An Insider’s Guide For Throwing A Lake Como Wedding

Melissa Hammam
March 23, 2021
Categories: SMPwedding101, The Blog

Claudia & Luca of Rossini Photography are an award-winning husband and wife team of Fine Art wedding photographers based in Italy. For more than a decade they have been photographing exclusive international weddings across their beautiful country, and know the ins and outs of all the most iconic locations in Italy, from the Lake region to Venice, to Tuscany, to the Amalfi Coast. Today they will share with us their insider tips on one of the most desired Italian regions for weddings: Lake Como.

What are the best venues in the Como area to get married?

Lake Como has many incredible venues to host a gorgeous wedding: the magic setting of the lake, the amazing historical villas, and the charming “dolce vita” atmosphere will make it an unforgettable experience for the couple and their guests. This is our top ten favorite venues on lake Como you should definitely check out if you are planning your Lake Como wedding:

1. Villa Balbiano

2. Villa Sola Calbiati

3. Villa Erba

4. Villa Pizzo

5. Villa Pliniana

6. Villa Balbianello

7. Villa D’Este

8. Villa Regina Teodolinda

9. Villa Monastero Pax

10. Villa Vittoria

When considering a venue, what do couples need to think about for the most dreamy photos?

The most stunning venues on Lake Como, in our opinion, all have some key factors that place them in our top “picture perfect“ list:

1) Terraces with striking lake views are the perfect setting for a picturesque ceremony and cocktail party.

2) Traditional Italian-style gardens ending directly in the lake waters, decorated with statues and fountains, which are amazing backdrops for memorable photos.

3) Direct boat access, which allows the bridal party to really make an entrance before the ceremony and then the newlyweds to easily escape on a romantic boat ride at sunset, to take some breath-taking couple photos with us!

4) Large and bright luxury suites for the bride and groom to have their getting ready photos taken before the ceremony.

5) Gorgeous dining salons with original all frescos on the walls and ancient chandeliers, which will make a back -up plan B as stunning as the original plan A (not only in your memories but also in the wedding album!)

Which is the best hour for a boat ride?

The best hour for a boat ride is with no doubt golden hour: as photographers, all we want to do is capture that magic warm and soft light in our photos! However, there is a crucial thing to keep in mind when planning your couple session on a boat: Como Lake is surrounded by mountains, which means that sun will hide behind the mountains much earlier than the official sunset time that you can google. In other worlds, if sunset is at 8pm, the lake will have already gone in shade at 7pm, which means that the perfect time for a boat ride will be from 6 to 7pm. Remember this when planning your timing of the day, if not you will miss the perfect light in your photos!

When renting a boat on Lake Como, we would suggest hiring a vintage Riva: they are the most iconic boats you can find on the Lake, and definitely the most beautiful to be photographed! A great company that hires different models of Rivas is Como Classic Boats.

When going on a boat ride, we suggest the bride leave her veil behind, the wind will just be too much and the veil will make her feel uncomfortable! It’s always useful to bring something warm and cozy to cuddle up in, like a pretty shawl. Sometimes the bride and groom like to bring along a pair of cool sunglasses so that we can take some more candid and relaxed photos! Finally, something that definitely shouldn’t miss during a boat ride is a bottle of cold champagne for a romantic toast on the boat!