Tell us a little about yourselves!
I think we have a very similar outlook on life. Both keen runners, we love challenging ourselves physically and love hiking, skiing and being out in the elements. On the flipside, we also enjoy life’s simple pleasures - a good coffee, a good bottle of wine, a good pub with friends. I like that we enjoy both in equal measure and the variety that brings to our life – safe to say we are never bored.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We got engaged while driving around Switzerland in a campervan. While the majority of our road trip was filled with running and walking in the mountains, on one of the days we drove south from St. Moritz and spent the day relaxing in Lake Como. Besides the obvious great weather, stunning views and incredible food that can be harder to come by in the UK, it seemed fitting to be back in Lake Como after our excursion there a couple of years prior.
How many guests did you have?
73.
What was your budget?
We had an initial number in mind that we quite quickly realised was not realistic! There were certain points during the planning process that I wished we had saved our money and eloped, but looking back I’m so glad we didn’t.
Tell us about your outfits!
I wanted to go for a timeless and almost vintage look as I felt this was right for the setting. I wore one dress with two different sleeves as a way to create two looks on a budget. I fell in love with the big sleeves as they reminded me of the OTT wedding dresses that became popular in the 80s and 90s. For the lace sleeves I wore in the evening, I found the lace in a local fabric shop in East London and asked my seamstress to make them into sleeves (they cost me £30 in total!) This lace detailing and the lace on my veil felt very Italian which I liked. Finally, I also wore the pearl necklace that my Mum wore on her wedding day to my Dad.
James is in the army and so debated between getting married in his formal uniform or in morning suit, which is traditionally what men wear to weddings in England. In the end, he went with a morning suit which we both loved as this was a brilliant way to incorporate some tradition and some English-ness into our wedding day.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Making sure everyone had a good time. When planning a wedding, you quickly realise it’s not really about you – and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I really wanted to make sure the day had a nice flow to it, people always had something to do and weren’t waiting around, so the timeline and order of the day was important to me.
We also had more friends than family at our wedding so we were keen that our wedding felt like one big social occasion. Someone had told me that the seating plan is one of the most important things to get right so we spent a long time on this and I think they were right, it does make a big difference.
Were there any elements you wanted to incorporate?
I love the idea of contrasts and wanted to capture this in various ways. From an aesthetic point of view, it was very important to me to capture the timelessness and glamour of Lake Como but to balance this out with some modern, cool elements. For example, our tables and table settings were very traditional but offset with modern stationery and relaxed, undone floral arrangements.
We had some non-traditional elements such as a non-religious ceremony and no bridesmaids or groomsmen and so wanted to keep to other traditions such as speeches, entrances and a first dance.
Finally, as mentioned above, striking the balance between both English and Italian elements was very important to us: Italian food (no brainer), Italian wedding cake and an Italian song as our first dance, offset by the men’s outfits and a very English party!
Any tips for couples getting married?
Have a Master of Ceremony’s. Having someone responsible for addressing the guests throughout the day, making sure everyone is in the right place at the right time and keep track of timings will be invaluable. As bride and groom, you will be too swept up in everything and will lose all track of time.
Work out what is actually important to you and forget about the rest. The wedding industry is a bottomless pit of things you could include in your wedding. Do you really care about having a gelato truck? If you love gelato then do it, but don’t feel pressured by the wedding industry and the weddings you see on Instagram/Pinterest.
You won’t eat anything. No one told me this would be the case and I wish they had because I was quite disappointed to miss out on all the nice food!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our photographers We. Wedding Photography are the coolest couple ever and we are absolutely in love with the photos, there are just too many to choose from!
And our videographer Joce of Lune De Miel Studio is an absolute legend, he had such a warm and calming effect on me on the day – he also turned our Instagram reel round in 48 hours which was seriously impressive.
Photographer: We. Wedding Photography @we.weddingphotography | Videographer: Lune De Miel Studio @lunedemielstudio | Ceremony + Reception Location: Villa Regina Teodolinda @villareginateodolinda_lakecomo | Entertainment : Blunotte Eventi @blunotteventi | Ceremony Space: Villa Regina Teodolinda @villareginateodolinda_lakecomo | Flora: Figli Dei Fiori @figlideifioricomo | HMUA: Laura Webb @laurawebbmakeup | Catering, Cake + Beverages: Sunlake Catering @sunlake.catering | Stationery: The Kids Press Company @thekidspresscompany | Dress: Prea James Bridal @preajames_bridal | Shoes: Reiss @reiss | Dress Sleeves: Jessica Bennett @jessicabennettbridal