Brides’ Dream Elopement at Lake Como, Italy

lake como elopement

Lake Como, located in Northern Italy, is known for its dramatic scenery, sparkling waters, and incredible villas. So it’s no surprise that photographer Lilly Red Creative + planner Benevent wanted to style a dreamy elopement there! Lilly Red Creative shares We wanted to celebrate a new era in Italy — one inspired by Italian traditions mixed with exciting new legal changes — equality. It was a big year of change in 2016 for Italy, same sex couples are finally able to legally marry. And these two women wanted to celebrate that in the best way they could, with an elopement on the shores of Lake Como.

Como has a long, rich history of fine silks + fabrics. In the olden days, there were many mills — filanda as they are called in Italian — where the fine fabrics were spun. Few remain nowadays, but the ones that do are extremely special + filled with history. The styled elopement incorporated the legendary fabrics of the region. They coupled this with lush, overflowing bouquets and an abundance of cotton, wools, and silks. 

Ready to be whisked away to the shores of Italy?

colorful dip dye invitation suite

Have you ever seen an invitation suite printed on fabric? The envelope liners were hand painted with watercolors by Benevent, along with the map of Lake Como.

mustard mrs box ring

The rings and all the jewelry feature black + white diamonds, each personalized and handmade in Genova by My Golden Age.

cascading vine bouquet

cascading vine bouquet

The bouquets by Cip Garden are composed of typical greens seen in the mountains surrounding Lake Como, coupled with olive branches that bring back memories of the rolling Tuscan hills.

lake como elopement

black tulle dress

back necklace

So, so dreamy… The black wedding dress is by Ela Siromascenko.

greens and red flowers bouquet

black tulle dress

lake como elopement

stained glass backdrop

stained glass backdrop

lake como elopement

The ceremony was located in Onno, a small lakeside town where the mountains in the background create the perfect frame. Our backdrop for the ceremony was on old, vintage door with the intricate colored glass — long since removed from an Italian cathedral.

black veil bride

loose greens boquet

The ethereal, cream wedding dress is by Yoliah Spose.

hanging greens

crocheted table runner

Who else is CRUSHING on this magenta wool table runner?

acrylic menu

How cool is this? The menu was printed directly on the each side of the wooden table!

concrete slab place mat

The dainty porcelain dishes are handmade in Trentino and characterized by the irregular edges, which make each piece one of a kind.

crocheted table runner

crocheted table runner

boho protea centerpiece

crocheted table runner

vintage dessert table

The dessert table was located on a large, industrial sewing machine typical of an old Filanda.

mini desserts

Dolci Incantati crafted these dainty desserts.

white and raspberry cake

The wedding cake is a pavlova style — typically made of a meringue crust topped with whipped cream and fresh fruits such as kiwis or strawberries. Although its exact origin cannot be traced, it is most likely named after the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova (1881-1931).

threading backdrop

A mix of tradition and equality, love is love!​ We couldn’t agree more!

A huge thank you to Lilly Red Creative + the rest of the team for this brilliant inspiration.

photography: Lilly Red Creative // planning: Benevent // florals: Cip Garden // wedding dress: white dress from Yoliah Spose // bride's shoes: Miss-D // bride's ring: My Golden Age // hair stylist: Claudio Erre // makeup artist: Chiara Allievi // paper goods: Benevent // handmade details: Filati Cucirini // cake: Dolci Incantati // desserts: Dolci Incantati // tabletop rentals: Cip Garden // furniture rentals: Cip Garden // linen rentals: Atelier Dd Jolie // specialty rentals: GioveLab // officiant: Cerimonie Laiche

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