Italy is a country well known for its breathtaking lake vistas, with the famous duo Como and Garda in the north dominating the destination wedding scene. However, when Natasha and Marc were describing their Jewish destination wedding vision to me, I knew we had to look further afield and off the beaten lakeside path. We settled on the Lucca region, in the Viareggio and Torre del Lago areas, curating a lakeside wedding in Italy unlike anything you’re expecting.
No two Elegante by Michelle J weddings in Italy are ever the same, and as a team we felt very excited to be arriving in the seaside town of Viareggio ahead of Natasha and Marc’s welcome party and wedding. This area of the country offers a completely different charm when compared with the hills of Chianti or the rugged loveliness of Sicily, a resort lined with beach clubs and a promenade of shops and restaurants.
DREAMING OF A WEDDING IN ITALY? We’d love to help you plan it!
All of Natasha and Marc’s guests were invited to stay in a specially selected group of hotels along Viareggio’s main promenade, which was all part of our plan to keep the wedding venue itself a secret until the big day. As guests arrived at the resort, we were happy for them to believe the wedding would be held somewhere there – none of them were expecting a lake!
The first night saw everyone enjoy a classic Italian spread at one of Viareggio’s beach clubs, with guests mingling, dancing and enjoying the warm summer evening late into the night with direct views of the beach and sea beyond. Each guest was given a welcome bag to help them get familiar with the area and provide details about the upcoming wedding day; they were to be collected from their hotels by coach to take them to the surprise wedding venue.
If you’re making welcome bags for your wedding and want to know how to put brilliant ones together, take a look at our Guide to Great Wedding Welcome Bags.
On the morning of the wedding Team Elegante split up between the hotel where Natasha and Marc were getting ready, and the venue for their lakeside wedding in Italy. Coaches collected guests promptly from the main hotels in Viareggio, and excitement was building as they began trying to guess where the celebrations would be held. 20 minutes away on the shores of Lake Massciuccoli, a transformation was taking place.
Steeped in history, the setting for Natasha and Marc’s wedding was a villa built in 1869 that once played host to the famous Italian composer Puccini. It is an impressive historic building with a crenelated tower and stately interiors, but the main charm is its 150 metre long shoreline with uninterrupted views across the lake. As you enter down its tree-lined driveway the lake is sheltered from view, and only becomes apparent when you walk around the side of the villa. At this point, it unveils itself slowly and you can’t fail to be blown away.
Natasha and Marc’s lakeside wedding in Italy took place throughout the grounds of the villa, with their traditional Jewish chuppah ceremony taking centre stage on the shore of the lake. The chuppah structure itself was breathtaking, decorated with abundant white spiralling florals by Il Giardino delle Fate Flower Design, who simply never fail to wow us at our Italian weddings. It was a truly stunning backdrop for a moving occasion, which was followed by a pied-piper style procession along the lake’s edge to the aperitif by members of Muzika. Le Bon Ton catering provided a feast featuring live pasta cooking stations, and guests were able to revel in the beautiful summer’s day and surrounding scenery.
Yet more of the villa’s expansive grounds were revealed at the end of the aperitif reception as we unveiled the dining and dancing area. With a fabulous view of the villa’s beautiful historic features, guests dined beneath fairy lit trees and danced as the sun set (a LOT, in typical Jewish fashion!) to the talented tones of Muzika. Decor for the dinner was based around an abundant white colour scheme, with patterned white and green napkins, floating candlelight and mirrored runners. As the evening fell it created a magical, glowing atmosphere.
The evening’s entertainment was ramped up once again by the introduction of the traditional Italian millefoglie wedding cake, which Natasha and Marc cut under their chuppah canopy by the lake. When the night drew to a close, guests were delivered back to their hotels with buzzing feet and full hearts.
We were thrilled to see Natasha and Marc’s lakeside wedding in Italy featured on Smashing The Glass, and pleased to be able to showcase lesser-known areas of the country that have just as much beauty and charm as the most famous spots. If you’d like to explore the possibilities for a destination wedding in Italy, use the link below to get in touch – we have some 2024 and 2025 availability remaining.
With thanks to the rest of the team for helping pull together this dream wedding by the lake: