MARIANA AND ALVARO - LAKE COMO WEDDING

Let me introduce to you a fantastic Brazilian couple: Mariana and Alvaro. They live and work in Rio De Janeiro. Mariana and Alvaro got married at Villa Balbianello on Lake Como which is fabulous and is also the home to stars of films from James Bond to Star Wars:) It is located on the tip of a small wooded peninsula on the western shore of the south-west branch of Lake Como. The wedding was gorgeous with so many beautiful details, such as a vintage candy bar, hangover helper for guests, incredible flowers, everything was soooo stunning! There were boats to go to Balbianello and back, and of course delicious food, thank you very much! You couldn’t have imagined anything better!

This part of the lake holds incredible surprises, and a romantic boat trip will give you the real perspective of this place: there are more stunning ancient villas on the water’s edge than you could ever imagine and some of them are perfect, unique wedding venues. You may remember the terrace and the scene of the romance between Anakin and Padme Amidala. The Mediterranean landscapes and buildings of the planet Naboo, where Anakin and Padme got married on Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, the movie by George Lucas:) The marvellous scenery of Villa Balbianello and its surroundings were locations for James Bond movies – here the special agent, played by Daniel Craig, passes a period of convalescence after being injured in Casino Royale (2006), the film by Martin Campbell. George Clooney filmed parts of Ocean’s Twelve on Lake Como with Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt , Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones in tow. It was also the setting for A Month by the Lake, a romantic comedy starring Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox and Uma Thurman. The beauty of this venue attracts famous people, actor George Clooney has even bought four houses here! George Clooney’s most famous property is Villa Oleandra, an ancient villa of the XVIII Century facing the lake with splendid Italian gardens.

I asked Mariana to write about her experience and wedding stories. That’s what I got. Mariana, many thanks for sharing your story with us!

Bride´s Dress: I didn´t have any idea what my dress would look like …but I fell in love with one particular model from Jenny Packham, called Aspen. But she doesn´t have a store in Brazil. So, I found Carol Hungria, a young stylist, and she said “yes, no problem”, when I asked to use the Aspen dress (from Jenny) as an inspiration.
Bride´s shoes: Hand made by on old lady called Lidu and her team of shoemakers. The best in Rio de Janeiro.
Groom´s Tuxedo: Ricardo Almeida, best Brazilian stylist for tuxedos. Italian style, slim fit.

Your wedding theme? I would describe the theme as rustic vintage.
Your inspiration for the wedding? I have never had the dream that most of the girls have, like marrying in the church and having a party for 300 people. I wanted to do something different, a marriage on the beach or at a house with a big garden. I was watching TV with Alvaro, when I saw Villa Balbianello in a program called ” 1000 places to visit before I die”. I said: ” what a wonderful place to marry”. I didn´t know if it was possible to marry there, and I used google to find the “Italian lakes wedding” website. I wrote to Alessandra Fabi, the wedding planner, and I realized that our dream could come true. I corresponded by email with Alessandra for almost 10 months, to get everything settled. It’s very hard to decide things related to the wedding when you’re not there to keep an eye on everything.
Favourite wedding story? Alvaro proposed to me on the plane, during our first trip together to Paris. So romantic:)
Any tutorials you’d like to share? There is a good site called http://www.theknot.com/ and a Brazilian website called http://www.constancezahn.com/ . Very nice!!!
Your favorite part or things about your wedding? I loved the decoration, the old typewriter, an old radio…the flowers, the colors, and of course, the scenery, with a spectacular view of the lake. And the weather contributed a lot!!!! The sunset was perfect for the photos!!!
Was there anything you would have done differently? To be honest, I wouldn’t have changed anything… really! It was perfect. Alessandra, the wedding planner, did a great job!!!
Tip for a honeymoon venue? Borgo SantoPietro, in Tuscany http://www.borgosantopietro.com/en/ very well recommended!!!! I loved it!!!

And what about the photos?:) I loved the photos so much, they are incredible!!! Amazing!!! It was a pleasure to have you both as our italy wedding photographer. You rock!!! Thank you:)

Destination wedding – Lake Como, Italy
Bride and Groom: Mariana and Alvaro
Location: Lake Como, Italy
Getting ready – Regina Teodolinda, Laglio
Ceremony – Villa Balbianello, Lenno
Wedding Planner: Alessandra Fabi/www.sposiamovi.it (an Italian Wedding Planner particularly focused on Lake Como, she’s the most relaxed wedding planner we’ve ever worked with;)