A Bellagio Elopement in Lake Como, Italy
As a destination wedding photographer who specializes in elopements, I admit that Lake Como is one of my favorite places to elope. This Italian Lake is quaint, romantic, and has a quiet and mystical aura.
Lake Como is in Northern Italy, close to Milano. It borders with Switzerland, so the views around the Lake are breathtakingly beautiful. You can either drive to Lake Como from Milano or else take a train and is relatively easy to get to. Once you get to the Lake, you either can take the various boats or drive. I like to go around with the boats or water taxis.
Lake Como oozes with elegance, and each Village is unique scattered with many Villas, and the hospitality is top.
Amber and Erik had a lovely elopement in Bellagio. They stayed at the Metropole and rented a room which had a spectacular view of the Lake where they had their ceremony.
Let’s hear it directly from Amber, “La Sposa,” about their stunning elopement:
What inspired you to choose to do a destination wedding in Italy?
I always dreamed of a romantic wedding, void of fuss and stress and more about me and my groom. I never imagined that I’d elope, however it was the best decision we’ve ever made. Erik and I talked about all of the places we dreamed of going to and Italy was the top of our list. Lake Como was the perfect romantic setting we were looking for.
In what ways did you personalize your wedding day?
Everything on our wedding day was so special. From my handmade garter belt to Erik’s favorite sports team cufflinks, we add special touches everywhere we could. Our love notes to each other the morning of our weeding we by far my favorite and were reconfirmed during our vows to each other that afternoon. We celebrated with a bottle of Italian wine that we bought that morning while walking the streets of Bellagio, it was perfect!
What were your favorite wedding day details?
My favorite wedding day detail was being on our private hotel terrace. I loved the intimacy, being right on the water and not around a ton of people. Even though the ferries and people watched hanging from their balconies, which we adored. We loved the support of love from others.
Inspiration/theme behind the day?
Italian romance! Just Erik and I for the best moment of our lives. We didn’t have a theme, no stress about table settings, guest list, and food…just us.
Tell us a little bit about how you chose your invitations, flowers, venue, and dress:
We chose our hotel because of the private terraces on the water and I loved that feature. My dress was purchased online. After many, many wedding dress boutiques I came across this one and knew it was the one for me. It was timeless and classic, exactly what I wanted. My flowers were unexpected. We decided to go for a walk the day before and came across a local florist; we walked in and asked if it was possible for her to make a bouquet. She very patiently (with broken English/me with broken Italian) pointed at flowers and created a large pile of ideas. I came back the next day to see the most beautiful bouquet I have ever seen. I added the ribbons for a personal touch.
Overall, do you have any special advice you would like to share with other brides to help prepare them for their destination wedding?
Eloping was not originally in the plans for us. It came after extensive research, pros/cons list, talking to our families and finally deciding that it was the best choice for us. I loved every minute of our wedding and honeymoon and wouldn’t change anything. At the end of the day, Erik and I are left with our memories of our wedding day and we are filled with nothing but positive and loving ones. Our family was very supportive and happy for us on our decision to elope. I hope everyone chooses what makes them happy and not what they are expected to do, most often those are two separate things.
