina del Sasso, a monastery on rocks peak.

Right in this green area you will find a lovely venue for your wedding on the lake: Hotel Conca Azzurra in Ranco close to Varese.
A wonderful view, a wonderful garden with many flowers and delicious cuisine will welcome you.
These are the main features of Hotel Conca Azzurra, a pretty venue for your wedding if you are thinking of getting married on Lake Maggiore.

Let’ s see together all the pearls of the hotel.
The great view on the lake: from here you could see the center of the Lake and great chain of Mt. Zeda. You could enjoy this perfect panorama in every month of the year from Restaurant La Veranda. During summer season it opens completely becoming a open air terrace for romantic dinners under the stars.

La Veranda restaurant offer a high level cuisine with local and traditional dishes of the Lake Maggiore and surrounding countryside. It has a very good service and wide cellar with selected wines for every request.

You could sip your aperitif or arrange an informal buffet reception in the wide garden with lovely view on the lake. You will be surrounded by palms and flowers and you will taste delicious lake fish and Piedmont wines. Continue Reading »

Today I am going to talk to you about Yvonne and Savino’s wedding event: she is German and he is Italian, both living in Milan, and they are among the many couples who this year have made Lake Orta their chosen venue for their special day.

The wedding ceremony was performed against the enchanting backdrop of Orta’s Sacro Monte while Yvonne and Savino chose the elegant Hotel Ristorante L’Approdo in Pettenasco.
The photographer who recorded the event was Alessandro Balossi, certainly one of the best portrait photographers on Lake Orta. The two pictures we have published here are a splendid example of his ability to capture his subjects spontaneously and naturally.

I was asked by Yvonne and Savino to be their flower designer and to take care of every aspect of the floral decoration for their wedding. The color scheme was white and lilac , certainly one of the most popular combinations over the last year. Yvonne particularly wanted a bouquet which featured these colours but which at the same time would be special and quite unique, elegant but natural.

This gave me the idea to use the flowers of the lilac Hebe, which has always been one of my own favourite flowers.
The Hebe grows wild in New Zealand but can also live quite happily in our own gardens, above all the lilac flower is one of the most delicate and natural we can find in existence. Quite perfect for the bouquet that Yvonne wanted!

Apart from the Hebe, the other lilac flowers I used for Yvonne’s bouquet were Freesia and Lysanthius, while the white flowers were Avalanche roses and the Cymbidium orchid . Continue Reading »

Since hotel opening in 1863, Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées was one of the leading hotels in Stresa Lake Maggiore, offering a luxury atmosphere for its famous clients discovering Italian Northern Lakes.

Times changed but atmosphere you can breath there is still the same!
Stresa is one of the most famous touristy Northern Italy destination thanks to its wonderful nature and easy accessibility.
Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées is located right into a stunning secular park with precious marble statues. Its beautiful fountains at the entrance with its elaborated statue is one of the most famous places on Stresa lake sidewalk.

Hotel is just in front of the lake just fews steps from Stresa main center. The view from its rooms is simply spectacular: you can see beautiful Borromeans Islands ad Alps surrounding the lake.

Across the years the hotel has been constantly renewed, just keeping its Belle Epoque style. Common areas are decorated with wonderful plants and flowers, Murano chandeliers, colored mosaics.
At night atmosphere is even more elegant thanks to piano bar playing.

Marble restrooms, antique furniture, rich tapestries and Murano chandeliers create a rich and conformable atmosphere. Every stage of the hotel has a own gallery inspired by a certain period of italian art. Continue Reading »

Are you looking for a smart lakeside restaurant for your wedding reception? Is your budget on the low side and not up to the extravagant Italian wedding organised by Tom and Katie Cruise?
Are you on the look out for a restaurant that will go a long way to finding the right solution for you, with a gift for the bride and groom, a gesture that makes all the difference?
Picture this: the hotel motor boat taking you to the Island of San Giulio for your wedding photos. And, on request and according to your budget, the hotel will arrange the room for you, with chair covers and big bows, if that is what you wish for.

If you have chosen Lake Orta, then the Approdo at Pettenasco is the right place for you with its a restaurant with a fine garden on the lake shore, well known for its excellent cuisine, and with the assistance of a native English speaker, and a large sunny banqueting room overlooking the lake.
Last week, Laura and Michele chose the Ristorante L’Approdo for their reception, while they chose the professional work and life-long experience of Raffaello Mazzoleni for their photos: We have selected just a few of the magnificent shots he took in the lovely Calle Room, beautifully dressed up for the occasion.

Raffaello Mazzoleni is an experienced photographer who has specialised in weddings and has state of the art equipment to assist him: the award-winning Olympus E3 with superb accessories such as the Olympus Zuiko 7-14 mm wide-angle lens.

The last picture shows Laura and Michele on board the motorboat made available for their use free of charge by the Hotel Ristorante L’Approdo:
a gift offered to all newly-weds so that they can immortalise their magic moment on the lake, a superb reminder of their truly perfect day on Lake Orta.

It is most satisfying for us to be able to announce that the Hotel L’Approdo at Pettenasco, one of the finest on the lake, joined Italian Lakes Wedding at the beginning of March.
Just a short distance from Orta San Giulio, the Hotel Ristorante L’Approdo enjoys an unrivalled position on the lake shore and is the ideal location for a smart, stylish wedding that still has an attentive eye on budget.

Excellent value for money is in fact the Hotel L’Approdo’s winning card, offering all the services of a fine 4 star hotel, and the comforts and quality of a top rate restaurant at a decidedly competitive price.

If you dream of an al fresco wedding party, consider that the hotel’s lakeside garden offers opportunities for scenic symbolic ceremonies, cocktail parties and aperitifs.

Indoors, the Calla Room has an elegantly calm atmosphere as well as a magnificent view over the lake. The hotel also takes the bride and groom to the Isle of San Giulio in their motorboat, a quite special place for quite unique wedding pictures. This is the hotel’s wedding gift to the newly weds, a detail not to be overlooked.

The Approdo also offers the expert assistance of their Marketing Manager, an English native speaker. She can assist you with everything from transfers from Milan’s Malpensa airport to the hotel, to the arrangement of tables, and the flower arrangements to put on them, and the choice of wedding cake, and photos on the island in the hotel’s private motorboat.

The Ristorante La Terrazza is well known for its cuisine, fine wedding menus featuring traditional and regional specialities with a touch of creativity and an excellent range of fine wines selected for the occasion. Continue Reading »

Bellagio lies directly on Como Lake and is crossed by a main street called via Garibaldi, which is criss-crossed by suggestive lanes which run up and down the hillside to the lake.
The most famous is called Salita Serbelloni. Here, a plaque marks the long stay of the musician Franz Liszt.
This romantic landscape it’s the perfect frame for your dreaming wedding day.
Bellagio, famous for the magnificent villas is one of the most refined location for your special event. It’s not easy to find so magical venues preserved as they were still in their maximum splendor period. And this area it’s particularly rich of villas rentable for weddings and unique occasions. The typical italian gardens of the Villas will impress your guests and the pictures of your wedding day will be simply astonishing.
After the unforgettable ceremony moment, while your guests start to refresh themselves with a delightful aperitif on a terrace, you could have the pleasure to discover fascinating corners of this ancient small town going for a brief and romantic walk, in order to relax a bit after the eternal promise. Continue Reading »