Italian Lakes Wedding Planner

The part of the coast from Verbania that comes along until the swiss border is certainly one of the most spectacular places of the Lake Maggiore. Some years ago there were forests and terraces with cultivated plants, so at the end of the 18th century this area was attractive for lots of rich families coming from all over Europe. Therefore most wonderful villas were constructed with luxury gardens surrounding them. The mild climate did its part to let all flowers grow easily like Gardenia, Lemon-trees and Bougainvillas. They find an ideal start and do mix with the plants so special for this area which are the Camelies and Rhododendrons. Nowhere else is this special mix of flowers to be found around lake Maggiore.

So in this surrounding we find the Villa Margherita. Its special view on the lake, its beauty and its calmness with its huge garden and a refreshening swimming pool do create the special atmosphere of Villa Margherita.

The villa is situated in the hills above Oggebbio, near Verbania, just some k´s from Ascona and Locarno and only 90 k´s from the international airport Milan Malpensa.

Villa Margherita is a location dated back to the 19th century, freshly restored, an ideal location for any kind of reception. The interior is well thought, modern and charming with particular attention to all details, so this makes your moments so fascinating. Continue Reading »

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 »

When the wedding day is close, bride and groom sometimes can be nervous and excited. Many times the day before the wedding is the most overwhelmed day! Here the wedding planner role is important. She or he takes care of all the arrangements, in order to let the bride and groom live and enjoy their big day!
They can be sure that each aspect of the wedding is firmly under control.
This what happened to Nadia and Michel.

Their event was totally stress-free thank to the excellent job done by the planners who coordinated any details for the wedding day to Villa del Balbianello.
Bride and groom this way could enjoy their day before!
In our next post we’ll talk of the wedding day but today we’d like to focus on the stunning boat trip that the bride and groom to be decided to enjoy the day before the wedding.
This took place while planners were working for them.

Boat trip on Lake Como started early in the morning, under a beautiful sunny weather. Nadia and Michel went on Hotel Victoria pier in Menaggio. A luxury motorboat was waiting for them together with by Estella and Diego, the photographers of Photo27 who were in charge to follow the whole event. Nadia and Michel chose Estella and Diego for the style fresh and dynamism of their photo sessions, both bride and groom fell in love with their wonderful style.

Leaving Menaggio, motorboat toured the waters of the lake to reach first Bellagio tip and then Varenna, another famous wedding destination on Lake Como. Varenna was built on a rock vertically on the lake.
It is an ancient and picturesque fishermen village with beautiful villas facing the lake which are destination of many events organized by Italian Lakes Wedding Team.
Continue Reading »

It certainly doesn’t happen every day to decorate a Ferrari for a wedding. But a few days ago this is exactly what I did for Elena and Giorgio’s wedding on Lake Orta.

Elena and Giorgio tied the knot on a lovely warm April day, just perfect for a photographic tour of the lake thanks to the motorboat their chosen location for the reception, the Hotel Ristorante L’Approdo, made available to them.

Although it is just a few days since the event, I am delighted to be able to show you a preview of their photographs, thank to the rapid work of Raffaello Mazzoleni of Studio ArteFoto Omegna.
In fact the rapid delivery he ensures is photographer Raffaello Mazzoleni’s winning card as he will hand over the DVD of a wedding in a maximum of three days and at a very competitive price too, especially considering that he is one of a small number of Italian professional photographers who belong to the WPJA, the prestigious American association which makes a worldwide selection among the finest photographers operating in journalism and weddings.

I was the flower designer who organised the decorations for the civil wedding ceremony, for the bride and for the table centres at the Hotel Ristorante L’Approdo. Elena wanted red and white as her colours and chose the rose as her principal flower. 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 »

A wedding on the Lake Orta can be romantic, like Rachel and Mark’s wedding, celebrated at sunset, on the lake shore…
Or it can be intimate like Silvia and Giorgio’s wedding for 3 celebrated in the garden at Villa Bossi…
But a wedding on the Lake Orta can also be fun and festive…. Just like the one celebrated by Mariana and Matteo, the fantastic couple I will tell you about today.

Matteo and Mariana are an Italian-Armenian couple who live and work in London. Matteo is originally from Torino and he is just like every good boy coming from Piemonte, he is in love with his own homeland. Over time, Mariana was infected with this love as well, and thus their decision to choose one of the most charming places in Piedmont for their wedding: the Lake Orta.

Fun and joy are two words which perfectly describe Mariana and Matteo’s wedding. You will certainly see that in the photos accompanying this post: pictures that tell of their friend’s feast and fun, the first pranks of marriage, the couple’s happiness after the ceremony… emotions and feelings captured by Maren Ollmann’s lens from the Photography Studio Ollmann/Ottaviano in Torino. In the PHOTO GALLERY you will find 27 exceptional shots filled with the passion and magic which bring together the most wonderful emotions of Mariana and Matteo’s Big Day.

Mariana and Matteo’s wedding on the Lake Orta took place in 3 venues: Hotel Villa Crespi, where the bride and groom and their relatives stayed, the Church, Sacro Monte di Orta, where the religious ceremony took place, and finally Villa Ortea, where the wedding reception continued till the early lights of dawn.

For their stay in Orta and their first wedding night, Mariana e Matteo chose the Executive Suite in Hotel Villa Crespi. It was a fantastic room overlooking the lake with XVIII century furniture, a refined marble bathroom with a hydromassage and a magnificent four poster bed.
Continue Reading »

I must admit that the above title does not fully do justice to the location of which I’m going to talk you about today: a wedding at the Villa L’Antica Colonia is not only a “wedding with lake view”, but it’s definitely a lot more. Villa L’Antica Colonia is a perfect mix of history, nature, relaxation and romance, all emphasized by a breathtaking view of the Lake Orta. If you are looking for an intimate and exclusive, but at the same time spectacular location for your wedding, then Villa L’Antica Colonia can be the right location for you!

Villa L’Antica Colonia is located in Crabbia, a small village on the hills of the Lake Orta, a few minutes from Pettenasco. The structure is surrounded by a large green area and is an excellent starting point for interesting trips into nature and culture.
But the strongest point of the Villa L’Antica Colonia is the magnificent panorama that sweeps over much of the lake and the surrounding green mountains, reaching up to Orta and the Island of San Giulio, a real spectacular scenary!

Try to imagine your wedding party on the large terrace of the villa with fantastic view on the lake: an unforgettable event for you and your guests!

Built in the eighteenth century, the villa was for long time a church property. The large ground around the building, that in the beginning extended until the lake, was planted with vineyards and fruit trees and cultivated by the women of the village that were working for the clergyman. At the beginning of ’900 the villa was sold to a textile industry, which changed the property into a summer residence for the children of its employees, using part of the house for the breeding of the silk-worm in the winter season. It was later purchased by its actual owners, the family Manini-Maulini, who started the renovation of the property turning it into the beautiful villa we know today.

Villa L’Antica Colonia offers a unique and exclusive setting for your wedding: its prestigious balconies and arcades, between rustic and old, will give your wedding a scenario of the ancient times and a real magical atmosphere. Continue Reading »

After the wedding to Villa San Martino we come back to Lombardy side of Lake Maggiore. This time we are going South. Here you will find sweet hills going smoothly towards the lake. This are is very well known from nature and water sports lovers. There are also artistic and cultural places to visit such as historic residence of Villa della Porta Bozzolo with its grand Italian gardens or Rocca di Angera, great Borromeo family castle or even Santa Caterina del Sasso, a monastery on rocks peak.

Right in this green area you will find a lovely venue for your wedding on the lake: Hotel Conca Azzurra in Ranco close to Varese.
A wonderful view, a wonderful garden with many flowers and delicious cuisine will welcome you.
These are the main features of Hotel Conca Azzurra, a pretty venue for your wedding if you are thinking of getting married on Lake Maggiore.

Let’ s see together all the pearls of the hotel.
The great view on the lake: from here you could see the center of the Lake and great chain of Mt. Zeda. You could enjoy this perfect panorama in every month of the year from Restaurant La Veranda. During summer season it opens completely becoming a open air terrace for romantic dinners under the stars.

La Veranda restaurant offer a high level cuisine with local and traditional dishes of the Lake Maggiore and surrounding countryside. It has a very good service and wide cellar with selected wines for every request.

You could sip your aperitif or arrange an informal buffet reception in the wide garden with lovely view on the lake. You will be surrounded by palms and flowers and you will taste delicious lake fish and Piedmont wines. Continue Reading »

Here I am again to talk about Villa Rusconi Clerici, this time I will describe the gorgeous symbolic ceremony of Nicky & Chris. As flower designer, I have had the great pleasure and honour of handling the decoration of this special event, which took place in September in Verbania Pallanza on the shores of Lake Maggiore.

I would like to start by thanking the photographer Carlo Conti, who has kindly provided these fabulous images of the day. After many years of experience as a fashion, still life and architecture photographer, Carlo Conti has founded RPS Studio – Reportage Per gli Sposi – choosing to continue his career as a specialist wedding photographer. His style is characterised by a great ability to capture the most natural and spontaneous moments of any event in order to compose a fresh, modern and lively album…the pictures of Nicky and Chris’ big day are a very good example of his creativity.

Nicky & Chris are both born and bread in London. Nicky is pursuing a successful career in human resource, while Chris owns a recruitment agency focusing on the sports sector.
Being two very busy young professionals, they did not have a lot of free time to dedicate to the organisation of their wedding and decided to rely on the expertise and professionalism of Chic Weddings, a leading wedding design agency that works with the team of Italian Lakes Wedding.

Nicky and Chris were dreaming of a wedding by the water, informal and elegant at the same time. An event that matched their personality, not too flashy but very fun. After evaluating various options, they opted for Villa Rusconi Clerici for its wonderful position right on the shores of Lake Maggiore.

The colour theme chosen by Nicky & Chris focused on ivory and lilac, with a hint of purple. This successful combination is very much on trend recently and is often requested by my clients.

The ceremony at Villa Rusconi Clerici started with the arrival of the bride, Nicky, by speedboat. She was accompanied by her father and her lovely bridesmaids. The location benefits from a private jetty which offers the possibility of organising an extremely scenic entry as well as lake tours for the guests during the cocktail reception.

Nicky chose a sleek and modern bouquet, in perfect harmony with her dress: to design it I mixed mini white Calla Lilies, purple Lysianthus and Rose Tibet, enhancing the long shape of the bouquet with a few leaves of Beucarnea. Continue Reading »

It’s the 3rd of October 2009: the weather is mild and spectacular and all the family is very excited for Andrew and Severine wedding day! The Groom comes from Malta and the Bride is Suisse, they both love the Lakes and especially Lake Como.

The wedding organization started last winter and the first step to do was the choice of the Church.
When I first show Andrew and Severine Mezzegra Church, it was love at first sight!
The impressive terrace in front of the majestic Church, the atmosphere and the kindness of Don Luigi cancelled any doubts!
After the catholic ceremony, the newlyweds wanted to offer their guests the unique emotion of reaching the reception venue by boat, cruising between the incredible Lake Como landscapes and Villas.

To realize their dream, we choose a location centrally located in Como.
A lovely ancient private Villa, surrounded by and accurate garden.

The rooms still maintain their original furniture which really gives the charm!

The big day has arrived!! Continue Reading »