An elopement is a real love escape to get married, alone or surrounded by very few loved ones, in one of the most romantic places par excellence. Katie and Eric live in the USA, but dreamed of an intimate wedding on the shores of Lake Como and so, packed in a white lace dress for her, a cerulean suit for him and some love letters from their friends and relatives, they set off to make a dream come true.
They contacted me a few months earlier and booked a 6-hour photo shoot to cover the bride’s preparation, the ceremony with the exchange of promises and then some shots in the most beautiful places on the lake. I made a program for them taking into account where and at what time of day we would have had the best light, so that in each photo the location could shine with all its magic.
I met Katie at their apartment. She opened the door dressed as a bride and I was impressed by her calm and the simplicity with which she told me, excited, her expectations of the day that was about to start. I had never met her, but after the intense emails exchange I felt like a privileged guest of such a special day as well as their photographer.
The ceremony took place by the water with the most enchanting lake and mountains view. The promises were something indescribable: the emotion in their eyes, the tears, the joy.
Katie and Eric envisioned Lake Como as a mix of romance and glamour: breathtaking panoramas in which the blue of the sky fades into the green of the hills and again into the shades of blue of the water, ancient villas overlooking the lake and architectural gardens, living proof of a grand past. The best way to enjoy all this beauty is to rent a boat, or even better, a classic boat like a Riva, elegant and timeless.
During the boat ride I took some of my favorite pictures: the bridegroom seem to have come out of the scene of a movie, one of the ones filmed in these places, like James Bond Casino Royale or Star Wars – The Attack of the Clones, shot at Villa del Balbianello, built in the late eighteenth century as a retreat of delight. Here we spent most of the time walking around the paths adorned with statues and taking photographs in every corner. Under the famous Loggia Durini, the monumental arched structure which crowns the whole Balbianello complex and offers the visitors two different panoramas of the Lake, in the small port carved between the rocks, on the lakeside terrace dominated by the large umbrella-shaped holm oak.
We took another boat just before sunset, in time for the last photos with the pink-tinted lake and the village of Bellagio illuminated by the lights of the street lamps. Last stop? The Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, where the bride and groom ended the day with a candlelit dinner at the Mistral Restaurant.
Wedding planner: Romeo & Juliet
Riva classic boat: Como Classic Boats
Venetian taxi boat: Lake Como Water Taxi
Locations: Villa Melzi D’Eril, Villa del Balbianello, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni
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