Why Italy, you ask? Well, for Anastasia and Devin, the question was really a matter of why not? They couldn’t imagine a more romantic spot to marry, especially when they came across the very same venue where John Legend and Chrissy Teigen tied the knot. Dive straight into their happily ever after beautifully photographed by Thecablookfotolab.
From Anastasia Aslanyan… The wedding of Anastasia and Devin will be always in our hearts. It was special. Special because of the love and happiness all around coming from each of the guests and of the couple. It was fantastic!
The location chosen is one of the most beautiful and amazing on Lake Como and it is not only because of the place but also because of the atmosphere and authenticity – historical villa, beautiful gardens and a fascinating terrace with 180 degree view on the lake and the mountains. As soon as you visit the villa you will understand why John Legend chose exactly this one. Anastasia and Devin decided to choose green and white theme to be more natural in the surroundings. The idea of the ceremony zone was to maintain the nature and the effect of air without making the standard arch but to create something more sophisticated and incorporated in the view.
During the dinner, the band was playing life music while in between there were some dances and speeches. But the most touchy moment was when the groom played a song that he has dedicated to the bride…everyone was crying! After the dinner followed the cut of the cake with the hugest naked cake we’ve ever seen and the biggest fireworks done in Como. The party started with eight pieces band singing favorite and famous songs. The dance floor was on fire with all of the guests dancing in flip-flops kindly brought and prepared by the couple. All the team together with photographers and videographers were happy on that day because of so many smiles and kindness around as well as sincere and real emotions.
From the Bride…Devin and I met on January 31, 2016 through the traditional way, an app called “Coffee Meets Bagel”. We both live and met in San Francisco, California. It was my first date through this particular app, although I tried all of the websites and apps before. The first date went well, we couldn’t stop talking to each other. Devin dropped me off at home like a real gentleman and I knew he had a lot of potential. We went on a date a week for the first 4 dates since I was traveling a lot. I invited Devin to my house in the wine country for a weekend and since then we haven’t spent a day without each other.
Fast forward to December 12, 2016, a little over 10 months after our first date Devin proposed to me on a mountain in Tahoe, California while skiing. Devin is a great skier and would ski for a living if we could live on that kind of salary. Guess what he proposed with? Coffee in a carry mug and bagel with cream cheese hidden in his backpack.
I went to New York to try on some dresses. I don’t like shopping (unless it’s for shoes), so I was in love with the first dress I tried on. It was simple in the front and the back was wow, sheer back with a long, long train. I tried some more dresses in California, but nothing looked better than the first dress. I decided that it was meant to be and ordered that dress. I made a second dress for dancing, but the first dress was the “star”.
Why did we pick Italy? Well, firstly it’s Italy, secondly it’s Italy and thirdly it’s Italy! Pasta, pizza, wine, history, nature and beautiful culture. When we started thinking of a venue, number one thing we wanted for our special day was to have an outdoor wedding. Naturally being in San Francisco we looked into Santa Cruz or the Wine Country. I helped with a few weddings before as a hoppy and didn’t like United States winery restrictions with hours and vendors. We went to the Italian Alps to meet my family for Christmas 2016 and I thought of Lake Como, Italy, because it was 2 hours away from where we were staying and I spent a week there in the summer 2014. We made an appointment with the first wedding planner that responded to us and visited a few potential locations.
I found Italian Easy Weddings with two partners, one of them was Russian. That worked out perfectly, our wedding ended up bilingual. I am from Uzbekistan, my family still lives in Russia. Italy was 5-8 hours for my family and many of our friends are from the East Coast. Our host, photographer, videographer and DJ were all Russian speakers and my family felt like home. The venue we picked, Villa Pizzo, was suggested by our wedding planners, it wasn’t even on our radar. It was the most amazing place and ceremony and reception were all on one property. Plus John Legend and Chrissy Teigen got married there. Though I think our wedding was more beautiful. My husband plays piano and sings too, so we had a grand piano on the stage for him to sing, just like John Legend. Villa Pizzo was available on July 4th and there were fireworks on the lake, not for us but everyone at our wedding thought it was for us.
Needless to say, we are still on wedding high. The beauty of Lake Como is indescribable, the food is the tastiest in the world, the talents of the band, photographers, wedding planners, florist and decorators is top notch. Due to the beauty of the manicured gardens and the scene of the green alps and the lake, we wanted to keep the decor simple, green with a little bit of white to blend in rather than stand out. Needless to say, we are still on wedding high. If we could get married every year, we would. We had no stress before, during or after the wedding, everything was just smooth and perfect.
Photography: Thecablookfotolab | Cinematography: Lavender Bicycle | Event Planning: Happy Moments Collector | Floral Design: rattiflora | Stationery: Letter B | Bride's Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Rings: Custom from A&J Jewelers | Catering: AFM | Lighting: Blunotte Events | Band: Blunotte band | Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss | Venue: Villa Pizzo | Bridesmaids' Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar | Makeup Lessons: Salt Spelt Beauty