A Dream Destination Wedding in Lake Como, Italy

Destination Weddings, Real Weddings

“Manuel took me to the top of a hotel in our hometown of San Francisco, overlooking the entire city and proposed for the third time.”

The couple: Maya Tataseo & Manuel Mark
Length of engagement: 3 years | Wedding date: August 6th, 2016
Wedding location: Lake Como, Italy | Photographer: Cristiano Ostinelli
Wedding planner: Federica Nascimben –The Italian Wedding Event

We met… at a technology startup in Silicon Valley. Manuel grew up in Munich, Germany and I had just happened to have travelled there with my family. We decided to go out to lunch and look at the photo album I had made from my journey… we’ve been inseparable ever since.

Our proposal… Manuel proposed three times. The first time was in Venice, Italy. We were eating dinner on the Grand Canal and Manuel asked me to marry him. I said yes. Everything was perfect. The setting, the accordion player – the only thing missing was the ring. A few days later, Manuel took me to Marienplatz in Munich, Germany. He asked me where I took one of the pictures he had seen in the album on our first date. He started reminiscing on all the amazing moments we’ve had together, then got down on one knee and proposed again, this time, with a placeholder ring. Over the next month, Manuel and I went into every jewellery store and slowly but surely designed my dream engagement ring. A few months later, Manuel took me to the top of a hotel in our hometown of San Francisco, overlooking the entire city and proposed for the third time, this time with my dream ring. I of course said yes for the third and final time!

My hair and makeup… My hair and makeup was done by Fabio Lo Coco from Milan. He gave me such a natural look and glow, Manuel couldn’t believe his eyes!

My dress… I tried on countless designers but I ended up getting the first dress I tried on at Vera Wang.


We chose our venue because… We had a vision of the dream venue we wanted to have our wedding in and we found it at Villa Erba. We both wanted our ceremony to be on the water. I wanted a long aisle to walk down with gorgeous detailed moulding and ornate walls in the interior of the venue. It was the most beautiful 19th Century villa we had ever laid eyes on.


What our bridal party wore… My bridal party wore BHDLN convertible gowns. They were stunning on them.

Our wedding theme/colours… Manuel and I wanted our wedding to be classic and timeless. We went with neutrals – ivory, cream, champagne and blush.


We chose our wedding coordinator because… We chose Federica Nascimben of The Italian Wedding Event because of the scale of weddings she has planned in the past. We saw one video of a wedding she planned and the decision was made.


Our ceremony… Our ceremony was symbolic. It incorporated our family and friends and couldn’t have been more special.


Our menu… I can’t even begin to rave about how incredible the food was at our wedding. The sad part was we didn’t have much time to eat and my dress was too tight to enjoy it!


My favourite part of the wedding day… 1. Marrying my best friend 2. The band; Fire and Ice out of Frankfurt. Kevin Iszard is the most talented singer I have ever come across and so was every single member of his group. Our guests are still raving about them.


My piece of advice for other brides… Relax. Remember why you are having a wedding in the first place and take time to step away from all the festivities to enjoy the moment with your partner. Also if you are travelling by plane, carry everything you need for the day of your wedding onboard.

Suppliers:

Wedding location: Lake Como, Italy | Photographer: Cristiano Ostinelli | Wedding planner: Federica Nascimben –The Italian Wedding Event | Groom’s suit: Hugo Boss | Wedding dress: Vera Wang | Band: Fire & Ice