Italian Lakes Wedding Blog - Destination Weddings Italy

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.

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