Meighan and Bertie’s Glamorous and Lavish Lake Como Wedding

Meighan who works in HR and People Operations, married Investment Banker Bertie on 22nd September 2022 at the breathtakingly beautiful Villa Erba in Cernobbio at Lake Como, Italy.

The couple hired I Do In Lake Como Wedding Planner to help them plan their lavish and glamorous day, which was inspired by their shared favourite movie, The Godfather, and the Italian Renaissance.

Meighan looked out of this world in a Pronovias gown for the ceremony and daytime, before she switched into a sassy ostrich feather dress for the evening. The exceptionally talented Sandra of Divine Day Photography captured these images and I simply adore them, they embody all the romance, fun, glamour and excitement of the day so beautifully. Enjoy!

The Venue

I never thought I wanted a big or lavish wedding. Then we got engaged and it just sort of happened. Being from two continents, we knew it was going to be a destination wedding.

We wanted somewhere people would be keen to travel to, a romantic location with beautiful scenery, history, glamor, and water. And also somewhere that we both love and felt a connection too. Italy is that place. I have Italian ancestry, and Bertie adores Italian food and culture.

We picked Lake Como as its insanely beautiful, timeless and looks straight out of a fairy-tale or fantasy movie. And for someone who absolutely adores neoclassical, medieval, renaissance, etc architecture and ambiance, it was the ideal setting.

We selected Villa Erba as our venue because it is a magnificent 19th century villa right on the lake. It is grand, imposing, romantic and glamorous.I fell in love with the venue as soon as I saw it. We were keen on hosting a black tie affair with incredible food, entertainment, Italian glamour and a bit of Bond. We had friends tell us they felt like they were in an episode of Italian Bridgerton, so, I think we nailed it.

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The Dress

I saw several Pronovias dresses on the Love My Dress Instagram page and was instantly drawn to their European style. My reception dress was by Nadine Merabi.

I purchased my dress from the Pronovias Flagship store in NYC. I had a great experience there as my bridal consultant was super helpful and patient. The Pronovias flagship carried all of their haute couture gowns, as well as their collaborations with Vera Wang and Marchessa so it was nice to be able to try on a variety of styles as well as price points. I also found my bridal tiara there which really elevated the look.

My dress was one of the first dresses that I had saved on my phone before going wedding dress shopping. I wanted to look like an Italian Renaissance Princess. But I didn’t want to wear a ball gown or anything with loads of tulle. I wanted a dress that was romantic, feminine, and unique from a European designer. I didn’t want anything super modern or trendy, but I also didn’t want a dress that was overly traditional or simple.

I really liked the look of mermaid/trumpet silhouettes, sleeves with lace, and buttons down the back. I found all of those things in the Rocio Gown from the Haute Couture collection of Atelier Pronovias.

This dress is ultra-feminine, with delicate embroidery of lace flowers that look like they’re blooming all over the dress. It has an exaggerated chiffon train which I absolutely adored. And gave me the “drama” I also craved. The back was just as beautiful as the front, with cascading flowers and elegant buttons.

The flowers on the dress had tiny beading as well which gave the dress a little something extra. The sleeves were my favourite part of the dress, so elegant and European feeling.

Bridal Beauty & Accessories

I decided to have a custom veil made and found the lovely Sophie of Unveiled by Sophie on instagram. She created a bespoke 3.5 meter Royal length veil made of crisp ivory tulle and delicate lace flowers that matched perfectly with the flowers on my wedding gown.

Sophie reached out to Pronovias to get the exact length of my train and color of my dress so that we could match the tulle for the veil and ensure the length would match. Not only was this a unique and intimate experience, but I loved supporting a local small, woman owned business in the UK.

I wore a delicate ivory lace slingback pump from the Italian shoe maker Aquazzura for the ceremony. I adore this brand and find all of their heels quite comfortable. Which was essential for my wedding day! My second look shoes were PVC and Crystal pumps from Mach & Mach.

I wore a yellow gold, pearl and crystal tiara from Pronovias. The tiara really gave the whole look the Italian Renaissance vibe. I wore pearl studs with a halo of diamonds set on yellow gold that were a gift from my mother. We picked them out when I was visiting her.

They matched perfectly with my tiara. I have sensitive ears and studs usually are my preferred style of earring. For my something blue, my mother gifted me an exquisite blue topaz ring set in yellow gold. My earrings were from Helzberg Diamonds.

My hair and makeup artist was The Studio Como.

The Groom

Bertie had two bespoke suits made from a wonderful tailor, Saint Gregory Tailors in Naples, based in Naples, Italy. Enio created a midnight blue tuxedo with black lapels which he wore for the ceremony and then an ivory dinner jacket and black trousers for the reception. They were stunning suits.

Bertie also wore custom loafers from Arthur Sleep of Savile Row London. The guys at Arthur Sleep were fabulous and even hooked my husband up with the tailor who made his custom tuxedos for the day.

Flowers

Our floral designer was Figli dei Fiori. We knew we wanted colourful, warm, summer to autumn florals with lots of greenery. There needed to be an element of classical elegance to the florals. The venue itself is full of lush greenery and I wanted to highlight that as well as the end of summer season.

I stalked every wedding in Lake Como from the past few years to get inspiration as well as on the @lovemydress Instagram account, and shared pictures of arrangements that I liked with both my planner and my florist.

We went with a mixture of roses, dahlias and hydrangeas with seasonal greenery. The colours were warm pinks, peach, yellow and ivory. My florist exceeded my expectations and the bouquets, ceremony florals, table settings etc were all exquisite. The florals were vibrant and full of colour while playing off the green surroundings.

Photography

I saw Sandra of Divine Day’s work via a recommendation from my wedding planner. I was immediately drawn to her aesthetic. She has a mixture of fine art, fashion and romance in her work, with warm, rich moody lighting that I adore.

When I saw that she had shot Princess Eugenia’s wedding, along with countless others in Lake Como and Italy wide, I knew she had to be the one. Sandra is incredibly talented, funny, and not afraid to go the extra mile. All of our guests loved her. She was with us until the very end and captured amazing candid shots, portraits and everything in between.

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How They Met

Bertie and I met on the 1st of June 2018 at a pub in Chelsea. It was a glorious sunny day in London, and I went to meet some friends at our local pub, the Hollywood arms. Shortly after arriving, I was introduced to someone called Oliver, who told me he had a brother that I might like.

Then by a twist of fate, this brother called Bertie, happened to walk by the pub on his way to a BBQ. We got to chatting and by the end of the night seemed to be equally hooked on each other. We went on a date the following week and by the end of June were an item.

Everything flowed so naturally with us, no games and we fell in love quickly. Fast forward three and a bit years later, and we went on holiday with a group of other couples to Crete. I had no idea a proposal was in store. We started ordering drinks and after about an hour, Bertie pulled me aside because he wanted to show me this special spot for a picture. Which was totally unlike him because he isn’t someone usually keen on pictures.

We walked over to this spot and as I sat down on one of the daybeds, I turned around, he was on one knee. It was so sweet, spontaneous and unexpected. I instantly fell over, ugly cried and immediately said yes. He had the perfect pear-shaped diamond on a yellow gold. Pure bliss! We were married twelve months later in Lake Como.

Evening, Dancing & Favourite Moments

For my second look I changed into a short, sparkly white dress with feathers. Something that I could really “disco” in. I found an adorable dress from Nadine Merabi that was perfect for the reception and paired it with sparkly pvc and crystal heels from Mach & Mach that glistened on the dance floor.

Our first dance track was Beyond, by Leon Bridges. We both love Leon Bridges and the song is so romantic yet bluesy and soulful.

One of the most magical moments was when we took wedding pictures on an Italian riva boat ( that once belonged to the Prince of Monaco) while cruising Lake Como. This was of course a unique photo opportunity, but also an intimate time for my husband and I to be alone on the day. We also could see the venue and all our family and friends gathered there for us.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

Be authentic. You don’t have to follow traditions or trends if you don’t want to.However, if you’re keen on a traditional style wedding or certain trends, by all means, go for it. Incorporate things that you and your partner love.

This can be in the music, the decor, the venue, invitations, table names, whatever. By doing this the day and entire event represents the both of you as a couple.

I also think it’s important to determine with your partner what you’re happy to splurge on and what you’re comfortable with budget wise. Make it memorable because these memories you will have for the rest of your life.

Our original budget was £100k. This was for everything, including hotels, pre and post events and day off the wedding. We decided to up the budget a bit as our guest count went over 100 people and increased the budget to reflect that.

I think the only thing I would have done is start to get ready a little earlier. Because having a bit more time for photos before the ceremony would have been ideal.

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