Italian Lakes Wedding Blog - Destination Weddings Italy

What is the perfect flower for a Winter Wedding?
According our opinion there is no doubt! Helleborus Niger: the Christmas Rose!
It is romantic, elegant, old fashioned. It is the ideal choice for a perfect winter wedding bouquet. It is made up of five petals around a golden corolla.
Helleborus is an ancient flower for its medical characteristics, there are many legends about this. One of those tells that those flowers come out the first time from the snow by a Bethlehem young girl’s tears that could give any present to Christ Child.
Christmas Rose is sometimes called the Snow or Winter Rose. It was very used in 1800 in Great Britain and then forgotten. It was re-discovered in the last few years becoming a symbol of stile elegance but also simplicity and naturalness.
Helleborus’ flowers boom right in Winter between December and February and the last for long time on its plant. Most know color is white but there are also beautiful hybrid rose, purple and violet. They are just perfect for a bridal bouquet or bridesmaids ones. Those flowers could be also used for refined and little centerpieces. Continue Reading »

As floral designer I’m always looking for interesting and creative solutions but this always depends on bridegrooms choices!
To give you an example Rossella and Giorgio’s wedding was a great occasion to work on a charming theme to me: autumn colors.
Rossella and Giorgio got married last Saturday in Orta San Giulio, lake Orta. A simple ceremony at Villa Bossi followed by a nice reception in wonderful atmosphere of Palazzo Penotti Ubertini.
Bridegroom’s wishe was having a color scheme that could reflect intense Autumn colors with some elements recalling this romantic season that lots of poets love.
As far as the floral arrangements, bouquet and ceremony table arrangement were concerned I opted for a strong contrast between chocolate brown and purple smoothen by soft shades.
I used Black Baccara rose, Leucodendron with Hypericum berries, dry Hydrangea and Gypsum leaves.
On tables at Palazzo Penotti Ubertini I completed the arrangements with rose petals, pine cones and chestnuts.
You can see the final result above. I really hope you like it too!

Eleonora and David got married on the 27th of September. This was a special event planned in association with Italian Lakes Wedding Team. You can have a look to DAVID AND ELEONORA’S PHOTO GALLERY realized by Diego & Estella Photographers - Photo27.com.

The Ceremony took place in the beautiful setting of Villa Rusconi Clerici in Verbania Pallanza, lake Maggiore.
I would need very few words to describe what happened at their wedding (beautiful, romantic, full of joy and feeling, with everything going as planned…). Much longer is the description of the effort and the lovely care and attention to every detail that Eleonora and David put in the planning of their special day, and to the music in particular!

Eleonora contacted me by email some months before the wedding date, in May to be exact.
She and David decided almost at once that my jazz repertoire was exactly what they wanted for the aperitif. But they were undecided for the music for the ceremony: “I don’t remember if I mentioned it” writes Eleonora in one of the many emails we exchanged, “the ceremony will be Catholic and Jewish together…”.
Therefore not only we needed to find music that Eleonora and David liked, that could accompany their ceremony, underlining the special moments, giving everybody emotions and so on (as usual!). We most of all had to find pieces that were not too closely connected to one of the two religions or traditions represented during the ceremony, songs or music that could be impartial. Continue Reading »

From the moment we met Mauro we trusted him implicitly and were taken by his lovely friendly nature, sense of humour and professionalism.

In fact the entire team at Italian Lakes Wedding, Valentina & Ernesto our wedding planners, Estella & Diego our Photographers (Photo27.com), Emilio our Videographer, The Koiné String Quartet and the staff at Villa Bossi and San Rocco Hotel at Lake Orta gave us the wedding we always wanted – and more.

We knew in Palazzo Bossi we had chosen a special place to get married but it was the flowers decorating the Town Hall that made it into the dream wedding we had always hoped for. Mauro and his La Piccola Selva’s team did a fantastic job, not only in the flowers at the ceremony but all of the beautiful bouquets and buttonholes too.

The flowers may not last but the memories always will. Thank you so much!

We love Italy: we love its people, its language, its food, its culture, its nature, etc. Therefore, getting married in Italy was the obvious choice.
But where? After thorough research and multiple research weekends in Italy (oh, the sacrifices one has to make…) we came to the conclusion that it would have to be in the picturesque Orta San Giulio. This lovely town even has its town hall on the lake (Lago d’Orta), allowing the bride and groom (or in our case: bride and bridesmaid) to arrive in a (rowing) boat!

We (bride, groom and guests) all stayed at hotel Leon d’Oro, that is situated right in the heart of the town (Piazza Motta) on the lake. Our rooms were immaculate and the friendly assistance we received from the staff really made us feel very welcome! We had welcome drinks for our guests on one of the terraces of the hotel overlooking the lake and the Isola San Giulio. Just perfect!

When the flowers arrived on our wedding day, we knew for sure that La Piccola Selva had been the right choice for the floral arrangements. We had had quite specific ideas about what the bouquet and corsages would have to look like and were very happy to see that La Piccola Selva had been able to bring it all together so beautifully. As per our request, it had also provided us with a special flower decoration for the stroller of our little niece. Great Paola, thank you! Continue Reading »

Thinking about getting married on the Italian Lakes area? You love flowers? You want a bright wedding theme? You like the sun? “Chiste o paese do sole,” says a popular old Neapolitan song, Italy is the land of the sun! So why don’t you use sunflowers for your main wedding theme? Since the flower itself reaches up to the sun, it symbolizes warmth, happiness, adoration and longevity, a sunflower wedding theme is perfect! What more can you wish for your marriage? If you want to have a bright-yellow sunflower wedding, be aware that the best time to get real sunflowers is July to October.

Probably the most sunny cheerful flowers you can find for your wedding. Sunflowers are big, bold, cheerful and brash and have summer written all over them. Bright, vivid colour and long, strong stems make the Sunflower a fantastic focal flower for summer and autumn events, wedding bouquets, table centrepieces and floral arrangements.
If you want to see my floral works with Sunflowers, please take the time to browse my portfolio at La Piccola Selva’s Wedding Flowers Gallery. The florist La Piccola Selva has been creating innovative and exclusive designs for over 20 years, supplying flowers to the leading hotels and wedding venues on Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore. Continue Reading »

Lake Orta has always been one of the best destination for bridegrooms coming from all over the world. But not only!

Often is the trait d’union between different culture, very far from each other.
This is the case of Cristina and Derek. She comes from Genova and he is from Scotland.
A long love story and then the decision to getting married. Considering the wonderful places they both come from it is not easy making a decision. Portofino, Five Lands, Porto Venere or even some legendary castle in green Scottish country side.
What a difficult choice! And here it comes Lake Orta. They immediately fell in love with it. The perfect destination for their wedding.

Considering the distance it was not easy organizing all the event: ceremony, reception, flowers, music, invitation, guests coordination coming from Scotland and Ligura.
They decided to hire a wedding planner specialized in Lake Orta area. Their natural choice went on Valentina Lombardi from SposiamoVi – Torino. Valentina is a wedding planner with long experience on Lake Orta and she works with skillful professionals on the territory.

The photographer is Raffaello Mazzoleni who is the author of beautiful photojournalistic pictures that you can see in the SCOTTISH WEDDING PHOTO GALLERY for Cristina and Derek.

Floral arrangements are from La Piccola Selva thanks to the fantasy and creativity of floral designer Monika Andenmatten. La Piccola Selva has been leader for more than 20 years in floral arrangements and bridal bouquet creation for churches and best venues on Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore.
Cristina and Derek for their reception venue decided for Hotel San Rocco in Orta San Giulio.
Continue Reading »

My name is Martha J.

I have been working in the Italian music scene for more than twenty years and in the last few years part of my activities has been focused on private parties (weddings, anniversaries…) and corporate events (conventions, meetings,…).

In my experience, I saw many brides and grooms spend a lot of time and efforts in choosing the right “ingredients” for their big day: a perfect dress, a nice church, lovely surroundings, a gorgeous villa, beautiful flowers…
What they much too often leave as a last minute choice is music, which is considered a less important “ingredient”.

Remember that music represents the soundtrack of you wedding day and a good soundtrack can make the difference!

That’s why I am here to help you find the right music for you big day!

A wedding without music is like a movie without a soundtrack!
Let me help you find the right soundtrack for your big wedding day!

Our secret is that: you have fun…because we have fun! We can change the musical program according to your requests; we can change musical styles just reading-through your guests’ tastes.

It will be a pleasure for me to play at your wedding or to help you stage the music that suits your tastes, because I am sure that, in the years coming, when you close your eyes and think of your big day, my music will play again in your heart!

Casablanca Lilies, the largest blooms of all Lilies!
A very fragrant flower, Casablanca Lilies are perfect for large wedding flower arrangements. From a decorators point of view Casablanca Lilies are important because they fit modern and traditional situations so well. They are individually unique and mass pleasingly and they are so fragrant. They are long lasting, holding up well when manipulated into wired floral pieces. Brides find them magically expressive of the beauty they are looking for and popularity makes Casablanca Lilies stylish and trendy.
The image on the left shows a flower arrangement with Casablanca Lilium and Roses created by me at Hotel Dino in Baveno, lake Maggiore.
The beauty of fresh Casablanca lilies offers a sweet fragrance and statuesque grace. No flower is more frequently used at weddings than this hybrid. These lilies were originally found in China and Japan. The first known use of lilies at weddings was by the Ming dynasty in China. A breathtaking lily, the Casablanca is known for its dramatic white blossoms and irresistible scent. Among the most famous of Lilies from the Oriental family, it’s as elegant as the name implies. The Casablanca takes its name from the Spanish “casa” (house) and “blanca” (white). These pure white Lilies exhibit three-to-five stunning flowers per stem, for a total of 30 or more flowers per bunch. A plentiful amount well suited for a truly spectacular display, gala event or thoughtful gift.

Warning: put a protective shield under the lily when using them as corsages. The anthers which project from the center of the flower will easily stain fabric. It is safest to remove the anther prior to using them in this manner. Continue Reading »

On September 4, 2004 Isola Madre on the Borromeans Islands has been the perfect scenario for the wedding of the decade: John Elkann, Fiat heir, married Donna Lavinia Borromeo of Princes of Angera at the Cappella Bianca on the Isola Madre.
John Elkann is the chiselled 28-year-old grandson of the late Gianni Agnelli. Following the death of his uncle Umberto, Elkann was promoted to the vice-chairmanship of Fiat, becoming the head of Italy’s grandest family in the process.
Princess Lavinia Borromeo is the last descendant of the Borromeo family: this noble family was the owner of the islands for centuries. Borromeo family is one of the premier Italian families that became rich through trade and banking.
Lavinia Borromeo and John Elkann made up a beautiful couple: she was 26, he was 28. They had a beautiful wedding: the ceremony and wedding took place at the Cappella Bianca, at Isola Madre in Lake Maggiore, which is property of the bride’s family. Father Biagio Pizzi and Don Giuseppe Volpati presided over the ceremony. The church was adorned with white and yellow flowers. From the seven hundred guests invited to the reception, only the relatives and close friends of the couple were able to enter the small church.
The bride wore a Valentino’s gown and she complemented it with a splendid lace veil that is running in the Borromeo family for many years. Valentino was also in charge of the dresses worn by the bridesmaids, Beatrice and Matilde (sisters of the bride), as well as by Isabella Borromeo, who acted as witness. Continue Reading »