Stephanie + Mark’s lakeside micro wedding
Photo: Marta Ilardo
US couple Stephanie and Mark had a specific idea when it came to their Italian elopement turned micro wedding in Lake Como. “Plan your wedding day for what you dream it to be! Don't feed into the stigma of what a wedding "needs" to be! If you don't like cake, don't get a wedding cake. If you want to elope, elope! It’s your special day, never let anyone try to make you feel like it needs to be anything but what you want it to be.”
A ‘simple elegance’ October wedding with 15 guests was held at Villa del Balbianello (ceremony) followed by Villa Serbelloni for the reception. And after pre-mooning in Switzerland with family, Stephanie and Mark immersed themselves in all that they love about this country - the food, heritage and romance whilst touring Italy’s hotspots as a duo.
Setting their own wedding rules, the couple had a wedding budget of $13,000 to include a planner, photographer, florals, hair & makeup, 3 boats to and from the venue (which included a 1hr tour after the wedding), venue, and a formal 5 course dinner with wedding cake at Villa Serbelloni. We think they nailed each and every part of their intimate celebration.
SUPPLIER TEAM
Venues: Villa del Balbianello and Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni | Planners: Lake Como Wedding Planners | Photographer: Marta Ilardo | Boat ride: Lake Como Boat | Makeup: The Studio Como | Flowers: The Garden of Love
The Dating
“Mark and I met at a bar called Roundup in September of 2014. I remember thinking how cute he was and waited for him to approach me. With the help of a friend of mine, he asked me to dance and the rest is history! Meeting him was the absolute best thing to ever happen to me.”
“Villa del Balbianello was an absolute dream for us. The moment we found the venue we appreciated its history- an old monastery converted to a gorgeous villa with absolute breathtaking views of Lake Como, stunning landscaping, and historic value.. nothing else could compare.”
The Engagement
“We got engaged in November of 2019 in Paris France on the Seine river - we had a clear and beautiful view of both the river and the Eiffel tower. It was just the two of us in the early morning as we had gone for a walk.. I heard a violinist start to play and turned to see the photographer - in that moment I knew what was coming. It was intimate and so romantic. ”
“Our wedding planner called us the night before the wedding and notified us that she was no longer able to attend the wedding due to a health concern.”
The Standout Moment?
“My stand out moment of the day was finally meeting Mark at the altar. He truly is my best friend and I was just ready to see him and celebrate this monumental time in our lives. I was feeling so anxious that morning, just normal stress from making sure everything was going to go smoothly, and it did, but seeing him took all my nerves away. ”
Why Italy?
“We originally wanted to elope just the two of us and had decided we really wanted to honeymoon in Italy- we loved everything Italy symbolized (rich heritage, romance, cuisine). We told our immediate family of our plans and they all jumped in and said they wouldn't miss it for the world. We turned our elopement into a micro wedding (it was 15 of us total). We made it a family trip where we pre-mooned in Switzerland for a week with our family and all traveled together to Italy for the wedding. After the wedding, Mark and I honeymooned in Florence, Venice, and the Amalfi coast. ”
The Styling
“I loved the simplicity of my dress and overall wedding day look. My heels had to be my favourite of all, they were gifted to me by mom before I had even picked my dress out, I loved the gold details and dainty floral design. They were simple yet still a statement. I wanted to stay true to myself and my personal style. ”
“Our standout supplier was Marta our photographer. She really captured our wedding so perfectly. I loved that she was so easy to work with. She let us do our thing and captured us naturally and organically without feeling like we were being posed or spending too much time away from each other/family. ”
Did anything go wrong?
“Our wedding planner, who was an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish, called us the night before the wedding and notified us that she was no longer able to attend the wedding due to a health concern. It was a complete shock to us but we wanted to make sure she put her health first. She reassured us that she had everything planned out, a replacement had been in line, and all our vendors had been made aware of the changes. It was a nerve wrecking situation but because we had so much trust in her, we were able to sleep feeling stress free and knowing it would all work out.”
SUPPLIER TEAM
Venues: Villa del Balbianello and Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni | Planners: Lake Como Wedding Planners | Photographer: Marta Ilardo | Boat ride: Lake Como Boat | Makeup: The Studio Como | Flowers: The Garden of Love
Travel into Italy is changing and we have the latest ETIAS information for you. This is a must read for couples planning their weddings from mid-2025; it would be slightly dramatic if you weren’t permitted into the country for your wedding!
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