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!

The celebration continued with a rich aperitif under the Canfora Tree Terrace where delicious drinks and food have been served while the couple took a lovely walk for their wedding pictures together with our great photographer Roberto Rapetti of SilverStars Photography.
I take the opportunity to really thank him and his staff for the great job made with us during the whole season!

The dinner was planned under the magnificent Balbianello Loggia, overlooking Lake Como.
Refined round tables, richly decorated with flowers crowns and floating candles, surprised the guests arriving to take their seats.

Being a small group I suggested bride and groom to change table at each course, in order to share their time with all the guests and they really loved this idea!
During the night they had the opportunity to dine at all the tables and this was highly appreciated from the invited guests.
The whole group really enjoined food, wines and impeccable service.

In the meanwhile the bride opted for a change of dress and wore her Chinese beautiful red bridal dress to show it to the Italian side of the family. She was simply gorgeous and ready for cutting the cake.
The cake was very special indeed! A Modern, squared and finely decorated cake following the bride taste and indications.
Cutting was made on the notes of her favorite Italian song: ‘A te’ by Italian signer Jovanotti.
What a dream!

Another wedding on Lake Como, I remember all of them and I can say everytime for me is just an amazing day!

Alessandra Fabi is the Italian Lakes Wedding’s coordinator for lake Como area. If your idea of wedding is refined, sophisticated and with a special attention to details, she’s your perfect wedding planner!
She makes each client feel unique and she treats each wedding as if it were her own.

For more information about weddings at Villa Balbianello Lake Como – please contact us.

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!

The ceremony chairs were decorated with lovely petal cones tight with silk ribbons matching bridesmaid dresses. They had with a dual use: first a decoration for the ceremony setting and later they could have been thrown by the guests to the newlyweds as good wish.
Butterfly theme, has been kept for the dinner with stunning lake view. Butterflies have been used as menu decoration and combined with outstanding ‘flying butterflies’ place cards on every guest glass.
To match Christine’s butterflies wedding theme, flower decorations had a country – chic style with many seasonal flowers combined to bunch of grapes to give a touch of personality to this elegant Lake Como wedding in September!

Looking to Alessandra’s job for Christine wedding I can realize how different could be the same theme! This is a good thing. It means that the same theme can be personalized and unique!
Stephanie, my bride wanted something colorful and really cute for her butterflies themed wedding on Lake Orta.
She is a art designer and had very clear idea about the flowers and decoration she wanted. Main color was pink and its shades.

For her bouquet she chose a loose one with many shades of pink and lilac while corsages, buttonholes and centerpieces were all pink hydrangeas. Lovely butterflies laid on them just like they were there for real.
Hydrangeas matched the lovely paper pom-poms she wanted for extra decorations.
Have a look to the lovely names cards, macaroon favors… and also menus and program of the day made up with a fan for ladies.
The ideal fresh and happy theme for a sunny wedding on Lake Orta.
The cutes part was the table plan. On a base of grass we placed butterflies escort cards, Guests loved to find our their seat in such a pretty context.

We really do think that both brides chose a lovely style. The interpreted it differently but the final result is great what do you think?
We would really thank photographers who provide these lovely shots.
Christine’s wedding: Vincenzo Santarella & Massimiliano Morlotti – Morlotti Studio
Stephanie’s wedding: Amy Turner – Imag1ne

As mentioned above stay tuned for our next four-handed posts we will tell you about some other lovely themes and ideas to inspire!

Italian Lakes Wedding Team is made up of several professional wedding planners and floral designers with a long experience on Italian Lakes locations.
The Team knows the territory in every single detail and will be able to follow you on every important choice you will take.
Our coordinators are based locally in the areas we serve so whether you decide for a wedding in Rome or Bracciano, a wedding in Como or Stresa, or a Wedding on lake Garda or Lake Orta, we will grant the same level of service.
Our Team will be able to provide you every kind of supplier, florist, photographers, musicians, designers celebrants, witnesses and help as far as your documents are concerned, and anything you may think of.
Italian Lakes Wedding Team will literally pamper you!

Pretty and sweet Leigh wanted for her wedding a traditional setting with a special touch of elegance!
This is the reason because she opted for white elegant flowers for her and bridesmaids’ bouquets: amazing Phalaenopsis Orchids!

Civil ceremony was held to the Town Hall with a scenic sky ad background!

Reception dinner was held to the pretty restaurant on St.Julius Island; it was arranged with elegant candelabras and a train of flowers all over the table …just a dream!

We will come back soon to tell you about more details of this sweet wedding on Lake Orta.

A special thanks to Francesco and Andrea of Independent Pictures for their great shots on this wonderful day!

Darren’s words are fixed in my mind “One hour by plane, few minutes on the motor-way and you reach Paradise on Earth!”
How could I describe better a place like this?

Leanne and Darren come from Ireland and the choose Lake Maggiore for their destination wedding. We explored several venues but as soon as they reached Hotel Dino they simply fell in love with the venue and pleasant atmosphere you breath inside.

They really wanted a symbolic blessing in the grounds of the hotel. Their day was blessed with a wonderful sun and mild temperature and their dreams came true.
The blessing was set in the smaller and more private garden of the hotel.

Ceremony was beautifully accompanied by the music of Koinè String Quartet. They created the perfect atmosphere for this romantic event. A wonderful soundtrack that everybody will remember for a long time!

Scenographic arrival of the bride on a natural aisle to reach a wonderful arch of flowers created by La Piccola Selva that matched perfectly Leanne’s theme based on white, purple and lilac.

Have a look to the romantic setting La Piccola Selva and us created for Leanne and Darren’s wedding.
A romantic arch, petals on the aisle and a wonderful view on the lake and Pescatori Island!
And let’s not forget about Leanne and bridesmaid’s bouquets and buttonholes.

Right after the ceremony an amazing aperitif was served directly in the garden.
Hotel Dino and the amazing staff presented a delicious and scenic aperitif in the garden.
All guests enjoyed sun, prosecco drinks and lovely canape and lovely music in the garden while Leanne and Darren took some time to take great wedding pictures.

An early dinner was served in the lovely room of the restaurant.
For the centerpieces Monika and Paola by La Piccola Selva created lovely round shaped compositions in tall glass vases with the same flowers Leanne had on her bouquet. An elegant choice that matched perfectly the style of Hotel Dino.

If you would like to have a look to all the images of the table arrangements follow this link.

The wide reception room faces the lake.
A wonderful dinner overlooking the lake, who could ask for anything more?
The dinner ended with a stunning wedding cake all decorated with Ferrero Rocher, Darren’s favorites! What a surprise with sparklers and Dean Martin’s That’s Amore music in the back ground!

And after then let the real party go on… live music and open bar with a great band and a dj set with crazy dances until 2am.
A great group a great fun on Lake Maggiore… Romanticism and fun the perfect mix for a perfect couple!

Congratulations Darren and Leanne!
A special thank to INDEPENDENT PICTURES photographers for their great shots and for their professionalism!

To see more details, don’t miss Darren and Leanne wedding day’s PHOTO GALLERY on our web site.

Valentina Lombardi is the Italian Lakes Wedding coordinator for Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore area.

She follows Italian and foreign bridegrooms who wish to celebrate their wedding in Piemonte and Italian Lakes area.
Valentina is Italian; she has worked in event organization business for years before becoming a wedding planner.

For any information about wedding on Lake Maggiore please CONTACT US.

We selected 33 bridal bouquets….they are all wonderful!
Would you like to be the one to choose the best one with us?

Our selection is has been made among all bridal bouquets of the wedding Italian Lakes Wedding Team planned in 2010 and presented on our blog.
For Valentine’s Day lovers and brides and grooms to be on Italian Lakes it could be a great opportunity to get inspiration for your wedding flowers!

Which is your favorite? You can choose up to 3 bouquets checking the box side of the name of matching bride and groom’ s names.
The contest will end in 3 weeks at 0.00 of 7 March 2011.

Thanks for vote your favorite bouquet!

bouquet 33: Valentina and Sergei

bouquet 32: Julia and Angus

bouquet 31: Tessa and Daniel

bouquet 30: Stephanie and Thomas

bouquet 29: Sonja and Allard

bouquet 28: Olesya and Fedor

bouquet 27: Nicole and Euan

bouquet 26: Melanie and David

bouquet 25 Maddalena and Karl

bouquet 24: Louise and Antonine

bouquet 23: Leigh and Liam

bouquet 22: Lina and Borja

bouquet 21: Laura and Johannes

bouquet 20: Katherine and Alik

bouquet 19: Kate and Kevin

bouquet 18: Josh and Browen

bouquet 17: Helen and Daheun

bouquet 16: Hannah and James

bouquet 15: Francesca and Seba

bouquet 14: Fiona & Scott

bouquet 13: Eve Marie & Roland

bouquet 12: Emma and Jarrod

bouquet 11: Els & Jurgen

bouquet 10: Elisabeth & Oyvind

bouquet 9: Elisa & Tobias

bouquet 8: Daniela & Mauro

bouquet 7: Dana & Nicola

bouquet 6: Cinzia & Gio

bouquet 5: Cinzia and Christian

bouquet 4: Arlette & Guido

bouquet 3: Anne & Alan

bouquet 2: Amy & Kevin

bouquet 1: Allison & Paul

Wonderful Anne is French from Paris and handsome Alan is from Ireland. They live in Ireland and they choose Orta for their special day because of its romanticism quaintness! In these two years Anne had a lovely baby boy and elder sister Mina grew up to be a wonderful flower girl together with other Anne’s girls.

During these months Anne studied all little details of the wedding focusing her attention side of the venue and other important issues, to her girls dresses, wedding dress, flowers and stationery.
Wonderful wedding stationery was studied and made by herself keeping in mind dreamy vintage Alice in Wonderland style.

Have a look to little sugared almonds favors box with Eat Me written on, to the menus and to the cake topper and to the names cards. Aren’t they just oneiric, vintage and natural? They perfectly match the location which is natural, romantic quaint and blooming.

But let’s have a look to Anne’s amazing wedding dress. We know that a wedding dress could be one of the most important detail for a bride. A bride could spend months finding the right one or it could be love at first sight just like for Anne was. The wedding dress perfectly matched her style. Anne chose famous Claire Pettibone as her stylist for the dress of her dreams.

The Washington Post hails Claire Pettibone’s collection as “proof positive that bridal fashion is keeping up with the runway”…
The Los Angeles Times calls her a “Style maven”… brides across the globe are enamored with the designer’s creations, just like Anne did and Say Yes to the Dress’s Randy Fenoli confirms, “Claire has a cult following.”

Ever since launching her eponymous brand with her husband Guy Toley in 1994 following graduation from Otis Parsons with a degree in fashion design, Claire Pettibone, the self-described “true romantic” has emerged as the designer for which romance takes on a vintage yet modern je ne sais quoi. Her talent for conjuring up such uncommonly beautiful and ethereal sensations is her trademark, and underlies the “world of Claire” – a fashion house that has grown from luxury lingerie to include couture bridal, fashion lingerie, and inspired casual wear. Claire’s signature style has also made her one of the top couture bridal gown designers in the world today.

“I have a very romantic vision,” says Claire Pettibone, “and I want a woman who wears my designs to feel indulged and feminine. I like to take her on a journey to another time and place, so when I create a collection, it always has an emotional, ethereal quality, and I think that’s what resonates with my clients.” And about Anne’s Lalique gown she adds: “The sinuous lines of the Art Nouveau movement are epitomized by the master jewelry designers Lalique, Vever and Fouquet. These artists incorporated natural motifs of flowers, vines and nature in their jewelry, which served as rich inspiration for the Lalique gown. Pure cotton voile and French embroidered tulle with silk flowers trailing down from the bodice are combined in an organic nod to nature’s beauty.”

Claire Pettibone has been the recipient of worldwide recognition and press, including being named the exclusive designer for “Married on MySpace’s” premiere season (her episode alone garnering more than one million views), and featured in TNT’s premiere season of “Wedding Day” produced by Mark Burnett.
You can find her wonderful dresses in many bridal boutique in USA, Canada, Europe and Asia. Find more about her following her on her web site.

If you love Anne’s wedding stationery and would like to have something similar for your wedding please contact us we will be happy to provide Anne’s contacts.

We tryly think that Anne was the perfect model for such a perfect dress! And we can also say that Anne made the perfect choice to match this amazing dress with little details such as her Stationery, white and loose flowers from La Piccola Selva and most of all Lake Orta setting.

All images © PHOTO27.COM – Milan.
except the last two photos (white & green centerpieces) copyright La Piccola Selva © All rights reserved.

Valentina Lombardi is the Italian Lakes Wedding coordinator for Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore area.

She follows Italian and foreign bridegrooms who wish to celebrate their wedding in Piemonte and Italian Lakes area.
Valentina is Italian; she has worked in event organization business for years before becoming a wedding planner.

For any information about wedding on Lake Orta please CONTACT US.

Balbianello Villa – Official Rental Fees 2012

Many of you write us to ask further information on Villa del Balbianello rental.
For this reason we would love to give you more information on our blog that we hope could be useful.
As mentioned Villa del Balbianello is a very exclusive and unique venue, for this reason rental fee is related to the luxury and exclusivity of the location itself.
Click here to find official rental fee that Villa del Balbianello property gave us for 2012

After the great and special rehearsal dinner to a beautiful Lake Como beach club, the Big Day has finally arrived for Antonin & Louise.
Many details made this wedding really different!

Both bride and groom stayed to Villa D’Este where they spent few relaxing days enjoying the lake and warm summer weather.
On the wedding day Antonin joined his friends who stayed for almost a week in a fantastic Villa with pool and private pier located in Laglio.

Ceremony was arranged to Villa del Balbianello followed by an wonderful reception in a private Villa in Cernobbio, on the lakeshore: a real masterpiece of the Lake Como architecture.
From this Villa, Antonin and his best men got on a charming Riva motorboat to go to Villa del Balbianello: they were really handsome.

In the meanwhile, the bride, together with her dad and the bridesmaids left Villa D’Este on a second charming Riva motorboat and reached Antonin who already reached Villa del Balbianello waiting for her together with family and friends, all very excited.
Louise was so beautiful in her wedding gown!

The ceremony was celebrated in the Loggia of Villa del Balbianello and conducted by a close friend of the couple.

All decorations were precious and elegant, with a big arch of flowers as main detail.

For the reception we worked a lot at Cernobbio Villa to create a perfect atmosphere. It had to be perfect!
After a long preparation the result was magnificent.

The cocktail was served in a lateral terrace which was adorned with tables, buffets and flowers, while the dinner was arranged on the main terrace, with a long table for the couple and their close family and friends, surrounded by many other round tables.

Centerpieces were something to be remember. High chandeliers totally covered with greenery and enriched with cascades of precious orchids and ivory candles.

Antonin and Louise wanted a real party where music, dance and scenery had a leading role.
For this reason, the band chosen for their event was great! It was made up with 11 musicians who involved the guests in dances and entertainment since the beginning of the aperitif.
Wonderful Italian Food, dance and lot of fun!

But our couple still wanted to surprise their guests with stunning fireworks on the Lake, accompanied by touching and romantic music.

And we do not have to forget the cut of the cake! It was totally unusual.
For this special moment they decided to get on a stage and cut the cake at the rhythm of a Samba.

After this special moment the party continued until late at night: a night that nobody will never forget.

All images © Morlotti Studio – Lake Como. All rights reserved.

Alessandra Fabi is the Italian Lakes Wedding’s coordinator for Lake Garda and lake Como area. If your idea of wedding is refined, sophisticated and with a special attention to details, she’s your perfect wedding planner!
She makes each client feel unique and she treats each wedding as if it were her own.

For any information about wedding to Villa del Balbianello and Cernobbio – please CONTACT US.

The entire event took place to Villa Rusconi Clerici in Pallanza on Lake Maggiore. Lisa and Darren had their blessing in the garden of the villa by the shores. Ceremony was conducted by Diane Wheeler.
Then they had a lovely aperitif in the garden, followed by a second aperitif on a big boat for everybody with 1 hour tour of the lake and an elegant dinner in the pavilion of the villa.
Dances and a bath on the lake to follow!

Fuchsia pink together with white of hydangeas were the theme colors Lisa chose for her flowers.
We will come back soon speaking about these and other details of this lovely wedding on Lake Maggiore in the following week. Just enjoy these first pictures!

We have already given a preview of this event on our Just Married section.
Waiting for Enrico Mocci‘s entire photo gallery I would like to spend few words on Nicola and Dana’s wedding floral arrangement.

Nicola and Dana’s color scheme varied from pastel pink to cream with the frame of big hydrangeas flowers.
Hydrangeas are simple but elegant flowers. They are very local on lakes. You can find many here thanks to climate and soil.
Hydrangeas are ideal on a summer wedding. They can match every situation: open air, garden receptions or romanic or baroque churches you can find on lakes region.

The religious ceremony was held in Sacro Monte church on top of Orta hill overlooking the lake.
For this occasion I created a white hydrangeas based arrangement with some cream and pastel cream roses adding some greenery too.

Have a look to the floral columns I created to embellish the main aisle heading to the altar.

Dana chose a round shape for her bridal bouquet.
It was made of pastel pink roses on a base of white hydrangeas and falling Ficus Benjamin leaves.

She wanted the perfect bouquet for her wedding dress.

Wedding reception was held to St. Julius Restaurant on St. Julius Island.
Table arrangement was very pretty. I used three different shapes of glass vases to create a elegant and pleasant effect.

For the top table I opted for a a little variation.
I placed a base of glass with water and crystal inside. I added then two little bunches of flowers facing one another as a symbol of the unity of newlyweds.

As floral designer I loved work and build with Dane and Nicola floral arrangement for their wedding. Day after day, decision after decision we reach a great result that you can see in this post.
We will come back speaking about this lovely couple to enjoy their wedding photo gallery.
Do not miss it!

Monika Andenmatten is La Piccola Selva’s floral designer.
Based in lake Orta, has worked with brides for over 20 years to create floral arrangements for weddings in the Italian Lakes district.
His wedding arrangements are creative, elegant and sophisticated. Monika will be able to help you choose how best to incorporate floral design into your wedding celebrations. From the initial consultation to the wedding day, she will make your wedding flowers truly an expression of your dreams.
For any information about wedding on Lake Orta please contact us.

Mark is professional plane pilot and for this reason he wanted arrive to his wedding with the mean he loves: an airplane of course!

All guests and Judith too, were amazed and surprised! Mark glided with his seaplane on the lake just in front of Villa Rusconi gardens where all was read for the ceremony. Such a great entrance!

Scott was excited too looking at Mark arrival! Scott was the special guest of the wedding, the most wanted and pampered! Scott had a wonderful flowers collar with white and lilac freesias. He was simply proud of that!
It was a great satisfaction for this wonderful Broholmer dog…it doesn’t happen every day to be the special guest to a wedding!

As usual Villa Rusconi garden on the shores was a stunning scenario for wedding photographs.

The rooms inside the villa with grand staircase, antique furniture and frescoes were lovely spots too. Thanks to owner’s special permission Judith had the pleasure to have some pictures taken in this fairy tale frame. Doesn’t she look like a princess?

Symbolic ceremony was held in the wide garden facing the lake.

Party went on until late at night with music, dances and lot of fun.

Our deepest congratulations to Judith and Mark from all Italian Lakes Wedding Team and… congratulations to Scott too for his wonderful flowered collar!

For more information about weddings in Villa Rusconi Clerici – lake Maggiore – please contact the Italian Lakes Wedding Team.