Gabriela Ignacio Wedding Como

The Lake Como’s bucolic wedding of Gabriela & Ignacio in the iconic Villa Balbiano

When Gabriela and Ignacio asked for a stylish yet relaxed wedding at Villa Balbiano, we were so thrilled and excited! Villa Balbiano is simply one of the most LUXURY WEDDING VENUES IN LAKE COMO and with such a beautiful and special couple, how could their wedding day be anything but perfect?

Gabriela and Ignacio might live in Geneva, but they kept all of their Spanish joie de vivre for their three day wedding that took place in Villa Balbiano and Lake Como was indeed the perfect venue for them as this was where they first met. That’s European romance!

The couple set the mood starting with the welcome dinner on Lido di Lenno. The beach was the ideal setting for this informal barbeque, which saw the 200 guests enjoy rosemary focaccia and tomato bites to start, T-bone steak and skewers of grilled shrimp with organic roasted vegetables as their main course followed by home made gelato to finish! Long trestle tables allowed the guests to mingle freely and get to one  another before the main event the following day. A fairy tale atmosphere offered a taste of things to come as the sun set over the lake, thanks to the strings of lights we set up!

The Lake Como wedding was next. As the couple live in Switzerland, the religious ceremony took place in the beautiful village of Morbio Inferiore, right on the border between Italy and Switzerland. The Sanctuary Santa Maria dei Miracoli was set up with pots of all sizes of leaves and flowers, giving the venue a very organic, natural feel. Flowers were provided by Rattiflora, with Gabriela taking personal interest. A gospel choir sang for Lean on me for the arrival of the groom, Stand for Gabriela’s arrival followed by All you need is love. The newly married couple walked out to Oh happy day. Gabriela looked stunning in her Marcela Mansergas dress, while Ignacio looked very handsome in his Urquizo morning suit.

Then it was on to Villa Balbiano for the wedding breakfast. Making sure they made a spectacular entrance, Gabriela and Ignacio arrive at the venue by Riva to Love is in the air. After cocktails and canapes in the gardens, guests were treated to a quintessentially stylish Italian meal complete with oysters and a live mozzarella bar. The hand painted menus were a great touch, as were the individual bottles of limoncello that were placed on the tables for guests to take home (or drink!). Gabriela kept many of these details secret from her guests and even her parents in order to make the day extra special. The dessert course was brought in to the theme tune to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Once the cake was cut, the sky lit up with a personalised firework show, which signalled that the dancing could begin! DJ Miki Strello made sure everyone was in the mood – helped by the bespoke cocktail bar and mobile pizza cart that make sure no one went hungry. After the newlyweds left, the party carried on into the small hours of the night.

To  finish this amazing three day event, a brunch was organised at the villa the following day. Guests arrived from Como by boat and were welcomed with refreshing cocktails before starting the brunch in the garden and relaxing by the pool all the afternoon. A perfect end to a  perfect wedding – and the beginning of Gabriela and Ignacio’s lived together!