LAKE GARDA for a wedding? Anyone been, got any advice?

Hi there Lucy!

We're getting married on Lake Garda in August, although we've planned it all ourselves as my OH is Italian and we live about 4 hours' drive away which makes it a lot easier.

There are quite a few wedding planners who seem to get good reviews, like Italian Lakes Weddings and Lake Garda Weddings. They tend to do a lot of weddings in Malcesine, which has a beautiful castle where you can get married, plus there are plenty of restaurants nearby where you can have your reception. The venue looks lovely, although I was a little put off by the fact that they hold up to 3 ceremonies a day there and it seems like so many Brits are getting married there now that the weddings all seem a little "samey".

I would suggest you contact those 2 planners though as they will be able to give you ideas of the possible locations.

If you're interested I could also send you a list of the venues I considered.

Another good place to look is on the Trip Advisor forums - there is a forum for destination weddings and there is a lot of info there about possible locations.

The best place in Italy is Santa Sewera and Rome , of course

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiW2SSUfIBw

contact - ********@*****.**

Hi Chloe

Thank you so much for your response, it's the first time I've been on one of these websites. I've contacted a few wedding planners in Lake Garda including the two that you recommended and you're right, they do tend to do weddings in Malcesine. It does look beautiful but I agree with you about the number of weddings there. We wanted something a little different. We have looked online at the Church in Torri del Benaco - they do Civil Ceremonies there but wanted somewhere different for the reception. The wedding planners are going to call me so I can go through with them our ideas and wish list.

Where are you having your wedding? If you don't mind I would be really grateful if you could send me a list of the venues that you considered.

We are not sure whether to have the reception in a hotel overlooking the lake or in a nice restaurant. Lake views are a must on my wish list along with a town/resort with quaint cobbled streets and a beautiful Mediterranean vibe. It's funny what you picture in your head isn't it.

Thanks for the advice on the Trip Advisor forum, I'm going to give them a go.

Lucy x

Thank you for your reply, it does look beautiful.

Hi again!

The church at Torri del Benaco does look lovely.

We are getting married here:

[View:http://www.residenzedepoca.it/matrimoni/scheda_location.php?id_location=visconteo:550:0]

It's near to Desenzano on the south side of the lake. The venue is not directly on the lake, but because it's set on a hilltop it does have beautiful views down to the lake. The venue is owned by the local authority, which means that you can get legally married there. This was one of the plus points of the venue for me, as I wanted to be able to have the ceremony and the reception in the same place. We'll be staying in Sirmione (about 20 min away) which is one of the loveliest towns on the lake and definitely worth a look at.

Seeing as a lake view is important to you, I've just put down below the places that fit that criteria. We also looked at quite a few villas and privately owned properties away from the lake as well, which I haven't included below.

For all of these venues you would have to get "legally" married in the nearest town hall, however all of the venues should do symbolic ceremonies in the grounds. So you could just go together to do the legal bit and then have another more intimate ceremony withyour guests.

Hotel Villa del Sogno - Gardone

This hotel has a gorgeous terrace with amazing lake views. You can't have exclusive use of the terrace though which put me off a bit.

Villa Fiordaliso and Torre San Marco - Gardone

This place is amazing, with gorgeous grounds right on the lake and private boat access ?. Again you would have to get married at the town hall but could have a symbolic ceremony at the hotel.

Hotel Montefiori - Gardone

Lake Garda Island

This is on an island in the middle of the lake so you need to take a boat there from Salo. It's also mega expensive from recollection, although it's nice to dream!

Hope that helps a little.

Hello Lucy,

I know you are looking at Lake Garda but you might also consider beautiful Umbria as an option?

Back in June we celebrated our wedding at Pian Di Cascina in a stunning and secluded part of Umbria. We hired out the whole accomodation for our closest family and friends for a week (30 including bride and groom). We wanted an intimate wedding where we could relax and have fun with our guests and were definitely not disappointed. The location is stunning, the rooms immaculate and the pool has an unbelievable view of the Umbrian hills.

Isabel (English but fluent in italian - owner of the villas) is a fantastic and creative wedding planner - she listens and understands exactly what you want and then makes it even better with her own suggestions and ideas! She has a lot of experience arranging weddings and it definitely shows. No detail is overlooked and she has a reliable list of suppliers including hairdressers, flowers, musicians, photographers and even arranged a fireworks display for us which got all the local farmers talking! Isabel is very familiar with the legal side of arranging Italian weddings and makes the process very easy to understand.

After a lovely ceremony in Gubbio town hall and the most delicious wedding breakfast (our guests could not believe the size of the menu!) we returned to Pian Di Cascina where Isabel and Paul had arranged a dancefloor on the grass area. We danced away to the band into the early hours of the morning to a backdrop of pretty lanterns and fairy lights. When we returned to our room (The Cantina - perfect for couples wanting a romantic escape!) it looked beautiful and was full of romantic surprises (I won't give it away in case you choose to have your wedding here...) It really was a dream wedding.

If you are looking for an intimate wedding abroad where you can spend time with your nearest and dearest I honestly can't think of a better place.

These links might help:

http://weddingsinumbria.info/Weddings_umbria.html

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187906-d1379558-Reviews-Villa_Pian_Di_Cascina-Gubbio_Province_of_Perugia_Umbria.html

http://www.avillainumbria.com/en/

I hope that helps!