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October 24, 2017
Villa Il Balbiano: Chic Wedding on Lake Como
This is the story of a very special wedding celebrated on the shores of Lake Como, one of the most enchanting locations for destination weddings in Italy. When Danny and Candy first met at a charity event in Hong Kong 7 years ago, they couldn’t imagine that that day would change their lives forever. But they were getting along very well and soon understood that they had met someone special…
Fast-forward some years: Danny and Candy were planning a trip to NY, but he decided to surprise her by changing the destination to Paris, the most romantic city in the world. And he had an even greater surprise in mind… One starry night, on a balcony facing the Eiffel Tower, he proposed to Candy with the shimmering lights of Paris in the background!
After Candy enthusiastically said “Yes!” started their search for the perfect wedding location. Some Italian friends suggested the magnificent Villa Il Balbiano on Lake Como, and in December 2016 they decided to visit it.
They immediately fell in love with the place, and this is no surprise! This magnificent Villa, dating back to the 16th century, has the most elegant halls covered with baroque frescoes, and has been recently restored with fantastic decorations. The Villa has also a private access by boat to the lake and an exquisite Italian garden with topiaries, statues and fountains reflecting the elegant façade of the palazzo.
Danny and Candy decided to have both ceremony and reception at the Villa. They wanted a stunning and romantic wedding decor, and chose a color theme mixing milk, lavender, lilac, purple and sage with accents of pastel pink.
The ceremony was conducted by a family friend, who made a beautiful and touching speech after interviewing the spouses separately back in Hong Kong. Bride and Groom arrived through a long aisle of scattered rose petals, culminating in a large ring of pink and lilac flowers symbolizing their union.
After the ceremony the actual party started in the beautiful gardens of the Villa overlooking Lake Como: the typical Italian long aperitif hour with drinks, prosecco and cocktails and waiters going around the guests with typical Italian canapées.
Bride and Groom took off for an additional boat ride on the lake, together with the photographer who made them swing throughout the lake, so that they could enjoy some time away and savor a bit more the celebration that just took place.
Dinner took place in the stunning hall of the beautiful Villa with a traditional three course menu. The set up was with two long imperial tables, very rich with beautiful flowers along the entire tables in the favorite colors chosen by the bride: pastel purple and pink colors, with white and greens of different shades, recalling the spring colors that were blooming in Italy at the end of April.
During dinner a nice Jazz trio entertained guests creating a very festive atmosphere; speeches were made by the closest family members to wish the couple a long and healthy life together.
The cake was a traditional Italian Wedding cake: a Millefeuille made in front of the guests with strawberries and wild berries. The cake cutting was followed by an unexpected first dance from bride and groom, who choose to surprise all the guests with their beat.
The wedding was originally planned for May 1st, however, after seeing the horrible weather forecast for the wedding day, we at Exclusive Italy Weddings suggested to anticipate everything to April 30th. This required a huge effort with all the vendors involved: luckily they were all available so everything worked out perfectly. And indeed the forecast was right: on May 1st it was raining cats and dogs, and there never was a bride so happy to see a rainy day!
Photographer Cristiano Ostinelli captured all the beauty, refinement and romance of this wedding on Lake Como, and he also had a photo session with the couple in the centre of Milan: the gothic Duomo and the sophisticated Galleria Vittorio Emanuele formed the perfect elegant background for this unforgettable love story!
If you dream a destination wedding in a romantic location and an unforgettable celebration in an elegant venue, don’t hesitate to contact us to start planning a fantastic wedding on the Italian Lakes!
Elena
CREDITS:
Photography: Cristiano Ostinelli ©.