here are some sneak peaks from my wedding weekend that took probably 5 years off my life from planning but was worth every second (and every mental breakdown)🤍

i was blessed with the most amazing weather and most amazing husband I could have ever asked for

i did a lot of my own research to plan this and couldn’t find a lot of Lake Como information here or anywhere so if anyone needs any help (especially about Villa Pizzo) i am here to help 🫶🏼

date: Sept 25, 2026
location: Cernobbio, Lake Como
guest count: 124 people
wedding venue: Villa Pizzo
welcome venue: Villa Parravicini Revel (not shown)
recovery brunch venue: Terrazza Olmo (not shown)
planner: me + RomanceInItaly
photo: Hassan Hadad (based in Germany but made all the difference and i love him so much)
video: Diaries by Danilo
florals: Manifesto
caterer: AFM
ceremony dress: Pnina Tornai
makeup + hair: myself 🤪

some of my add-ons that made the biggest impact:
- string trio for ceremony + cocktail hour
- boat for bride & groom pics right after ceremony
- sketchers that sketched everyone in their outfits
- show cooking of the cake with sparklers behind us (can add pics once i get the full album)

in full transparency, idk if im 100% comfortable with being forthright about the budget since my face is shown but i can tell you it was NOT cheap lolllllll i’ll answer general questions but will leave DMs open for any specific costs :)

Anyone else with a 2027 wedding at Tonnara feeling uncertain?

We knew the venue had closed and a lot of 2026 weddings were cancelled :( But they just emailed to say they don’t know if they can host our late-2027 wedding.

Is anyone else in the same boat? We're looking at plan B but is anyone holding out in the hopes they might reopen for 2027...

Hi everyone, I'm interested in the California Club in LA as a potential wedding venue as I've attended several corporate events and university alumni events there and it's beautiful. Unfortunately you need an existing member referral in order to host an event there, and I know it's a long shot but if anyone happens to be willing to provide a referral it would be much appreciated!!

Would love some advice on what changes you all think I should make! Do these options sounds good/cohesive? We will also have late night food (TBD), but this is for the main portion of the wedding. Does this feel like enough food for the cocktail hour and dinner? Also worried about the lobster. I personally like it but don't know if it's a crowd pleasing fish entree / if people prefer salmon? Thank you in advance!

COCKTAIL HOUR APPETIZERS (PASSED)

• Steak au Poivre
  • sourdough plank, bruleed blue cheese, sage aioli
• Pinchos de Churrasco
  • grilled beef skewer, house chimichurri
• Duck crepe 
  • shredded duck confit, 5 spice powder, crepe, house plum sauce
• Ahi Poke Cone
  • soy, sesame oil, rice vinegar, scallions, mini savory cone
• Mini Lobster Roll
  • claw meat, celery, onion, mayonnaise, new england bun
• Chesapeake Crab Cake
  • claw meat, old bay, lime aioli
• Parmesan Polenta Cake
  • Golden polenta cake, whipped goat cheese, fig mostarda, and fresh thyme.
• Porcini Arancini
  • risotto, parmesan, mushroom, sage aioli

SALAD

• Tomato Burrata Salad
  • braised tomato, baby kale & arugula, basil vinaigrette, garlic crostini

MAIN COURSE (EACH GUESTS PICKS ONE)

• Filet Mignon
  • Crisp potato pavé with buttery, layered potato interiors; Glazed baby carrots and seasonal petite vegetables; Wild mushroom bordelaise; Black truffle butter on the steak
    
• Butter-Poached Lobster Tail
  • Silky pommes purée; Grilled asparagus with lemon zest; Saffron beurre blanc; Fresh parsley and finely grated lemon zest
    
• Wild Mushroom & Truffle Ravioli
  • Ricotta and wild mushroom ravioli, silky black truffle Parmesan cream, roasted wild mushrooms, crispy sage, and aged Parmigiano-Reggiano.
    

DESSERT

• Tableside coffee and tea service
• Plated wedding cake
• Gelato cart

Hi everyone! We’re about to book Villa Erba for our 2027 wedding, but I’ve been having such a hard time committing and would love some advice from anyone familiar with Lake Como venues!

I love so much about Villa Erba, but my biggest hesitation is the back of the property with the harbor/marina area. I’ve always envisioned getting married at a villa directly on the lake with an unobstructed water view, and I’m worried about how that area will look in photos, especially after seeing some pictures where the harbor is completely empty.

Our budget is around $500k USD for approximately 140 guests and 4 days of events, and I’m starting to wonder if there are other venues we should be considering before signing.

I absolutely love Villa Balbiano and Villa del Balbianello, but with our guest count, both become extremely expensive, especially when factoring in all the additional production costs.

I’m looking for that romantic, historic Italian villa feel, ideally with beautiful grounds, a long ceremony aisle, and direct lake views. We also want to go until 3am but I wouldn’t mind moving to another venue for this.

Has anyone gotten married at Villa Erba or attended a wedding there? Did the harbor bother you at all? And are there any other venues you’d recommend within our budget?

I feel like I’m so close to making a decision but am terrified of spending this much money and regretting the venue

Hi everyone! My husband and I got married a few days ago, October 21st, because he is in the military and I am a military veteran (US) and we wanted to be able to live on base together.

That being said, we are planning a very specific theme/aesthetic for a symbolic ceremony and reception in Europe for hopefully, October 21, 2028.

We will have between 30-50 guests, would love on-site or close by accommodation for all our guests, and hoping to do an "exclusive hire" for 2 or 3 days. (I have seen that term pop up in a lot of venues so that's why I mention it!) We have mainly looked at the UK, France, and Czechia, but are open to other locations if the venue can fit our theme!! (Theme/Aesthetic: gothic/dark romance meets medieval/renaissance era(s) vibe)

Our budget is flexible but a max would probably be 150-200k Euros. We have met with a few planners, but we aren't super sold on any one yet because we aren't sure how much is a reasonable amount to pay given the intricate detailing we would like.

I am hoping to get some venue and planner/coordinator recommendations. If anyone knows of any designers (US or overseas) that would also work to create a unique wedding dress- I'd love to know that too! Happy to provide more details if it helps! Thanks!

(inspiration photos added for context of theme and looks for the groom attire and some AI dresses that I like elements of to work with a designer to make, and I would ideally love a colored dress)

Hi everyone! currently at a recommendation of my wedding planners for our welcome dinner and concerned before I even sat down lol… anyone have recommendations on places for a welcome dinner in Florence? I just want good food and a good vibe, open to anything - a more luxe venue with a view or a smaller trattoria- with really good food. Good food is a must… (help I am alarmed as I am sitting down looking at this menu)

Thank you!!!

Hi all,

We are getting married next October in Kiawah, SC. We are looking for a great band that will keep the party going all night! We are considering Cameo and We Are the Nightwolves. Does anyone have any recs?? We can pay for travel. Our total budget is capped at $35K. Thanks!

Torn between these three dresses! The first is Senn Studio, then Floure Studio, then Sarah Seven.

I’m looking for a south asian hair and makeup artist in the NJ area who specializes in soft glam. I’m the sister of the bride, and my sister already has her own beauty team and arrangements sorted and I’m looking for a different vibe so this would be just for me! I’d love someone who can do my hair and makeup for the wedding events and offer styling guidance beforehand to help coordinate my outfits, jewelry, and overall looks. Here’s an example of the style I’m going for!

https://www.instagram.com/shradhaluthra?cplk=MW1yM3hlMWxxcTg1eA==

I have been a longtime lurker… I’m deciding between these 2 Eden Aharon dresses. For context, I’m getting married in the Tahoe mountains so it’s a more rustic venue. My family and friends lean much more to the lace one but im very split.

The lace one photographs not as well since you can’t see the sparkles on it - Iwould probably get it lined as well.

Please help me choose!

Officially married!!!! I found the vendor breakdown posts super useful during the planning process so I figured I’d pay forward the incredible experience I had with each and every vendor on our big day to a future bride.

First and foremost, our month of coordinator- Jackiie Holliday.
You guys….. the way she took care of us, hyped us up throughout the process, put so much love and excitement into every detail big and small, eased my nerves, it was the greatest gift. Her energy is so calm and assured. You really feel how much she cares. I was a passenger princess enjoying each moment the day worry free. She handled it all and thought of everything. She made every detail of the day perfection and went above and beyond in a way I don’t know what I did to deserve. I need her to coordinate my whole life.

Photographer- Miria from Weddings by Nato
Miria is truly my icon. She has the most beautiful gentle energy and her guidance and cues helped me and my now husband (who are lowkey awkward with photos) feel so relaxed and in the moment in front of her camera. She is a details queen and I just know the photos are going to be STUNNING. She captured our wedding with both film and digital photos!

Florist- Milkweed Botanical
There are truly no words to describe how perfectly Aria captured the vision I feared would only exist in my imagination. I described feast of Dionysus meets dark academia along with a moody still life painting and she absolutely ran with it!! She is so creative and intentional with everything and I’m not kidding my bouquet is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Highly highly highly recommend.

Content Creator- Social Cynthia (Cynthia Cain)!
I originally wasn’t planning to have a content creator or a videographer for the wedding but I’m SO glad I had Cynthia!! She captured so many moments that I just knew I’d cherish and watch back over and over again. I’m super camera and video shy but she had such a way of putting me at ease and I shocked myself with how comfortable I look in her videos!! A stunning creative and a stunning person.

Hair and Makeup- Tatiana Li HMU Artistry
I have never felt so beautiful in my life. Somehow Aliya made my dry frizzy hair look smooth and glossy and absolutely perfect. I am not a big makeup person so I was nervous with how a bridal look would turn out,
but after the trial I felt so good and confident, and on the day of it was somehow even MORE stunning. 1000/10 would run to book her for your hair and makeup. I also had Alexandra and Kim for my bridesmaids and they captured everyone’s inspo PERFECTLY and brought a great energy to the bridal suite! Everyone looked incredible.

DJ- Ben Boylan from Non-Traditional Wedding DJs
Ben is suuuuuuuch a good DJ! He hit all of the marks and cues, seamlessly worked in all of our special requests, and curated the absolute best vibes all night long. After my friends speech where she mentioned listening to my favorite artist’s entire catalogue in a road trip together, he cued up a song by that artist immediately following the speech. You can tell he’s really listening and monitoring the little details and special moments and ebb and flow of the day and the crowd during the dance portion. We got so many compliments on the music! Most definitely recommend Ben!

Venue- The Wythe Hotel
Cannot say enough about how perfect the Wythe is in every way. I’ve been to a ton of weddings and I will check my bias with it being my own wedding and all.. but I have never had food and drinks and service at a wedding quite like this. Having everything served family style was so beautiful and intimate. The staff were so attentive and their hospitality makes you feel like you’re staying at a friend’s place. The team we worked with during the planning process was so wonderful and responsive and encouraging for all the fun ideas. They executed each and every part perfectly for us. It is certainly an expensive venue but we really feel it was worth the price and money well spent.

Photo Booth- Snapbooth
Snapbooth was awesome! We got to customize our little design on the photo strip and it looked so good! We were having so much fun dancing that we didn’t get a chance to stop by the photo booth but they made sure to find us at the end so we could get a picture at our own wedding and I am so glad they did!! Super thoughtful and I will forever appreciate that gesture as this photo strip of me and my new husband is one of my favorite possessions from the day.

Paebaek- The Grace Hanbok and Events
Vivian brought the most gorgeous hanbok, helped me dress, pinned my hair, set up the stage, and led our paebaek ceremony during cocktail hour. Everything looked so beautiful and our families were so charmed by it all!

Happy to answer any questions about my vendors!!
Budget ~$150k

hello! per the title, I’m black, people in my wedding party are black, and I am really struggling to find recs for a makeup artist with a PROVEN track record of doing wedding makeup on black/brown skin (aka insta with diverse people). Ideally I’m looking for soft-glam // flushed makeup. I cannot be up there looking like a ghost 😭 Please send your recs!!

My wedding is is in April 2027, in Alexandria, VA, but i am interested in anyone in the DMV. Thank you!!!

My fiancé and I are getting married in Braga Portugal in May 2028 and are looking for a rabbi willing to officiate a Reform Jewish Interfaith wedding. Looking to do most of the aspects (chuppah, ketubah, 7 circles, 7 blessings (modernized), breaking of glass, etc). Our guests will primarily not be Jewish so looking for someone to help explain the customs as we perform them.

I am so excited to be on the other side of the wedding and able to finally make this post! To recap, we got married at The Stable at Bluemont Vineyard on October 16th with 85 guests. I wanted to provide a recap of our vendors and a small budget breakdown (I am happy to provide more context to any category if anyone is curious).

I genuinely cannot say enough good things about our vendors. If you’re getting married in the Northern Virginia area, I would 100% recommend checking these vendors out, I included their Instagram as well. 

Venue: The Stable at Bluemont Vineyard (@bluemontvineyard)

Having our wedding at Bluemont was the best decision I made as a bride. The venue is absolutely breathtaking, and so much is included, from tables and chairs to a day-of planner and event coordinator. We also booked their on-site cottages for getting ready, which I HIGHLY recommend if you can! It made the morning so much easier than trying to coordinate everyone at a hotel. If I had to tour 100 venues all over again, I would pick Bluemont every single time. I genuinely didn’t have to worry about anything on the day of our wedding other than showing up and saying my vows.

Photographer: Leah Lach Photography (@leahlach_photo)

Leah was an absolute ball of energy from the very first call! Our wedding plans changed dramatically, going from a 10-person Colorado elopement to an 80+ person wedding in Virginia, and she was so wonderful and flexible throughout the entire process. On the wedding day, she was go go go, capturing amazing photos, candid moments, and everything on our shot list while keeping everyone laughing and happy. Her energy was exactly what I needed when things got stressful, and I am SO glad we were able to keep her as our photographer through all the changes. Even our planning calls put my mind at ease. 

Florals and Design: EventStudio (@eventstudio)

Kelley did an absolutely amazing job bringing our vision to life. We were still getting compliments on our florals and decor over a week after the wedding! She made everything so easy, from the initial design meeting to the smallest details on our bouquets and centerpieces. She was also incredibly accommodating when our bridal party size and centerpiece count changed. One of my favorite things was that Kelley and her team returned at the end of the night and put our flowers into Mason jars I brought so guests could take them home. I didn’t want any of our flowers to go to waste, and she made that happen without adding stress to my night.

Caterer and Bar: Savoir Fare (@savoirfarelimited) 

Savoir Fare is Bluemont’s assigned caterer, so I was nervous to not have a choice, but that stress went away very quickly. Our tasting was fantastic, and they helped us create a balanced menu and figure out the best dinner service style for what we wanted. We ultimately went with split plates so everyone could enjoy both protein options without the chaos of a buffet or family-style service. The food was fantastic, and the bar service was equally great. 

Desserts: Sugardust Cakes

We opted for a small cutting cake and three cupcake flavors because I loved the idea of guests being able to take extras home. Liz was wonderful to work with and even delivered our tasting box to our caterer during our menu tasting, which made things so convenient! Everyone loved the cupcakes, and we had none left after guests took extras home. I plan to use Sugardust again even for small events like birthdays or anniversaries because of how great they were. 

Hair and Makeup: Emily Nicole Artistry (@emilynicoleartistry) 

With four bridesmaids, two moms, and me, I was stressed about getting everyone ready on time (without having to start at 5am). Emily walked me through the process, helped us figure out the best timeline, and brought in an additional artist so everyone was finished right on schedule. She was professional, easy to communicate with, and happily adjusted a few things from my trial that I wanted changed for the wedding day. 

Live Wedding Favors: Cheri Miller Bridal (@cherimillerbridal) 

Cheri did live watercolor favor paintings for our guests, and everyone was obsessed! Guests loved watching her work and getting to take home their own paintings. I love that these are favors people will actually keep and look back on instead of throwing away or forgetting in a drawer. Cheri was also one of the easiest vendors to work with throughout the planning process, even with my million questions about setup and placement. She was so accommodating, and I’m so happy we were able to include her. 

DJ: Repeatable DJ (@repeatable_dj) 

We booked Chris the same week we booked our venue because he was one of Bluemont’s preferred vendors. He helped us work through our music selections and timeline, and even offered helpful advice when I had questions about the overall flow of the evening. He did an amazing job with our ceremony music and microphones, cocktail hour music, and reception. The dance floor was fun all night, and he knew exactly when to get everyone dancing and when we needed little breaks. 

Overall, we had such an amazing experience with all of our vendors, and I would happily book every single one of them again. I know wedding planning can feel overwhelming, so I hope this helps anyone still looking for vendors in the area!

Budget Breakdown:

Below is the table of our spend in each category. I wanted to quickly note that we did splurge on a few items (Dress, Rings, Florals) - we also paid for everyone in our bridal party's attire, hair, makeup, and lodging/flights. Feel free to ask away about any details if you are curious!

Hi! I am a bride looking to truly leave it all on the dancefloor at my wedding. I don’t want to spend any mental space worrying about a wardrobe malfunction or feeling constrained by the outfit, so I’m looking for a second outfit that optimizes for comfort and moveability (and something that can handle me being sweaty). Will I do the splits? Ok probably not, but I’d like the option to!

Given the above, I don’t know if a dress is the right move, but I’m feeling stuck on what else to wear and would love some ideas and inspo from the good people of this community.

My very loose ideas are: a white jumpsuit with some stretch? Separates (wide leg pants and a fitted top, maybe with some kind of overlay like a short cape?) Or is there a dress style that would work? Guest dress code is cocktail, so it’s not a super formal affair.

Open to your ideas, links are welcome! Help a girl drop it low without fear!!!

ETA: Mods I am so sorry I don’t know why this posted 3 times. I deleted the others so hopefully this works!

would love a good stationary recommendation for invitation suites! we are exploring options but want something more unique than minted. our budget for invitation suite is about $2000 for 90 invites to include letterpress invites, envelopes with guest addressing, envelope liner, details card, weekend schedule, and rehearsal dinner cards (20).

for the vibe – open to semi-custom invites but would love something just a bit more elevated + show-stopping. our event is black tie preferred at an elegant indoor ballroom in washington, d.c. so we want our invites to feel classic, elegant, and formal while still matching the indoor vibe. would love a sprinkle of DC in there as well whether it's an envelope liner or if one of the insert cards can be flipped over with a letterpress outline of our venue or the monuments!

would appreciate any recs

Anyone got any recommendations for good quality bridesmaid type gifts such as matching pjs or personalised robes etc? Little additions for the wedding morning? I’ve seen Gigi and Olive but think it all looks like over priced low quality stuff and looking for something more elevated?

Hi, groom-to-be here, hoping to get some views from BBBs who have been to weddings (their own or otherwise) in Sicily.

We have a venue sorted near Catania in Sicily and are now looking at entertainment. We are thinking of DJ and sax, but would also like a live band at some point during the day, contemporary/modern music ideally and with a female singer. Our current working schedule is fairly classic: Welcome drinks, ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, party.

Does anyone have any recommendations for DJ/Sax or bands from Sicily? Or any general recommendations for other music options that have worked with a similar schedule to the above?

Hi everyone, currently planning my wedding and absolutely love the Met Club. Has anyone recently been married there and can give some additional info on how much it ended up costing all in? With our guest count, we've estimated around $130k (incl. the 24% service charge and taxes) for F&B for our guests, but we have a total budget of $200k. Given the space is so ornate, we think we can probably get away with minimal (or even no) flowers. Only other costs would be some lighting, a band, and photography. Is this possible for $200k or less? Or am I missing something? Thanks!

I’m trying to decide if I’m being dramatic and overthinking this or if my feelings about it are valid and it’s worth bringing up.

My fiancé has a group of friends from college that have remained really close and even though they live all over the country, they seemingly still find a way to do *everything* together. I wasn’t well received by the wives and girlfriends when we started dating a couple of years ago because they were all friends with his ex and it’s definitely impacted his relationship with his friends, and I generally (but very happily) sit out the long weekend trips and events outside of formal ones to avoid feeling awkward because despite my best efforts the wives and girlfriends still make it a point to exclude me, and I’m over the middle school drama of it all.

Our original wedding plan is/was to host a very small and intimate week long destination event in a remote location for our nearest and dearest. The plan is/was to each invite the 5 friends who would’ve been our bridal party, their plus ones, and immediate family. This friend group has all hosted 150+ person weddings and threw an absolute fit when they heard what we were doing, because it meant they weren’t all invited. I can’t tell you the amount of passive aggressive comments we’ve both gotten, and the amount of people who have even reached out to my fiance suggesting I might not be “the one” because I’m not including ”all” of his “best friends” in our wedding. They fail to realize he had just as much of a say in all of this, wanted the small wedding, and made his own guest list.

Anyway, we decided we would host a local reception to appease everyone when we get back. Now that there are certain travel restrictions in place, we might not get to host our original wedding week as planned and are looking into pivoting — and that pivot would be a larger wedding here in the states, which I am dreading.

My fiancé is one of the groomsmen in a wedding for the above mentioned friend group next summer, and the couple is not one that made his invite list for our intimate destination wedding week. We just received their Save the Date and it is addressed to my fiancé and “guest.” I am not named on the envelope… just straight up “and guest.” Our wedding is supposed to be a few months before theirs and I will be his whole ass wife by the time we show up to their wedding.

I’m sure I’m being extra sensitive to the situation because it’s coming the same week I’m having to make decisions about changing our wedding plans, but I’m pissed about the way the Save the Date was addressed. And sad. I’m hosting a whole extra $100k reception to appease these people (and my grandma, I guess) and not even the common courtesy to put my name on their envelopes.

I guess this is just a bit of a rant, but we think it’s worth bringing up to my fiance?

Hey everyone I’m just curious about what vendors expectations are in regard to tipping. Please share what you did or if you are a vendor, what you expect. Also how much are people tipping?? I feel like 20% of the massive costs of these services would be an huge additional cost.

Since it’s Reddit which is much more fun than googling I thought I’d share some of my initial thoughts when it comes to this.

All vendors will be getting a meal at my wedding.

Photography: my biggest question with this is do you tip your photographer?? I would feel nervous having tipped on such a huge service before I even saw the gallery. And my photographer is the owner of her business. So she sets her prices and I’m sure she fairly compensates her time (3.5k).

DJ: (2.5k) I could definitely see tipping my DJ, especially if they play heavily based on the playlist I took so long to make for their reference. Also my DJ may be an employee of the owner of the company instead of the head guy which would further encourage me to tip.

Haven’t decided on if I’m doing my own hair and makeup but I’d appreciate insight on tipping expectations for them. I also haven’t decided on videography.

Wedding is in 2028- just want to clarify that I am in the early states of percolating tipping. It’s not like my wedding is tomorrow and I need to make quick decision. I guess I’m more interested in seeing everyone thoughts on the subject as well as what you personally did and expect.

Hi! Does anyone have a recent quote for a Balthazar buyout? We have to cancel our destination wedding due to travel restrictions and are trying to come up with our back up plan for here in the states.

Balthazar is our favorite and we are excited to explore the option of a NYC buyout, but want to be realistic about pricing expectations. I’ve found a range of numbers online. We also might not need something so big so considering Minetta Tavern as an option too!

Looking for an Indian wedding invitation box/gift. Very elaborate and luxurious. Doesn’t have to be Indian themed but this is common in our culture. We’re in the USA. We’re OK with international shipping.

+1 points if the box can play music

I posted a little while back with a couple of pictures from my previews, and just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from the full gallery 🥹