It’s January and it’s really cold. So to warm ourselves up, let’s have a look at a summer wedding from back in July at the famous Villa Balbianello on Lake Como. If you’ve not been to this part of Italy before, then you must visit. It’s a stunning lake, set in the middle of the mountains just south of the Alps. People swim in the lake in stunning Italian sunshine and the drive from Milan’s Malpensa airport was also beautiful.

Villa Balbianello has quite the reputation, it’s been the film setting of Casino Royal and Star Wars films among others, and it’s not hard to see why. The scenery is truly magnificent.

Still from Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones

The same location as above, with Ricky and Maia sharing a quiet moment alone.

We started off at the Grand Hotel in Tremezzo, and I’ve included lots of landscape photos of the scenery to give you an idea of the area. Ricky & Maia have a beautiful young daughter, who was definitely central to most of the wedding, and had her own little converse to go with the Bridal Party’s personalised shoes. The flowers were centred around the sunflowers, which are a popular seasonal choice for Italian weddings. The bridesmaids had also made a personalised photo-book for Maia as a gift, which I thought was a great idea.

We then got a speedboat to the venue, tearing across the lake with water spraying everywhere (hold onto that camera equipment!) to arrive for the ceremony at the Villa. Ricky and Maia exchanged vows and rings (an interesting wooden one for the groom) before having their wedding breakfast at the villas dining room.  The tables were decorated with cd album covers and more sunflowers.

They finished up having their dancing and evening drinks at Lido di Lenno on the waterfront, with romantic lights reflecting on the water. Have a look at the humongous wedding cake too!

If you’re interested in getting married in Italy, contact Annalisa from Italian Wedding in Wonderland. If you’re interested in getting a photographer for your destination wedding, then have a look at my dedicated web page here.