A Romantic Wedding at Lake Como

Photography by The Ferros.

Overlooking the shimmering water of Lake Como, Nida and Davide held a romantic wedding at Villa Pizzo. The couple’s ceremony unfolded on the villa’s stone terrace with the emerald lake and imposing mountains beyond as backdrop. In stark contrast with the historic surroundings, soft, ethereal blooms framed the aisle, leading to an arch woven with pastel and white roses and orchids. The muted color palette was carried through to the reception inside a glasshouse where white, linen draped tables sat beneath hanging chandeliers and vines.

The romantic yet poetic visuals were captured by photographers The Ferros.

Our Story

Names / Nida Bunnag & Davide Riboni

Location / Lake Como, Italy

Wedding Date / June 3rd, 2023

Guest Numbers / 105

How We Met

Nida and Davide met during the pandemic in NYC. Their first date was when outdoor dining just reopened and in a true-NYC fashion, they dined in the rain (surrounded by a rat or two) and, surprisingly, had one of the most romantic dates.

Our Engagement Story

Davide proposed in Turks and Caicos at the Amanyara and surprised Nida with a video compilation of well wishes from all their friends and families.

The Setting

Wedding Location

Davide and Nida chose Villa Pizzo in Cernobbio on Lake Como because the groom grew up on the Italian lakes, and Como was one of the first places they visited together as a couple.

Villa Pizzo has a history that dates back to the 1400s. Davide and Nida fell in love with the historical charm of the villa – a place that appears to be frozen in time. They especially love the lush nature surrounding the villa and the boat house where they had the ceremony with an unobstructed view of the beautiful lake.

Aesthetic

Davide and Nida wanted a romantic setting. They wanted the atmosphere to be elegant yet organic – nothing too loud or stuffy.

Since the wedding was a “half-destination wedding” with half of their guests being Italian and the other half coming from the US, Thailand, and many other countries, the balance between showcasing the wonderful things Italy has to offer and not making anything “Italian-themed” was crucial to them.

Preparation

Davide and Nida wanted the morning to be relaxed, so they had a nice long breakfast together before Nida headed out to Villa Pizzo to get ready with her mother, sister, and her bridal party, while Davide stayed back at Grand Hotel Tremezzo to get ready with his parents and best man.

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Photography

Nida found The Ferros on Instagram and immediately fell in love with their cinematic style and how they’re able to beautifully capture emotions.

Since Nida and Davide do not love having their photos taken, it was crucial for them to find someone they connected with and felt comfortable around. They felt a sense of immediate connection with Nico and Vinx of The Ferros and knew immediately that they’d found their photographers.

Videography

Nida and Davide chose Alberto D’Aria, after carefully reviewing many videographers, for his ability to capture the emotions and atmosphere of a wedding. They wanted to be able to look back on the day and not just recall the events that happened but also how things felt and Alberto was a perfect fit for that.

Style Notes

Reception Décor

Nida and Davide were one of the first couples that got to use Villa Pizzo’s brand new glass house. The structure had an extremely high ceiling so the couple opted for varying heights of chandelier to fill up the space and add warmth to the reception.

Wedding Planner & Stylist

The best decision that Nida and Davide made for their wedding was working with Nicoletta and Nadia from Bespoke Unique Weddings.

They came highly recommended by the management of Grand Hotel Tremezzo, whom Davide has a close relationship with, as being one of the best in the business.

The Bespoke team was not only extremely good at what they did, but more importantly, they’re just truly great people and a joy to work with. They made the 1.5 year-long planning process as stress-free as possible for Nida and Davide.

Flowers

Nida loves flowers and had a clear vision in mind of what she wanted for the big day, which Chiara Sperti’s team was able to beautifully bring to life – a lush arch with orchids and roses in white and muted pink hues. The goal was to have everything look lush yet organic. Nothing was too evenly arranged or structured.

The bridal bouquet was a tiny bouquet of lilies of the valley, the mother of the bride’s favorite flower. Nida fell in love with this bouquet over a decade ago when she first saw the movie Funny Face where Audrey Hepburn’s character had a similar one.

“A lush arch with orchids and roses in white and muted pink hues – the goal was to have everything look lush yet organic. Nothing was too evenly arranged or structured.”

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Stationery

Davide and Nida opted for a letterpress invitation on handmade papers with a drawing of the venue. The invite was wrapped in translucent vellum and held together with a hand dyed ribbon and a custom wax seal of their initials.

The couple wanted to incorporate their dogs into the wedding somehow, so their day-of stationery featured a wedding crest with Nida and Davide’s two golden retrievers on it.

Favors/Bonbonniere

Every guest received a welcome bag with their favorite Thai and Italian treats in them.

Cake

A large one layer millefeuille filled with fresh berries and cream.

Food & Beverages

After the ceremony, the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in the garden by the lake with delicious canapes such as mini blinis with foie gras and raspberry jelly and arancino with cuttlefish ink.

For the reception, guests enjoyed a four course dinner featuring the couples’ favorite dishes such as Paccheri pasta with lobster and lemon zest and salt-baked sea bass with an orange and fennel salad.

Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

Nida wore a Galia Lahav ball gown and Jimmy Choo pearl platforms for the ceremony. She then changed into a hand embroidered Zuhair Murad off-the-shoulder gown with Manolo Blahnik’s bridal edition heels for the reception and a Danielle Frankel mini dress for the after party. The bride wanted the dresses to showcase multiple different textures, styles, and silhouettes to go with the different parts of the day.

The groom wore a custom Giorgio Armani Collezione 3-piece suit for the ceremony with the couple’s initials subtly embroidered on his shirt. He then changed into a dark blue Giorgio Armani tuxedo for the reception, on his wrist a piece unique Kari Voutilained watch, commissioned specifically for the occasion.

Bridesmaids

The bridesmaid dresses were designed by the bride’s best friend and bridesmaid – Kem Issara, whose namesake brand is very popular in Thailand. Kem and Nida chose the color sage to match the wedding’s palette and the lushness of the venue.

Groomen Attire

Dario, Davide’s best man was wearing a custom 3-piece dark blue Sartorial suit.

Flowergirls/Pageboy Outifts

The couple had their nieces and nephews as their flower girls and ring bearers. The girls wore sweet white dresses from Livly Baby while the boy wore a linen set from Noralee with sage accents.

Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories

Nida’s engagement ring is a round brilliant diamond set on a thin pave band and her wedding ring is a radiant cut eternity band. She also wore a pair of diamond studs and a tennis necklace.

Davide’s ring was a simple platinum band with an engraved message inside.

Hair & Makeup

Nida opted for a very light and natural make up. She wanted to look like a more refreshed version of herself. Nida worked with a makeup artist from Thailand, Benjawan Sroyin, who has been doing Nida’s make up for years, so the process was truly a breeze.

“The structure had an extremely high ceiling so the couple opted for varying heights of chandelier to fill up the space and add warmth to the reception.”

lake como wedding

The Details

Transport

Como is complicated to navigate in the summer with all the traffic and difficulty finding taxis. Nida and Davide hired a transportation company to pick up and drop off all guests, and that was one of the best decisions they made for the wedding.

They also rented a boat to cruise along the lake post-ceremony, which was an interesting experience since both of them got pretty soaked by the high tide, but the pictures turned out wonderful.

Honeymoon

Nida and Davide did not go on a honeymoon right away. Instead, they opted for a vacation in a beautiful Masseria in Ostuni, Puglia, with both of their families.

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Gifts

The guests’ presence was their gift. The couple did not have a registry and informed the guests that there was no need for a present.

Entertainment

Nida and Davide opted for a string quartet during the ceremony, then guests enjoyed a jazz trio in the garden followed by a performance from a brilliant singer, Yawa, and then a DJ for the after party.

Celebrant

Fabio, the Como Lake Celebrant, wonderfully incorporated Nida and Davide’s culture and style into the ceremony, switching between English and Italian throughout.

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

Nida and Davide celebrated the joining of their two cultures by planting an olive tree with soils from the 3 places they call home – Thailand, Italy, and the US, while a string quartet played soundtracks from their favorite movies.

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

Nida wished she had listened to Davide and the planners, who were all local to the area, that there’s no point worrying about the weather. The weather by the lake changes constantly and even the forecast from the morning of the wedding was inaccurate.

If I could give other couples one piece of advice…

If you’re doing an outdoor wedding, pick a venue with a strong rain contingency plan that you’re truly happy with then try not to stress about the weather close to your wedding date.

Sources of inspiration…

Nida surprisingly found many inspirations from TikTok, an app that she has self-proclaimed to be too old for. She found a great community of brides and brides-to-be and was inspired by everyone’s willingness to share insights and inspirations so she started her own account (@nidabun) to do the same.