When Lake Como Wedding planner VALENTINA WEDDINGS & EVENTS first got a glimpse of the one-of-a-kind VERA WANG HAUTE COLLECTION gown at bridal boutique ANTONELLA DEL BRUSCO in Milan, she instantly knew she wanted to create an editorial inspired by its design. Inspired by these words from the designer herself, “I wanted to breathe new life into the timeless trend of past, present and future. These unique designs celebrate the bride and groom's passage through their new life together" Valentina wanted to blend classic touches with contemporary trends and explore new design ideas. Shooting at the historic VILLA REVEL PARRAVICINI on Lake Como reflected classic Italian romanticism, the flower design, tablescape, paper suite and cake highlighted the creativity, the uniqueness, and the soft tones of light pink and sand layered into the dress. The overall look created a flowing fusion of classic, contemporary, and modern styles.

"For the floral design, THE GARDEN OF LOVE understood my vision and brought it to life by creating stunning and unique pieces using classic blooms such as ranunculus, lisianthus, and roses. A classic bridal bouquet was made for the shots without the textile blooms, but one of the most exciting concepts was to forgo the usual bridal bouquet in the shots with the textile flowers and complement the gown with one-of-a-kind floral necklace instead. We wanted to add a delicate floral feature reminiscent of a bouquet without taking away from the beautiful textile blooms of the stylist’s masterpiece.  With the same goal in mind, LINA PAGANO executed a flawless natural makeup and pulled-back hairstyle, letting the focus be on uniqueness of the gown and accentuating the natural beauty of the bride. 

Hoping to find a hidden gem to host the shoot on the beautiful lake of Como, I immediately thought about VILLA REVEL PARRAVICINI. The “Sala Rosa”, which means pink room in Italian, stuck in my mind; with its ceilings decorated with antique frescoes, beautiful chandeliers, and floors covered in mosaics, it seemed to be the perfect setting to illustrate the timeless elegance of Italian wedding Villas. Adorned with an asymmetrical floral arch, we used the facade of the Villa for the ceremony set up. The silhouette of the Villa was also recalled in the paper suite created by DODO DESIGN. To maintain the harmony of the design in the table setting, we used a combination of classic glassware and modern cutlery, and used superposed sand and pink gauze napkins, which tied everything back to the different layers of the tulle train of the designer dress. 

As location for some more romantic images, we chose VILLA OIMO'S gardens, one of the symbolic landmarks of the City of Como and home to many important art exposition and conferences, which is just few minutes’ walk from the VILLA REVEL PARRAVICINI. Photographer ALINA INDI was able to capture our couple playing in the beauty of the gardens while maintaining that original fusion of old and new we wanted to create."

A big thank you to Lake Como Wedding planner VALENTINA WEDDINGS & EVENTS for sharing this beautiful inspiration with us today. VALENTINA WEDDINGS & EVENTS is a boutique wedding planning & design company based in Southern California and Lake Como, Italy. Influenced by European romanticism, they pride themselves in creating timeless looks, incorporating each couple’s style and story to design weddings that truly represent them. "We believe in the importance of getting to know our couples to understand their vision. Our clients value how attentive to their story we are and how meticulous we are throughout the whole planning process. We believe that a beautiful design must always be paired with a flawless execution to become a memorable event." You can see more of their portfolio here.