Amanda and Doug - Lake Como, Italy

Welcome to Lake Como!

Amanda and Doug. Moogs and Gooms.
This stunning wedding in Lake Como was just featured in Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine.

The bride gets ready in her suite at Serbelloni.

The bride wore Elizabeth Fillmore.

Signor Christian Louboutin

Signor Christian Dior

You know how I feel about stamps. Please use pretty postage!

The bride and her ladies each wore a custom made headpiece from Lulu Frost. Each girl chose her own vintage charm for her piece.

Meet the groom. Doesn't he look sharp! Good job Tom Ford.

The groomsmen were all given ivory Brioni ties.

Time for the ladies to go to the wedding venue, Villa del Balbionello by private boat.

Too sweet! A telegram from grandparents who could not make the trip.

Here come the guests and dressed to kill!

The guests followed the invitation attire very strictly. It wasn't a wedding it was a couture fashion show!

The bride allowed each bridesmaid to select her own gown and color from the collection at Amsale. They looked equally lovely individually as they did as a group.

The beautiful ceremony at the Villa's Loggia.

A trio consisting of La Scala musicians were commissioned by Amanda and Doug to learn a number of meaningful songs for the ceremony including Sea of Love for the bride's processional.

BORROW THIS IDEA: The couple often used the term "James Bond" to describe how they wanted their wedding to feel. Out of that developed this idea to have designated escort card secret agents walk around to guests and ask them "Psst, what's your name?" and then reveal the secret file of names inside their jackets. I think this was also an excuse for the Escort Agents to talk to some of their very pretty single girl guests :).

Hmmm, this photo could look like something else if you didn't know.

Good work, men. Everyone found their seats.

This picture looks like an ad. One of my favs!

The color of the water at twilight. It truly was heaven on earth.

3-D Chandeliers from Urban outfitter were shipped out to Italy from NY.

HELPFUL TIP: They worked great for our event for several reasons: 1) classic chandelier look with a very contemporary twist 2) very affordable at about $36 dollars each 3) shipped flat and the two pieces could easily be assembled in Italy.

MOMA Ghost Candelabras were shipped from NY and like the chandeliers were easily shipped flat and assembled in Italy. We had a custom teal table runner down the center of both long European style dinner tables.

HELPFUL TIP: The chairs, the linens, the candles, the everything were in white with only small touches of the teal runner and these pashminas. It just goes to show that the slightest color can be very potent. No need to overdose on a color to get it across.

BORROW THIS IDEA: Menu=place cards=personal letters.
Each guest found a personal letter in their napkin at their place which also help them find their seats. Also in the letter was a thank you note the couple wrote to them. At the end of each note the couple described in detail the amazing Italian cuisine they were in store for.

BORROW THIS IDEA: Instead of having a guest book laid out on a table for guests to stop by and sign it was instead passed around the dinner table which provided some fun dinner time activity as well. It was no ordinary guest book but rather a polariod picture album. A Polariod camera was sent around the table along with the album and guests took pictures of themselves and wrote lengthy messages to the couple. Along with some champagne, I had one camera ready for the bride and groom in their bridal suite for their few minutes alone after the ceremony. They took a few shots of themselves which I then slipped into the cover of each album before passing it around to guests. 2 of their jokester male friends replaced one of those cover pictures with a "romantic" picture of themselves.

BORROW THIS IDEA: I hate to promote smoking but if they're going to smoke anyways I might as well make them match the wedding and look chic doing it with these cigarette holders.

I had the lighting company hang the lights at a diagonal for something a little different, contemporary and fresh.
HELPFUL TIP: When working with a destination wedding (especially if you speak different languages) pictures and sketches are very clarifying and helpful.

BORROW THIS IDEA: The couple recently purchased their first home together and had extra rolls of a wallpaper that lined the hallway of their home and it has become a very recognizable part of their home decor and one their friends definitely associate with the couple's home. In an attempt to bring a part of their home to Italy I suggested we hang panels of their wallpaper around the tent. To do this we simply taped the wallpaper to the metal frame and then let it roll down to the floor. You can use this idea with any wallpaper, meaning or no meaning, to spruce up your tent.

The groom gave THE most heartwarming and charming speech to his family and bride...

...and with a firework ending over Lake Como!

The guests ran to the terrace and watched big-eyed and hearts swelling. The girl with her head on her shoulder sums up the feeling.

And they danced the night away!

___________

Let's rewind now to some of the other events for their wedding.

The bride wore traffic stopping Oscar de la Renta dress to the Friday rehearsal dinner. The groom in Ralph Lauren.

And not to be missed when visiting Lake Como is a lunch at Locanda Dell'Isola!

______

Rewinding even further before guests even left for Lake Como, we sent each guest a travel guide to Italy.

Wrapped and tied with a simple red ribbon, the tag read "for italy."

We inserted a bookmark that read "see you here." on the Lake Como page and put a "D & A special edition" sticker on the cover.

BORROW THIS IDEA: When doing a destination wedding, I love to send the guests a little something to get them excited not only about the wedding but the trip.

Guests found a whole bag of goodies in their rooms when they arrived but I think the flip book that was a guide to Lake Como and the wedding weekend was a highlight. We included the "slideshow" of images in this flip book and also this map of all the wedding activities. The map was another amazing job by Make Merry! Designs.

Doug and Amanda, congrats on your beautiful wedding and your newborn son!


Photos courtesy of the amazing and talented Roey Yohai