An Elegant Italian Wedding at Rocca di Lonato

Amidst centuries-old stonework and the sprawling natural surroundings of Rocca di Lonato, Vera and Riccardo held their enchanting Italian wedding. 

The ceremony unfolded with the jeweled waters of Lake Garda as the backdrop while serpentine tables draped with delicate florals and tapered candles meandered under ancient olive trees for the reception. Drawing inspiration from the castle’s natural elegance, the styling was kept minimal yet magical, harnessing clean lines and organic textures to imbue the space with poetically impactful simplicity. The bride wore a custom couture Claes Iversen gown with Jimmy Choo ballerina flats.

Our Story

Names / Vera Comazzi Luijendijk and Riccardo Comazzi

Location / Lonato, Italy

Wedding Date / June 16^th, 2024

Guest Numbers / 72

Budget / Not disclosed

How We Met

Our story began in a very modern way—through a dating app! Our first date was in December 2019 at a charming cocktail bar in Amsterdam. Riccardo had already been living in Amsterdam for several years, while I just moved back after a decade of modeling abroad. With a two-week gap between leaving my old apartment and moving into my new one, Riccardo suggested I stay with him. Just a week into my stay, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, making moving difficult. We decided to delay it by a month, but we enjoyed our time together so much that I ended up staying permanently. We’ve been inseparable ever since!

Our Engagement Story

We got engaged in April last year. We were skiing in La Thuile in Italy. One evening, we went for dinner with family in a chalet on the top of a mountain, only reachable by snowcat. The rest of the family took a snowcat down, while Riccardo and I skied down the mountain in the dark with torches. We stopped halfway to admire the star-filled sky. Riccardo pulled out a bottle of spumante and we enjoyed the stargazing. Before he even brought out the ring and popped the question, I told him it was one of the best moments of my life. The whole atmosphere was so romantic and special. When he proposed, I was completely stunned and overjoyed. It was an incredibly romantic moment that I’ll never forget.

What we love most about each other…

Vera: “Riccardo has a lot of humor and always manages to make me laugh, even when I am not feeling well, he can turn my mood swiftly. He is very thoughtful, kind, and truly romantic.”

Riccardo: “Vera knows what she wants, is determined, and is able to push me when needed. She brings novelty to my life and not only is she beautiful, as everyone can see, but she is also very smart.”

The Setting

Wedding Location

We chose a stunning medieval castle on Lake Garda for our wedding, Rocca di Lonato. The location combined Riccardo’s love for medieval history with my wish for a fairytale ambiance and wedding on the water, making it the perfect place for our celebration. Many years ago, Riccardo had visited the castle with his father and had told his father that someday he would get married here.

Aesthetic

The aesthetic was fashionable, dreamy, with a fairytale-like elegance. We were inspired by the natural beauty of the castle and the lake, and aimed to create a magical, timeless atmosphere. We were very lucky, as Riccardo’s sister is a wedding planner and she styled to location for us. She has impeccable taste and did an amazing job in creating a modern and elegant style.

Preparation

The day before the wedding we had a big lunch with the family, after which Riccardo and I said goodbye. That night, I stayed with my twin sister in a beautiful hotel close to the venue. The morning of the wedding, my bridesmaids joined us, and we had a great time getting ready together. Later, my family arrived for the first look, which was incredibly special and emotional. I was asked by friends if I was nervous, but I was not; I was excited and looking forward to marrying Riccardo on this beautiful day in front of the people we love.

Photography

Our photographer, Dani Rodriguez, captured the day beautifully. He is an amazing photographer and his style fitted the overall aesthetic perfectly; it is modern, fashionable, and elegant. He shot both candid and emotional moments and looking back at these pictures brings back the beautiful memories of the day.

Videography

I had previously worked with Claudia Bron, who created our wedding movie and video content, which had an elegant, cinematic style that perfectly highlighted the emotions and highlights of our day.

Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

The natural beauty of the castle and the lake behind it created a stunning backdrop for the ceremony. White roses were placed all around the aisle, which created a magical look, and attracted butterflies which were flying all around us. It could not have been more enchanting.

Reception Décor

The reception was held under the stars amidst olive trees. Round tables where positioned in the shape of a serpent and where decorated with wild and elegant cascading greenery and white, clean floral arrangements inspired by the natural beauty of Lake Garda. Torches, candles, and chandeliers provided light and created a romantic atmosphere.

Wedding Planner & Stylist

Miia Events was responsible for the planning, location styling, and floral design. It is the company of my sister-in-law and it was amazing to work on the route towards the wedding together. They helped bring our vision to life, creating a cohesive and enchanting atmosphere for our wedding.

Flowers

The floral arrangements were inspired by the natural surroundings of Lake Garda. Both my bouquet and Riccardo’s, my dad’s, my brother’s, and our best men’s boutonniere featured callas, which gave an elegant and modern look.

Stationery

We decided to feature a contour drawing of a castle on the invitations, offering a hint to our chosen venue. To create a cohesive look, the stationery and invitations adhered to the same color palette used for the styling of the location.

Cake

We opted for a large, round crostata di frutta. The cake-cutting ceremony took place on a medieval well, with a surprise firework show lighting up the sky behind us.

Food & Beverages

At arrival to the venue, guest received a refreshment. After the ceremony, we hosted an aperitive, with many bites including an exquisite seafood crudité with oysters, and a selection of cheese and meat charcuterie, and pan-fried vegetables. Drink options included a variety of spumante options, spritz, among other refreshing beverages.

For the dinner, we had a sit-down menu that offered a variety of delicious dishes. The menu included carnaroli with purple cabbage extract, carpione gel and truffle; red tuna pacchero all’amatriciana with San Marzano, bacon and pecorino; Beef fillet with green asparagus, brown sauce and black truffle; a plin of smoked eggplant, datterino tomatoes, mint, basil, and buffalo mozzarella; and celeriac cooked at low temperature, its vegetable base, with sweet and sour asparagus. In addition to the cake, we had a dessert bar offering many different options to suit guests’ preferences.

Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

I wore a custom couture gown by Claes Iversen. I’ve known Claes since I was fifteen as he was the first designer I ever walked a show for. When Claes designed his first bridal collection, I was the face of the campaign, and now I am again. The dress was a significant choice for me, symbolizing a full circle moment. The dress had a high neckline and open back. It had a train from my waist down and I wore it with a long veil.

My second dress for the night was from Yves Saint Laurent and came from the closet of iconic French actress Catherine Deneuve. It was my something borrowed/old; one of my close friends, stylist Pedro Dias, lent me this dress. Deneuve, who wore this dress in the 70s, was the favorite actress of my late father-in-law, and the dress was an homage to him. The dress was silk with a smooth glow and low draping neckline. It had silk strings crossing each other on the back and then bound around the waist in a knot. Furthermore, it had deep splits on each side.

As the terrain at the venue was mostly grass and stones, I opted for leather ballerina flats from Jimmy Choo with a pointy toe.

Bridesmaids Dresses & Shoes

Not only did Claes Iversen design a custom dress for me, but my bridesmaids also all wore couture outfits by Claes Iversen, ranging from archive pieces to the latest catwalk collections. It really was a fashion party. The bridesmaids’ looks came in several shades of blush and included a ruffled dress, a plisse jumpsuit with corset, two different ensembles with long pants, and a mid-length dress. A few months before the wedding, my bridesmaids and I visited Claes’s atelier together to decide on the looks. It was very important to me that each of my bridesmaids would have a look that would fit their personality and style; I wanted them to feel amazing in their outfits and they did!

Wedding Rings

Our wedding rings are from the Spanish fine jewelry brand Sansoeurs. We wanted the rings to match my engagement ring, which is white gold in the front and rose gold in the back and features marquise, baguette, and round cut diamonds. We therefore went for rose gold rings. Riccardo’s is a band has a rectangular section and is matte and mine is a band with a marquise shaped diamond and has an irregular width.

Jewelery & Accessories

My earrings from Swarovski had a shell design in rose gold and each shell was embellished with an array of clear Swarovski Zirconia and a clear round dancing crystal that catches the light. The jewelry is further adorned with a single white Crystal Pearl that delicately hangs beneath.

Hair & Makeup

Nataly Bondar did my hair and makeup, focusing on a natural and elegant look that complemented my dress and the overall wedding aesthetic. I wore my hair in a low bun and we decorated the bun with silk flowers in different shapes. I previously worked with Nataly for Numéro magazine in Milan, and had a great connection with her. It was great working with her again on this most special occasion.

Groom’s Attire

Riccardo wore a suit from Atelier Munroe. It was a touching moment when his mother helped him with the cufflinks and tie that belonged to his father.

“The location combined Riccardo’s love for medieval history with my wish for a fairytale ambiance and wedding on the water, making it the perfect place for our celebration.”

The Details

Honeymoon

We went on honeymoon in Namibia for three weeks. It was my first and Riccardo’s second time on safari. It was an amazing experience seeing cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, and many more beautiful animals up close and in their natural habitat. Apart from the animal encounters we also enjoyed the stunning and diverse landscapes and many beautiful lodges. I would highly recommend Namibia as a honeymoon destination.

Wedding Songs

Riccardo’s entrance song was “Pomp and circumstance” by Edward Elgar. It created a feeling of triumph at his arrival.

My entrance song was “A close friend” by James Newton Howard. It was beautiful, romantic, and had a certain enchantment that fitted perfectly for the fairytale-like atmosphere we wanted to create.

The bridesmaids entered with the song “Arrival of the birds” by The Cinematic Orchestra, which had a magical ring to it like “A close friend”.

For our ceremony exit we wanted to go for an upbeat song and decided on “You’re the first, the last, my everything” by Barry White. It was perfect as it was both romantic and fun therefore and fitted the mood.

Upon arrival to dinner, we went for Gloria Gaynor’s “Can’t take my eyes off you”, as the song is fun and celebrative.

For the cake cutting we a wedding classic: “This will be” by Natalie Cole. The song was featured in one of my favorite movies when I was a kid and I always knew I wanted it to play some day when I would get married.

We danced our first dance to “At last” by Etta James. One of my bridesmaids, Seda, gave us dancing classes leading up to the wedding. For any couple still wondering whether or not to do a first dance: personally, we had so much fun with it.

Entertainment

We had a band that played jazz, creating a lively and enjoyable atmosphere for our guests.

Celebrant

One of our close friends, Eric, was our master of ceremony. We decided to ask him as he has a great sense of humor and is a close friend to us. He had prepared a beautiful ceremony for us.

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

One of the most memorable moments was walking down the aisle arm in arm with my father and seeing Riccardo waiting for me. The emotions of that moment were overwhelming and magical.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

We were very lucky, as everything went smoothly in the planning processes.

If I could give couples one piece of advice…

Make sure to start planning in time, especially the decision for the venue should be made in time, as many venues are already fully booked a year in advance. Furthermore, we had discussed in advance to stay together throughout the day and night. We also spend a lot of time with our friend and family, but we made sure to look for each other after a bit if we split up. It was a priority for us to spend this day together and I would advise other couples to discuss this in advance, as I have often heard that couples regret not spending enough time together on their wedding day.

Sources of inspiration…

We knew very clearly the type of atmosphere we wanted to create, so every detail was built around that.

Our Contacts

Wedding Venue / Rocca di Lonato

Wedding Stylist & Planner / Miia Events

Photography / Dani Rodriguez

Videography / Claudia Bron

Bride’s Dress / Claes Iversen

Bride’s Shoes / Jimmy Choo

Bridesmaids Dresses / Claes Iversen

Grooms Formal Wear / Atelier Munro

Wedding Rings / Sansoeurs

Jewellery & Accessories / Swarovski and Miu Miu

Hair & Makeup / Nataly Bondar

Stationery / Miia Events

Florist / Miia Events

Cake & Catering / Padovani Benuzzi Catering

Entertainment / LB Swing Quintet