The ceremony took place in Villa Bossi and the reception on the wonderful terrace of Hotel San Rocco.
From a floral point of view amazing Phalaenopsis orchids have been the main character of the event, one of the most beautiful on Lake Orta we had this year.

Here you can see some of the images that Enrico Mocci gave us, thanks to his hard and quick work.
Stay tuned because in the next days we will be able to show you all best shots of Charlotte and Steven’s wedding with many details of their unforgettable wedding!

There will be also a wonderful video realized by videomaker Riccardo Lavezzo who was the video maker for Lina and Borja last year on Lake Maggiore.

See you soon on these pages and congratulations to newly weds!

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.

From the very first email I appreciate how sweet and kind Donna was.
Mark and her had in mind a wonderful idea…. getting married outside on a rock overlooking a wonderful undiscovered spot of Italy.
Suggestion that came to my mind immediately was: Madonna del Sasso view!

So we decided to arrange all around this.
Donna and Mark arrived in Italy reaching Venice as first destination.
Then they traveled across Lake District, Lake Garda, Lake Como and they finally reached lovely Lake Orta the location they chose for their wedding.

On the day of the wedding the a warm sun of May blessed the day and all was ready for the intimate ceremony on Madonna del Sasso rock.

Mark left the hotel before Donna to reach the breathtaking rock of Madonna del Sasso while Donna was still getting ready and have some pictures with her wonderful bouquet created by Monika and Paola from La Piccola Selva.
Wonderful roses, peonies and a touch of blue… scented lavender!

Donna was one of the sweetest bride I ever had but she is a very sporty and firm woman! She is a sport racing driver!
She loves cars and bikes and she wanted a wonderful Italian car to take her to her wedding ceremony. Something vintage… Italian …a wonderful 50s Lancia Appia.

After a pleasant drive through the nature Donna reached Madonna del Sasso Rock. She was wordless….the view was stunning and Mark was waiting for her in the peace of this enchanting place.

Our professional celebrant Giuseppe was waiting for her with Mark just on the edge of the rock to perform a moving and intense ceremony overlooking a magnificent view.
This was exactly what Donna and Mark dreamt for their wedding: a wedding in the nature overlooking a unique and natural show.

After the moving and very intimate ceremony Donna and Mark took some pictures in the little garden in front of the Church of Madonna del Sasso and inside the church. The parish priest came also to congratulate and this was one of the sweetest moment of the day… he offered some sugared almonds to the couple just to wish good luck!

After the ceremony Donna and Mark came back to Orta village for some pictures and some more to St Julius Island.
Being in love with nature they decided to reach it with a rowing boat…..so romantic!

A little walk in the tiny roads of the Island and then back to Orta for a magic dinner to the restaurant of Hotel San Rocco.

Donna and Mark spent some more days in Orta and drove back to Milan to come back to US….they will definitely come back in Italy soon to enjoy some more of our wonderful country!
I hope to meet soon again!

Thanks very much to Enrico Mocci and his team for his pictures of the day!

And most of all congratulations to Donna and Mark, come back to Italy soon guys!

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.

Our readers noticed that many bride and groom chose them for their wedding pictures like Darren and Leanne – with their wonderful blessing overlooking the lake in Grand Hotel Dino in Baveno, Sally and Tom, Siobhan and Stuart, Soo and Jason – last year in Orta San Giulio and Teju and Craig – Villa Aminta in Stresa.

Siobhan and Stuart, San Rocco Hotel - Lake Orta

Leanne and Darren - Grand Hotel Dino, Baveno (Lake Maggiore)

Soo and Janson - San Rocco Hotel, Lake Orta

Sally and Tom - Church of Maria Assunta, Orta San Giulio (Lake Orta)

Color is the first important element that makes Independent Pictures photography beautiful. Rich and full colors enhanced by a precise and detailed post production.

Teju and Craig - Villa Aminta, Stresa (Lake Maggiore)

Emotions make the service candid and amazing. Each image is taken following reportage and photojournalism criteria.
Andrea and Francesco – Independent Pictures’ team – tell all the events of the day without any restriction and fiction. Only this way they can catch real emotions of an important day like a wedding can be.

Luisa and Roberto - Villa Matilde (Romano Canavese, Torino)

Mina and Derek - Hotel Shackleton, Sestriere (Torino)

Giorgia and Ricky - Villa Canalis (Cumiana, Torino)

Lamia e Ivan - Villa Leumann (Pianezza, Torino)

Side of the Lakes Independent Pictures’ photographers have a wide experience on several among the best venues in Piemonte and Lombardy: Castello di Canalis (Cumiana, Torino), Teatro Carignano in Torino, Hotel Shackleton in Sestriere, Villa Matilde (Romano Canavese, Torino) Villa Leumann (PIanezza, Torino and many other venues.

Cristina and Riccardo - Teatro Carignano, Torino

To know more about Independent Pictures’ style have a look to their WEDDING PORTFOLIO. You will find here a lot of wonderful shots of the most recent wedding Francesco and Andrea worked for.

For further information and rates please visit www.independentpictures.it or fill the form below:

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Recently, the structure has been completely renovated: here is the perfect opportunity to introduce you to the novelties and the top of the services offered by the Hotel San Rocco to the married couple, certainly the best you could have for an exclusive and romantic wedding on Italian Lakes.

THE ANCIENT WALLS

The history of Hotel San Rocco starts over 400 years ago. Looking over from the shores of the magical Piedmontese Lake Orta, in the pedestrian village of Orta San Giulio and bounded by the ancient walls of a monastery, this building, that for nearly 150 years was an enclosed convent, in 1960 officially became a hotel. Villa Gippini was added to the original structure afterwards which made Hotel San Rocco the most prestigious reception complex in the Lake Orta area. Now, four stars hotel with 80 rooms.

RESTAURANT

Famous for organizing special events and for moments and pleasures of the table, the Hotel San Rocco has a wonderful panoramic restaurant: an exceptional example of refinement and details care, as well as of the culinary art.
The Restaurant, at the first floor of the Hotel, with its big arched windows, enjoys a charming and romantic view: the Island of San Giulio, set like a jewel between the brilliant lake waters and the neighbouring hills that are mirrored in it, with their green mantles. Its cooking is managed by Paolo Viviani, Executive Chef of Novara, winner of the Olympic of the Rice.

TERRACE

Other great features of the hotel are the garden terrace which leads right to the water’s edge and the panoramic outdoor swimming pool. During the summer, Guests can delight, in the open air, light launches or dreamy dinners under the stars with candle lights.

LOUNGE BAR

The Hotel also offers a refined and cosy lounge bar lake view towards San Giulio Island, that becomes more romantic in the evening, where Guests can spend their time sipping aperitifs or enjoy their favourite drink. Seated in total relaxation in a leather armchair where once was the old boathouse, the guest may choose whether to be bewitched by the island of St.Giulio wreathed in its enchanting mists or be comforted and warmed by the flames flickering in the fireplace.

ROOMS

In the romantic background of Lake Orta, the charm of the past creates a modern and unique hospitality.
At the beginning of 2009 the Hotel has been completely renovated. New look for the guest rooms, fully re-designed: from the floors to the doors and windows, from the lighting to all the natural chic furnishing.
The restored rooms and suites open onto a beautiful panorama of the lake. Some rooms have terraces or balconies for breakfast or simply to enjoy the lake breeze. Detailed attention has been lavished on the modern and elegant suites so as to satisfy every requirement.
Fashion, heating and cooling radiant systems, thermoregulation, electronics, hi-tech lighting and furniture design make the Hotel San Rocco, with its tradition and innovation, a real and tangible example of the true Made in Italy.

VILLA GIPPINI

Villa Gippini, a true jewel of art history, reflects here all its baroque splendour in the clear water of the lake and offers different and elegant rooms and suite, village view or lake view.
Within the Villa, there are numerous early nineteenth century frescoes on the walls and ceilings. The Villa is now fuelled by an innovative hydrogen boiler, designed by the Giacomini Spa’s engineers and is actually the first and only hotel facility to benefit from this new technological system.

WELLNESS ROOF GARDEN

An oasis on the flat roof of the Hotel for exclusive and intimate moments. A total, absolute relaxion in the open air on a charming terrace with a wonderful view that takes shape from the lake to the land; a panorama to contemplate, making caress yourself by pleasant, massaging water jets in our Jacuzzi… Many water caresses to enjoy alone or in couple.

BODY HARMONY CENTRE

An exclusive location for reaching beauty and harmony, in body and spirit. In these centre, you can find yourself again and discover the pleasure of a personalised treatment that regenerates the body and relaxes the mind for men, woman and couple.

If for your wedding you are looking for a discreet, romantic, rich in history and evocative atmosphere, the Lake Orta and the Hotel San Rocco are the perfect combination for a unique and unforgettable event.
For more information or reservations, visit the website www.hotelsanrocco.it or fill out the form above:

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As floral designer I met Siobhan and Stuart through Valentina, our wedding coordinator specialized on weddings on Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore.
I leave to her introducion this lovely couple:

Shiobhan and Stuart are a nice couple coming from Scotland.
I never met them before they came here for their wedding. We planned all details via email and our collaboration started more than one year ago!
Sibhoan is a wonderful and sweet person. She faced every step of the planning with a deep joy and enthusiasm and it was a pleasure and honor for me helping her and her groom to make their dream come true.

They decided for an intimate wedding on Lake Orta because they wanted to share the perfect atmosphere of this quaint corner of Italy only with their close friends and family. They spent some days in Orta taking also the occasion to enjoy the lake in a special period of the year: Early Spring.
This moment is special here, flowers and plans and blooming and the tourists are still few.
A perfect choice!

From the floral point of view Siobhan and Stuart’s wedding was really unusual, they chose a theme based on pink and yellow.

For the bride and grooms who wish to celebrate their wedding outdoors in a garden or by the lake shores a colorful palette of pink and yellow could be a trendy solution! It can be dynamic and out of classical choices making the atmosphere warmer colorful and charming!

Yellow is a joyful, energic color which brings optimims light and transparency.
On the other side Pink is very feminine and fine, it recalls elegance, class, refinement, sensuality and seduction.
The final effect is absolutely gorgeous and unique just as for Siobhan and Stuart’s wedding.

Every floral arrangement Siobhan and Stuart chose recalled pink and yellow. Villa Bossi columns arrangements, flowers on the table of ceremony, petals on the aisle and centerpieces for reception to Hotel San Rocco.

In order to create this lovely scheme we opted for Aqua roses in a deep pink shade and some yellow gerberas with a delicate touch of Alchemilla.

To match light yellow bridesmaid dress we opted for little bouquet of Aqua roses that in its semplicity gave a natural and smooth appeal to all.

Have a look to Siobhan’s arm sheaf bouquet. We realized it in the same shades of the entire event!
The arm sheaf bouquet is more or less like a bunch of flowers created to be carried on an arm, just like a baby.

Let’s not forget about the Royal table arrangement in Rotary room of San Rocco Hotel.
We realized it with little candles, roses and floral arrangements in different shapes and dimensions to give a dynamic and joyful aspect just like Siobhan and Stuart wanted.

If you would like to give a special and different touch to your wedding being far from usual schemes then a pink and yellow themed floral arrangement could be a great idea!
The colors need to be matched with taste and elegance to create smooth and charming arrangements!

As flower designer I think that a theme matching sensual pink and lightful yellow could be the perfect choice for a joyful happy and bright wedding!
After all it is just like this a wedding should be! Fun joy and a wonderful sweet party!

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.

A wonderful day in Orta with a mild temperature, almost like summer, pretty unusual for this period considering that Spring has just arrived!
This was the perfect frame for Siobhan and Stuart’s wedding!
As tradition wants Siobhan arrived to Villa Bossi by a rowing boat with her father. The civil ceremony had also a special touch with a wonderful blessing conducted by our celebrants Diane and Giuseppe.
After a pretty walk in the medieval village of Orta bride and groom had a wonderful aperitif in the gardens of Villa Gippini part of San Rocco Hotel, where Siobhan and Stuart also had a delicious dinner with all their guests.

We would like to thank Independent Pictures photographers who gave us in few hours the first wonderful shots of this sweet event.

They both had a lovely religious ceremony to Assunta Church in Orta and then a charming reception to San Rocco Hotel.

Soo’s idea of the perfect wedding was a very simple and romantic event. She chose a romantic big wedding dress in white with a happy sunflower decoration for the church and reception.

The only exception was her cascade bridal bouquet designed by Monika Andenmatten from La Piccola Selva. This bouquet is actually in La Piccola Selva web site gallery. Soo had a look at it and fell in love with it so she wanted it for her wedding.

Soo is a Chinese-British violinist living in Australia with Jason. Since her passion for classical music she wanted a ceremony and reception totally accompanied by the sound of a classical string trio.
The reception ended with some more classical and jazz music played to the wonderful long piano in San Rocco hotel. The only exception was Soo and Jason’s first dance: Undisclosed Desire by Muse. But we know Muse’s music has a lot of violins in their backgrounds!

Soo really wanted a classical and romantic dream have a look to her wedding photos – by Independent Pictures.
Aren’t they just a sweet dream?

Lisa and Emmett had the same wedding scheme but a totally different attitude towards the event.
Lisa has a big and happy family with brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. They are all coming from Ireland and they arrived here to spend a wonderful vacation o the Lake.

The ceremony involved all family: bride’s nieces sang a psalm, father of the bride sang a hymn and Lisa and Emmett little daughter sat between them all ceremony long!

After this moving ceremony the joy exploded!
The complete family went to the Island for family pictures….not only the bride and groom but all of them!

Happily reception was held to Hotel San Rocco where Ezio Lucchini entertained the aperitif with a joyful guitar background.
Let’s have a look to Enrico Mocci’s photographs.

But the party did not end there!
After dinner the whole group moved to a local beer factory to drink home made beers, dance and party until 4am!!
We will come back soon talking about this great idea. We are sure you will love it!

Same venues could give birth to very different events. So do not hesitate to choose again what we suggest here. We will help to personalize it and make your destination wedding in Italy really unique!

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.

All images © Italian Lakes Wedding and:
Soo and Jason’s wedding: Independent Pictures, Torino.
Lisa and Emmett’s wedding: Enrico Mocci – ArtefotoArona, lake Orta.

This time we want to tell you about that in a unique way: Eve-Marie and Roland’s wedding will be described directly by bride and groom!

Roland and I are both from Dublin. We met in college and had been great friends for almost a year before we starting going out and that was seven years ago now.
We had planned a big wedding in Ireland and were ready to start paying deposits when we realised that we didn’t want a big wedding with lots of people who we hadn’t met or who didn’t know us. We sat back and really thought about what we wanted and decided we’d love to have a relaxed wedding in Italy with those that matter most to us both. We focused on the northern lake region of Italy because it would have lovely weather in September when we wanted to get married and it was close to airports.
We started searching for planners online and Valentina kept coming up.
The Italian Lake Weddings site instilled us with confidence that these planners were the real deal, so we started emailing Valentina and arranged to come over and view some possible venues on the Italian Lakes.

Roland and I arrived in Orta the night before we were due to meet Valentina (and her colleague and husband Ernesto) and decided to go for a walk down the town. Within 5 minutes of walking through the cobbled village with the beautiful coloured buildings on either side and entering into the stunning piazza with it’s view of the lake and San Julius island, we had decided that Orta was the prettiest place we’d ever seen, that we wanted to share it with all our friends and family. We just had to get married there.

We decided to stay in the hotel San Rocco with our 45 guests. The hotel staff were so accommodating. As a special treat they gave Roland and I the suite in the Villa Gippini which really made the start of our wedding visit magical.

Our wedding was a 3 day affair and the Italian Lakes Wedding Planners helped us to organise all.
We had a Welcome Lunch for our 45 guests in Due Santi Restaurant in the centre of the piazza looking out over the lake. Later that day we took 2 boats across to the island for an amazing rehearsal dinner on the terrace at the Restaurant on St. Julius island, in the middle of the lake. The day after the wedding, we went for a leisurely pizza in La Campana Pizzeria, before we headed home.

We had quite a large bridal party, with four bridesmaids and both of our mothers. Our dresses were all made by a truly gifted woman name Gay DePaor in Ireland who worked so hard on the seven dresses and gave us exactly what we asked for.
My duchess Satin and Chantilly lace dress was perfect to match the 1950s Hollywood style I wanted and she was able to make each of the bridesmaids a different designed dress which allowed the four of them match, but also to show their own personal style.
On the wedding day the make-up artists at the San Rocco wellness center took exceptional care of the seven of us and our local Italian hairdresser Cristina worked wonders with her assistant so that we were all ready to go by 2pm.

There are so many beautiful churches in Orta and Valentina brought us to visit them all, but when we saw the breathtaking view from the Sacro Monte church we were totally smitten. Our guests are still raving about it and it was a lovely way to take out first steps of married life out into that wonderful vista.

The guests and most of the bridal party made their way up to the stunning Sacro Monte church on the fun tourist train that drives around Orta. This was a great treat for our guests.
My father and I followed in a beautiful vintage Bentley car that really felt in-keeping with our 1950’s Hollywood glamour style.

The very talented floral designer Paola from La Piccola Selva arranged our flowers and decorations and all our guest commented on what a superb job she did. I hadn’t been sure what flowers I wanted and she helped me to decide by showing me many of the wonderful weddings she had done previously.
I loved my bouquet which was made of blue hydrangeas and cream roses and the table settings later at the reception were superb. I must admit my favorite part were the heart shaped bushes outside of the church, I just adored these.

The wedding ceremony itself was magical. We had brought our own priest from Ireland who was a close family friend and the string trio we had really added to the atmosphere with their beautiful music. I had been quite concerned about the music in the church because all I had heard was a few songs they had preformed, but they truly were exceptional, providing not only the few songs I had asked for, but also filling in with music wherever it suited the ceremony. They then followed us outside and played to our guests as we congregated around the church and took some photographs.

The photographers from Silver Stars Photo were exceptional. Roberto and assistant Alice were so patient and took so many photos but at no point were they in any way intrusive. They worked wonderfully with the videographer Vera. We haven’t seen photos yet, but I’m sure they’ll be wonderful.

Click here to EVE-MARIE & ROLAND’S PHOTO-GALLERY by Silver Stars Photo

We went through a number of venue choices and Valentina (and her husband Ernesto who takes care about booking and logistics) was very supportive before we finally decided on having the ceremony in the Castello and we certainly made the right decision. The Castello is a beautiful venue with an old world charm. The stairs and stain-glassed window provide a lovely backdrop for photos, as do the pool and the amazing terrace. It was also lovely to feel that it was ours for the day.

We had lovely aperitifs under the trees in the grounds, sitting and relaxing with our guests, while the Hot Club Trio serenaded us. It was so nice to be able to relax with our guests and leave all the organizing to the planners now that the excitement of the wedding ceremony was behind us.

The food throughout the wedding day was provided by Delicatezze a Casa Vostra Catering Service and was truly marvelous. We had an amazing variety of hor d’ourves when we arrived at the Castello, followed by a scrumptious Wedding dinner. Then there was a delectable dessert buffet, followed by cake and cheese. The food really was top class and our guests are still talking about it.

Valentina went to a lot of trouble to add some personal touches to our wedding day. They set up a beautiful heart made of candles on the lawn in front of the terrace and we had an amazing escort card tree with crystals and ribbons that I was really excited about. The biggest surprise of all was the incredible cake, which was a total surprise and tasted as great as it looked.

After we had danced and ate and drank our fill, we all went out to the terrace and set off 25 paper lanterns into the night sky with our guests.

This felt like the perfect end to a perfect day!

Italian Lakes Wedding Team really wants to thank Eve-Marie and Roland for their kindness and friendship.
Thank you Eve-Marie and Roland from all the team for your lovely and sweet words that we all appreciated!

And… Italian Lakes Wedding team really wants to wish a wonderful and sparkling 2011 to Eve-Marie and Roland, all our brides and grooms, all our readers, friends and collaborators!

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!

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

For the first time we will talk you about the main theme Nicola chose for the wedding and this is the first time we are presenting here a gold themed wedding on Lake Orta!
Such and original choice Nicola and Bryan did for their wedding in italy.
As we told you Nicola and Bryan decided for an intimate wedding for no more than 25 people.
In the afternoon of a gold sunny day on the lake Nicola arrived to the church with her father and her sister.

They were perfect! Nicola’s dress was amazing with all laces and the fist touch of gold was given by the sweet ivory and gold dress her lovely sister had on.
Bridal bouquet and decorations in the church were of course ivory themed to keep them simple and elegant. Chic and delicate gold touch was kept for the reception to the reception.

The arrangements of the tables were surely a touch of good taste Nicola has indeed.

It was made up with just some ivory floating flowers, ivory tablecloths and chairs to begin on the three round table in Rotary Room overlooking the lake.

On top of these lovely arranged table were three gold organza runners and three ivory candelabras with gold candles on top.
Nicola’s wedding stationery was gold themed too, menus, namescards, and table names were just simple but elegant. Have a look to Nicola’s ideas we are sure you will love them.

The party ended again in Villa Gippini with wedding cake cut and some sweets buffet that bride and groom and their family and friends just loved.

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.

All Images © Valentina Lombardi – except photo 1 and 2 © Enrico Mocci photographer.
All right reserved.

During the ceremony Anne, coming from France and Alan, coming from Ireland were accompanied by 4 wonderful flower girls all light pink dressed.

Color scheme was based on green and white with a touch of light pink.
You could see it in the lovely bridal dress Anne had, the bridal bouquet and centerpieces to San Rocco hotel for the reception.
We will come back soon talking about this special event on Lake Orta with a full post!