Italian Lakes Wedding Planner

Nadia and Michel: the Big Day has arrived!
First of all let us introduce you our bride and groom: Nadia and Michel both come from Germany. The groom has Italian heritage. His relatives came from Puglia Region in Southern Italy which is famous for its splendid sea.
Nadia and Michel always loved Lake Como. They visited it many times and they chose it as their wedding destination.
In order make their love dream come true they chosed a special romantic and exclusive venue. Choosing Villa del Balbianello has been more than natural, considering also how famous it is!

At their arrival Nadia and Micheal had a beautiful sunny day and they enjoyed a relaxing boat trip on Lake Como.
The day of their wedding started with a cloudy and rainy sky. Luckily, clouds left the space to the sun, creating a landscape even more evocative and unreal.
Micheal and guests’ arrival by motorboat to Villa del Balbianello, stood out in all its splendor, with the 2 gracious bell towers of the ancient Saint John Convent which stretched skywards in a myriad of clouds and shades.

Isn’t it stunning? Just look to images of the Villa seen from the Lake! The authors are again Estella & Diego of Photo27 who followed the 3 days event: boat trip on the Lake the first day, wedding to Villa del Balbianello and last but not least a beach party in Lenno on the third day, right after the wedding.

And here arrives Nadia, on board of a luxurious white motorboat. The clouds went away in the meanwhile, leaving the space to a clear sunny day…
It almost seemed that the planners arranged the sun coming too!

During the weddings, access to Villa del Balbianello, is exclusively allowed from the Lake. You are welcome by the motto “Fay ce que voudras” (do what you want) which the Cardinal Durini wanted to be engraved on the small pier. Continue Reading »

Today we are pleased to introduce you one of the most important news of the early 2010, a fantastic period residence which is going to enrich the offerings of location for wedding on Lake Orta: Villa Decio.

Villa Decio is in Lortallo, an ancient village situated between Miasino and Ameno, near the Monastery of Monte Mesma.

Lortallo is a little hidden gem of Lake Orta, outside the traditional tourist routes: Lortallo was once a place of some importance, that it had a representative in the General Council of the Riviera di San Giulio and staying separate city until the early nineteenth century.

Here, more than any other place, time seems to stand still: in a walk in the quiet cobbled streets you can meets the Tower of Baldizzone (XIII century) and a group of medieval houses in the shadow of a massive block of villas arranged bunk and facing a precipice on Lake Orta.

In this exclusive environment Villa Decio is, a nineteenth century residence adorned with 3 terraced gardens, fully exposed towards the lake.

Inside the Villa Decio there are 3 rooms furnished with antiques, with a total capacity of 90 people. If you prefer to arrange your wedding party in the garden, the terrace at the top level is equipped with a fixed wrought iron framework which can accommodate up to 120 people.

The second level, embellished with an Italian garden, is particularly suitable for a cocktail buffet. Continue Reading »

Dear readers,
we are happily proud to announce a new web site born from the experience of Italian Lakes Wedding Team, this is a real spin off and it is called Italian Country Wedding!
Italian Countryside seemed to us another lovely idea side of the lakes for the ones who are are looking for a different, romantic, relaxing and pleasant kind of wedding.

On Italian Country Wedding web site you will discover a multitude of choices for unique ceremony and reception, an intimate elopement, sites, small town hospitality, and a variety of activities for you and your guests in the Italian countryside
Surfing on Italian Country Wedding you will undiscovered and unspoiled places to create the perfect setting for a special and real country wedding: gardens, vineyards, country villas, traditional Italian restaurants, agriturismos or farm houses, or even in a wonderful castle!

Italian Country Wedding is specialized in weddings across Piedmont region and Langhe and Monferrato country side areas….just have a look at it we are sure you will be amazed by the charm of countryside!

It’s the most voluptuous place in the world that I’ve ever seen. The surrounding nature enchants with thousands of hidden seductions which give the sensation of being immersed in the rarest sensuality and refinement.
This is how Gustave Flaubert described this part of the Piedmont coast where the Lake Maggiore opens up into the Borromean Gulf, a green bay between the centers of Stresa and Pallanza, the two most brilliant gems of the Verbano.

The Grand Hotel Majestic is located in Pallanza, which faces the Island of St. Giovanni, the thirty-year summer residence of Arturo Toscanini. It is a fascinatingly beautiful Belle Epoque hotel distinguished by its incomparable architectural dignity, grand frescoed rooms and extensive lakeside English garden. Its construction became the impetus for the city’s booming tourism in 1870.

The optimal motivating attraction for nobles and the elite to choose to construct their luxurious villas in this region was primarily the agreeable situation amongst the exceptional panoramic peacefulness of the cape complete with surrounding mountains and mild climate.

From many of the hotel’s 99 rooms and 4 suites the dreamlike view of the lake’s serenity, surrounded by the mountains and the captivating beauty of the Borromean Island’s architectural and botanic artistry, can be marveled at. On the Isola Madre and the Isola Bella, just a few minutes away from the hotel by boat, the Borromeo Dynasty buit two luxurious domiciles in the 600’s surrounded by some of the most beautiful gardens of the Lake Maggiore. Of all the gardens in the world, these gardens are surpassed in the beauty only by the magnificent botanical gardens of Villa Taranto housing 20.000 plants species, 1.000 of which had never been cultivated in Italy before. The garden is within walking distance from the Grand Hotel.

Enchanted by the aquamarine panorama of the lake, as seen from the terrace of Majestic, Eleonora Duse had her tailor fashion a dress “…in the same color as the lake”. Among an array of illustrious artists who have been accommodated in the ambience of the Grand Hotel are Grazia Deledda and the composer Claude Debussy. To name a few, the boats of the Stuarts, the Queen of Romania, the monarchs of Italy, the noble families of Germany, Indian Princes and Maharaja were docked here…In short, the personalities symbolizing “bon vivre” of the 800’s have enjoyed the splendor of the hotel.

After some decades of decline, the Grand Hotel Majestic underwent a long restoration period and was returned the dignity of its past. Its rejuvenation brings the true value of its classical style to life and gives the impression of being immersed in an atmosphere of times gone by, all the while offering its guests adequate services with attention focused on today’s comforts. 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 »

From the first days of 2009 the Italian Lakes Wedding team has 2 new wedding planners: Virag Lochinger and Alessandra Fabi.
Today I have the great pleasure to introduce you Alessandra, who will be our wedding planner for Lake Como: she has always dreamed of planning weddings for profession…and finally she did it!
Lake Como, which is certainly one of the most exclusive destinations for a wedding in Italy, offers to the bride and groom a stunning scenery: all along its coasts, surrounded by a luxuriant nature, you can find pictoresque villages facing the water and beatiful villas with parks and gardens. Here you will find enchanting town halls’ “Palazzi” and cozy churches hanging on the lake in the enchanting towns of Como, Bellagio, Cernobbio and Varenna.
It will be a great pleasure for Alessandra to help you plan your wonderful wedding on Lake Como: 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.
With her help, glamour and bon ton will be the main features of your special day while Lake Como will be the enchanting setting.
And if you need help in choosing your bridal gown, your honeymoon destination or the most chic wedding favours, just ask her and you’ll be surprised by her fervid imagination!

Isola Bella is the most famous of the Borromeo Islands and when you see it today you can hardly imagine it as the tiny fishing village it once was. In 1670 Count Vitaliano Borromeo started the building of a monumental baroque palace, and began landscaping the majestic scenery of the gardens for which the Island became so famous. The original name of the island was Isola San Vittore, but was son changed to the more suitable Isola Isabella, after Carlo’s wife and over the years it was shortened to Isola Bella. Local legend relates that the ladies of Borromeo’s household asked the Count to build on the island so that they would not have to listen to prisoners screaming in the dungeons of his mainland castle.

Today the island is famous above all for the magnificent Palazzo Borromeo and its gardens. A visit to the palace is a journey through the splendors of the past. The stately Borromeo residence contains priceless masterpieces: tapestries, furniture, and paintings by great masters. The Palace itself is full of ornate rooms which remind you of a past full of grand receptions and sumptuous feasts. Continue Reading »

The majority of people who know Lake Como are actually most familiar with the picturesque western shore of the lake, stretching north from the city of Como, half-way up the length of the lake to the picturesque town of Cernobbio and Menaggio… and not just because George Clooney owns a villa on this stretch of the lake shore! Then, just a short ferry ride from Menaggio is the famous village of Bellagio, a better known tourist and wedding destination. Continue Reading »

If for your wedding in Lake District you are looking for a unique and unforgettable venue, comparable to none, Villa Crespi is the perfect choice and it is strongly recommended by Italian Lakes Wedding team. Villa Crespi is a fairy tale venue similar to no one in all over Europe.

It is wonderful with its Moresque style that makes us think about “A thousand nights and a night” Persian homes, the richly decorated ceilings, its stuccoes, precious marbles and its minaret overlooking the lake.

Villa Crespi is located in Orta San Giulio, on lake Orta one of the most fascinating Lakes of Piemonte.

This home was built by the end of 1800 from Beniamino Crespi, a rich Italian business man charmed by Baghdad appeal. It took 12 years to build this wonderful building and for its handcrafts he decided to use the most precious materials. Green marbled came from Polcevera, red one from Levanto, he wanted Sicily jaspers, Swedish, Spanish and French marbles. As for stuccoes he wished for handmade embossed copper moulds. There were stalls for horses, a greenhouse, a dock a big wall with wonderful iron gates and a 48 meters minaret; all this was surrounded by terraced gardens toward the Lake.

After more than 100 years, after hosting princesses and queens, Villa Crespi is now an luxury hotel. Bridegrooms coming from all over the world simply love it. They choose it for an exclusive ceremony, a special wedding, a different reception, an important party or just for an unforgettable dinner.

A suggestion for all the brides that dream of a unique and really different wedding: why don’t you opt for an ethnic theme wedding?
It is one of the most wanted trends of the moment!
Villa Crespi thanks to its memorable Moresque atmosphere will be the perfect fairy tale scenario for your precious Ethnic Wedding. Continue Reading »

In the last years, especially in Northern Italy, there are many more civil weddings than in past times. In such town as Verbania, Como, Verona, Orta San Giulio and Stresa, civil bendings are more than religious ones.

Among the reasons that determined this new trend there: second weddings, that can be celebrated only at the town hall, the open-mindedness and swiftness of this kind of bending and also the increasing number of Destination Weddings.

Many think that civil weddings are less expensive and less formal than one celebrated in the church. But for sure it is not less important!
It is definitely a very important a sacred celebration equivalent to swear in a court. In fact Italian Law wants two witnesses present to the ceremony to be a guaranty, with their sign, of the absolute legitimacy of the bending that will bond between bride and groom.

In effect, civil ceremony is a celebration that has to be done in perfect agreement with Italian Laws instead of religious ones.
Civil bendings can be celebrated by mayors, or delegates and has to be done in authorized venues such as Town Halls, but also Villas, Castles, Hotels or even Garden, but all those places have to be authorized.

Your civil bending could be enriched by the beauty of many Town Halls, unforgettable villages, sinuous hills and hospitality of the ones who host bridegrooms for the celebration at the Town Hall.
For the couples that wish to celebrate their wedding on Lake Orta or Lake Maggiore, civil bending is available in almost every town: Stresa, Orta San Giulio, Verbania, Arona, Oleggio Castello, Baveno, Cannero Riviera, Laveno, Luino, Angera and Mergozzo. For a real fairy tale wedding the most wanted venues are Villa Bossi, Castello Dal Pozzo and Villa San Remigio.

Continue Reading »