A Lake Como Elopement at Villa del Balbianello That Made Space for What Mattered
This elopement at Villa del Balbianello was intimate, family-centered, and built around what mattered to Rachel and Jeff: time with their people, a meaningful location, a slow timeline, and space to experience the day instead of rushing through it. When I think about Rachel and Jeff's Lake Como elopement, I don't think about Lake Como first, which feels a little ridiculous considering where they got married.
I think about the chairs. There were maybe eight of them sitting on the terrace at Villa del Balbianello overlooking the water, waiting for the immediate family to take their seats. Parents, siblings, and the people who had been there long before the wedding and would still be there long after it were all that filled the space.
The whole thing felt unhurried in a way weddings don't always get to feel. Nobody was trying to create a moment for the sake of creating one, and nobody seemed interested in making the day feel bigger than it already was because it genuinely didn't need help in that department.
Somewhere along the way, weddings picked up this idea that more automatically means more meaningful. More guests, more events, more logistics, more things to coordinate, and more pressure to make sure everyone else is having a good experience too.
I don't know if that's true for every couple. Rachel and Jeff wanted something smaller, more intentional, and more reflective of the way they move through life together. As it turns out, that left room for a lot of the things couples are often afraid they'll lose by not having a bigger wedding: time together, conversations that weren't rushed, and the ability to notice what was happening while it was happening. I think that's the part of this wedding that stayed with me most.
Choosing a Lake Como Elopement Because It Meant Something to Them
Rachel and Jeff didn't choose a Lake Como elopement because they wanted the biggest or most impressive wedding they could imagine. If you know them at all, that explanation falls apart pretty quickly. They chose it because Jeff is a huge Star Wars fan and Villa del Balbianello happens to be where Anakin and Padmé got married. Somewhere along the way, a conversation that probably started as "wouldn't that be funny?" slowly turned into, "wait... are we really doing this?"
Those are usually my favorite kinds of wedding decisions; the ones that probably don't make much sense to anyone outside your relationship. Getting married somewhere because of a movie you both love, serving the food your families make every holiday, skipping traditions you don't care about, and keeping the ones you do.
Rachel and Jeff's wedding was full of little decisions like that, which I think is part of why the whole thing felt so relaxed from the start. Nobody was trying to build the wedding they thought they were supposed to have. They were building theirs.
Why Villa del Balbianello Works So Well for an Intimate Elopement
I hear some version of this conversation all the time. A couple will tell me they want something smaller and then almost immediately start talking themselves out of it. Maybe they're worried people will be disappointed, maybe they feel guilty about keeping the guest list small, or maybe they just assume they're supposed to want the big wedding because that's what everyone around them seems to be doing.
Weddings have a funny way of becoming public property once you get engaged. Suddenly, everyone has thoughts about guest counts, traditions, timelines, and what you might regret twenty years from now. Some of those opinions are genuinely helpful and come from people who know you well. Others simply exist because weddings seem to make people feel entitled to weigh in.
Somewhere in the middle of all that noise, most couples eventually come back to the same question: what do we want this to feel like when we're standing in the middle of it? For Rachel and Jeff, the answer wasn't a packed reception room or a guest list that kept growing every time someone asked if they could bring a plus one. It was getting married overlooking the lake with their families nearby, spending time on the water together afterward, and ending the night around a dinner table in Bellagio with the people they'd chosen to bring into that season with them. There wasn't much more to it than that, and that’s why it worked so well.
The Best Part of This Lake Como Elopement Happened Between the Planned Moments
The morning started in Bellagio, where Rachel got ready with her best friend while my mom helped her into her dress. The hotel sat up on the hillside overlooking the lake and, because there were only a handful of rooms, it felt less like staying at a hotel and more as if we'd somehow borrowed someone's incredibly beautiful Italian home for the weekend.
Once everyone was ready, we headed down to the docks and climbed into the wooden boats that would take us across the lake to Villa del Balbianello. That boat ride is one of the parts of the day I remember most clearly. People talked quietly, pointed out little towns tucked into the hillsides, tried to guess which villas belonged to celebrities, and settled into the fact that this thing they'd all traveled so far for was happening.
Parents looked out at the water, conversations bounced between wedding plans and completely unrelated topics, and nobody seemed particularly concerned with what came next because, for a little while at least, there wasn't really anything to manage yet. By the time we arrived at the villa, it didn't feel like we were showing up for a wedding so much as carrying the same feeling we'd had on the boat onto land.
My dad walked Rachel down the aisle, and Jeff cried almost immediately. Most of us did, if I'm being honest, which was slightly inconvenient considering I was supposed to be taking photos through the whole thing. The ceremony itself lasted maybe thirty minutes and overlooked the lake from the terrace they had reserved. It was short, simple, and exactly what they wanted it to be.
Afterward, we wandered around the grounds for portraits, and wandered really is the right word for it. Nobody was working through a shot list or trying to recreate photos they'd saved six months earlier. We'd round a corner, stop because the light looked nice or the view caught our attention, take a few photos, and keep moving. It felt a lot more like spending an afternoon in Lake Como with people you love than participating in a photoshoot, and honestly, that's probably why the images feel the way they do.
Planning a Lake Como Elopement at Villa del Balbianello
One of the biggest advantages of planning a Lake Como elopement is that you don't have to cram your day full of events just because you can. If you're anything like the couples I work with, you're probably choosing an elopement because you want to be present for it, not because you're trying to fit an entire traditional wedding into a smaller guest list. That's why I'd encourage you to build more breathing room into your timeline than you think you'll need.
The boat rides across the lake aren't just transportation, they're part of the experience. Walking through Villa del Balbianello, lingering after the ceremony, or sitting with your family while everyone takes in the view are the moments people end up talking about long after the wedding is over.
A few things I'd keep in mind if you're planning a Lake Como elopement:
Reserve Villa del Balbianello as early as possible, especially if you're hoping for a ceremony during the busiest months.
Plan your boat transportation well in advance. The timing of your ceremony, portraits, and dinner will often revolve around your boat schedule.
Stay in Bellagio, Lenno, or Tremezzo, so you're close to the lake and don't spend your wedding morning traveling.
If your schedule is flexible, consider late spring or early fall when the weather is generally comfortable and the crowds are a little lighter.
Hire a planner who knows Lake Como. They'll navigate permits, transportation, and timing so you don't have to.
If the reason you're choosing an elopement is to slow down and be with your people, don't be afraid to keep the guest list small enough that the day still feels like yours.
That's probably my biggest piece of advice. Lake Como isn't the place to sprint from one event to the next like you're trying to win a very expensive Italian obstacle course. Leave room for the boat rides, the conversations that happen while you're waiting to dock, the walks through the gardens, and those moments where everyone quietly stops to look out over the lake for a minute. Those pauses aren't interruptions; They're part of the wedding.
A Simple Lake Como Elopement Timeline
One of the things I loved most about Rachel and Jeff's day was that it never felt rushed. The timeline gave them room to enjoy each part of the experience instead of immediately moving on to the next thing.
If you're planning a similar celebration, a timeline might look something like this:
Morning: Getting ready with family and close friends in Bellagio
Late morning: First look or quiet family time before leaving the hotel
Midday: Boat ride across Lake Como to Villa del Balbianello
Early afternoon: Intimate ceremony overlooking the lake
After the ceremony: Family portraits followed by time to wander the villa grounds together
Late afternoon: Private boat ride as newlyweds
Evening: Dinner in Bellagio with your closest family and friends
The exact timing will depend on your ceremony reservation, your boat schedule, the light, and where you're having dinner afterward. I'd encourage you to resist the urge to fill every open space on the timeline.
One of the reasons this wedding felt so relaxed was that nobody was constantly watching the clock. There was room for conversations to go a little longer, for family to linger after portraits, and for Rachel and Jeff to simply enjoy being in Lake Como together. A small elopement doesn't need to feel like a condensed version of a big wedding. In a lot of ways, it's an opportunity to do the opposite.
Romantic Elopement Destinations Matter Less Than Couples Think
Lake Como deserves every bit of its reputation as one of the world's most romantic elopement destinations. It really is an incredible place to get married, and there were plenty of moments throughout the day where all of us just stopped for a second to take it in.
But if I'm being transparent, I don't think the lake is why this wedding has stuck with me. What I remember is everyone lingering on the boats after the ceremony instead of rushing off to the next thing. I remember dinner stretching on because nobody seemed ready for the evening to end, and family members finding little pockets of conversation throughout the day instead of feeling like they had to be somewhere every five minutes.
Italy happened to be where all of that took place. I've seen couples experience that same feeling on the Oregon Coast with windblown hair and sandy shoes, in cabins outside Bend where everyone ends up gathered around the table long after dinner is over, and at backyard weddings where the timeline quietly slips into the background because people are too busy catching up.
That's why I don't think most couples are really chasing a destination. They're chasing the version of their wedding where they have enough room to breathe, look around, and be with the people they invited. Sometimes that happens in Lake Como. Sometimes it happens on the Oregon Coast. Sometimes it's in a place that would never make a list of the world's most romantic elopement destinations.
The location absolutely becomes part of the story, but it isn't the reason the story matters. The part couples remember years later is almost always how they felt while they were there, and that's something you can create in a lot more places than people realize.
You Can Create This Feeling Anywhere, Including an Intimate Elopement in Oregon
One of the reasons I love photographing Oregon weddings and intimate elopements is that the feeling Rachel and Jeff experienced in Lake Como isn't tied to one destination. I've seen it happen on the Oregon Coast with the wind coming off the water, in the forests around Mt. Hood, and at backyard celebrations where dinner lasts longer than anyone expected because nobody is ready for the night to end.
A lot of that starts long before the wedding day. When I'm helping couples plan, we spend just as much time talking about how they want the day to unfold as we do about where it's going to happen. We think through locations that let them slow down instead of constantly driving from place to place, timelines that don't have every minute accounted for, and ways to include family that feel natural instead of rushed.
Sometimes that means planning portraits where you're already getting married instead of adding another stop. Sometimes it's scheduling dinner after sunset so no one feels like they're watching the clock. Sometimes it's simply choosing one incredible location instead of trying to fit three into the same afternoon.
Those choices have a bigger impact on the experience than people realize. By the time the wedding day arrives, I don't want you thinking about where to stand or wondering if you're behind schedule. I want you talking with your grandparents after the ceremony, laughing with your friends while you're getting ready, or deciding to stay by the water for a few extra minutes because neither of you is quite ready to leave.
That's the version of the day I'm looking for. The photographs come from those moments. My job isn't to manufacture them, it's to notice them, preserve them, and quietly guide the day in a way that lets them happen naturally.
Small Weddings Give Couples Something Bigger Weddings Sometimes Can't
Later that afternoon, everyone climbed back into the boats and spent time on the lake before dinner. Conversations drifted from one group to another, parents sat quietly taking in the view, and nobody seemed particularly concerned with what came next because, for once, there wasn't really a next thing waiting for them.
There was just the lake, the boats, and the slightly surreal realization that the thing they'd been planning and talking about for months had somehow already happened. I noticed those moments differently because I was there as both a photographer and a sister, and those are two very different ways of experiencing a wedding. I wasn't watching clients move through a timeline or mentally checking off the next event on the schedule. I was watching people I love have conversations they wouldn't have had if the day had moved any faster and sit a little longer in moments that would have otherwise passed by unnoticed.
I think smaller weddings sometimes make more room for that. Not because one way of getting married is better than another, but because the pace changes. There is a little more room to linger, a little less pressure to keep things moving, and sometimes that's all it takes for people to settle into the day instead of trying to keep up with it. A lot of that comes down to timeline design. A wedding day with breathing room in it almost always feels different than one that's scheduled down to the minute.
Your Wedding Doesn't Need to Make Sense to Anyone Else
Somewhere along the way, wedding planning has convinced a lot of couples that they need a really good reason for every decision they make. A really good reason to keep the guest list small, to skip traditions that don't feel like them, or to choose an elopement over a bigger celebration.
Sometimes the reason is simply that it feels right. Rachel and Jeff got married at Villa del Balbianello because Jeff loves Star Wars and the location meant something to them. Other couples get married on the Oregon Coast with six people, windblown hair, sandy shoes, and dinner waiting afterward at their favorite restaurant.
Neither choice needs a better explanation than that. The weddings that tend to stay with me aren't necessarily the biggest or the most elaborate. They're usually the ones where couples built the day around the way they wanted to spend it and the people they wanted to spend it with.
Years from now, I don't think most people will wonder whether they followed the rules correctly or whether every decision made sense to everyone around them. They're remembering conversations, the people who were there, and whether they felt like they got to experience the day instead of simply moving through it.
Whether your version of that looks like Lake Como, the Oregon Coast, a backyard dinner with your favorite people, or somewhere in between, the goal isn't to create a wedding that makes sense to everyone else. It's to create one that feels like yours when you're standing in the middle of it.
If you’re dreaming up a Lake Como elopement, an intimate elopement in Oregon, or a wedding day that feels more like you and less like a performance, I’d love to hear what you’re imagining. I’m here for the slow timelines, the people who matter most, the slightly impractical ideas that somehow make perfect sense, and the photos that help you remember how it all actually felt.
