The third time’s the charm! We found Stefania through wedding wire and we were so glad to have worked with her! She’s very easy going, understands what you are looking for, and definitely makes everything so easy for us! Planning with her was actually very fun and not stressful at all. On the day of our wedding, she stayed until the end to make sure that all the guests were taken care of. She even stayed in contact with us afterwards to make sure everything was ok. We would definitely recommend Stefania to anyone that is planning their wedding in Italy!

We got married in Orta San Giulio on the 7th September 2018.
The wedding was amazing and I think it’s fair to say that everyone was blown away with the whole thing.
From start to finish everything worked really well, Valentina and Ernesto at the "Italian Lakes Wedding Company" certainly know their stuff!
Ernesto makes you feel at ease and Valentina makes you feel special. They are a great team and nothing is too much trouble for them.
One of their recommendations was to host a pizza/pasta party in “Venus” the night before the wedding and that was a real hit with our guests. The pizza just kept on coming and stayed hot, and people particularly commented on how good the red wine was. And seeing everyone the night before made the next day a lot easier, I thought!

Initially the weather forecast held thunder and lightning for the wedding day, but Valentina told us to stay positive and as usual she was right. I don’t think we could have been any luckier with the weather, although some of the boys in kilts would possibly have preferred it to be a bit cooler!

From start to finish everything on the wedding day was fabulous. The hairdresser and make-up artist that Valentina had organised were superb. They came to the apartment, made us look good (!) and were calming and easy to work with. They both did a great job, I was really pleased.

I thoroughly enjoyed the short boat ride to the ceremony, which took place at the town hall. I had been thinking that it was a bit over the top, but it gave me a giggle at the time and made me and my young bridesmaids feel like we were being spoilt. It was quite a treat.
The setting for the ceremony was just beautiful. The town hall provides perfectly manicured gardens, in full bloom, overlooking the lake and surrounded by the beautiful Italian buildings. Everyone just adored the setting, it was really stunning.

Valentina had organised a harpist for us who was wonderful and I think was the calming effect Dougie, the groom, was needing. Everyone really enjoyed the harpist, the lady was very good and set the atmosphere for the ceremony.

The lady and gentleman who conducted the ceremony were just lovely and very professional. We were not sure what to expect really, and they really made us feel welcome, that they were delighted to have us there. The translator was witty and we all had a laugh with him. We were delighted to receive the book of Orta San Giulio, and it takes pride of place in our home.

Valentina and Ernesto were on hand every step of the way, running ahead to ensure that everything was well organised. Every detail was as we had agreed before the big day.

The wee walk down the street was an unexpected surprise for everyone, with bystanders clapping, and there were several photos taken off the men in their kilts. The feedback from our guests was that they felt really special and felt like it was a Hollywood wedding!
Everyone also really enjoyed the ice cream in the main square, I am really glad we went for that, it was a great recommendation from Valentina.
And then back to Venus again for Prosecco! The staff in Venus were brilliant, they looked after us very well both days we were there.
And then to the boat rides… Ernesto had arranged for us to go to the island for photographs and it was lovely and so quiet. We were itching to get back to the party I have to say, but it was a lovely interlude really. Andrea, the photographer from independent pictures, was very professional and kind and encouraged us to chill out.

Ernesto ensured all of our guests got to the reception by boat also. We didn’t get to see the guests arrive at l’Ustaria Ca Dal Rat, but everyone was blown away with the boat trip and then arriving to aperitivo. It was nice to see them all with their sunglasses on looking out over the lake when we arrived. They are now telling everyone that will listen, that it was like something out of a glossy magazine!
When we arrived, again we felt really special. The guests hadn’t noticed that we weren’t already there, so we made quite an entrance. I just loved getting off the boat to the song we had chosen. I had forgotten we had done that, so it was a nice surprise! Again another detail that did not get missed by the team.
The Aperitivo were fabbie by the way! Our guests thought they were delicious as did we.

Valentina had gotten to the restaurant earlier and had set out the tables exactly as we had asked, with decoration, favours and the seating plan. She did a brilliant job and the whole place looked stunning as the sun went down over the lake.
The meal itself at the restaurant was wonderful. People have particularly commented on the cauliflower soufflé (we would love the recipe!), the pear risotto, and the sea bass. But everything that Carlos cooked was fantastic, it was all cooked to perfection.
We had one night left at the end of our holiday and we went back to Lake Orta just so that we could eat there again and try something else. Again, it was wonderful. Enrico looked after us very well on both visits. To be honest I am looking forward to going back again.
The restaurant had put together a ‘cheese’ cake for us; it looked great and it had melt in the mouth cheeses.

We used “Audiodress” (another great recommendation from Valentina) for the music all evening. From start to finish “Audiodress” were brilliant to deal with. They always responded really quickly when we wrote to them. I loved the DJ, I thought he was great, and he played everything we had organised, even down to the Ceilidh dancing!


So we just want to say, Valentina and Ernesto, thank you both very very much. We thoroughly enjoyed our wedding and I am actively encouraging someone else (anyone) to do the same so that we can go along and be a guest. And I will be encouraging them to use your services. Some of the guests have commented that it was the best wedding they have ever been to. Many of the guests have commented that the whole day was very relaxed, and why would it not be with Italian Lakes Wedding in charge, we had nothing to worry about!
We honestly cannot thank you enough. Once you arrived, I knew everything was taken care of. You know everyone and have obviously chosen the best people to work with. Every single part of the wedding was exactly as we had arranged, the team that you put together were all excellent, and you made our dream wedding a reality. We both wish we could do it all again!
Tracey and Dougie x

We got married on the 23rd of September 2017 in Stresa, Lake Maggiore. It was perfection from start to finish thanks to Valentina and Ernesto!

We first met with Valentina and Ernesto in October 2016 to begin planning our wedding, from the very start it was clear that their knowledge of the area, and expertise was second to none. They are very friendly and warm people and they made the entire experience highly enjoyable. They are both very responsive to emails and organise skype conversations frequently. Valentina was fantastic at conveying my thoughts and ideas to vendors, and completely understood my vision for the wedding.

There was no stress whatsoever in the lead up to the wedding, we knew Valentina and Ernesto had everything under control. On the day of the wedding they made sure everything ran smoothly, every last detail was perfect. Our guests said it was not only the best wedding that had ever been to, but one of the best weekends they ever had!

We cannot thank Valentina and Ernesto enough for creating our perfect day.

Orla and James (Ireland)