Manuela & Chris

Villa Regina Teodolinda wedding, Italy

Manuela and Chris marrying on the terrace above Lake Como

Morning

Manuela got ready in a light room at the villa, with old furniture and the lake outside the window. The stationery was in dusty blue, her shoes hung on a wire stand, and a friend helped her into the dress. Before going down she sat for a few minutes with a letter.

Wedding stationery with dusty blue ribbons, rings and a wax seal on white linen

Pale blue wedding shoes and a Mrs sign hanging on a white wire stand

A hairdresser pinning Manuela’s curls as she sits in her robe by the window

Manuela in a white robe having her make-up done, her hair pinned in curls

Manuela’s reflection in an oval mirror beside her hanging dress, in black and white

Manuela in her robe opening the tall window towards the lake, her dress hanging beside her

Manuela smiling in her robe as she touches her earring

Manuela in her robe beside her dress on a wire stand by the carved white doors

Manuela sitting on the edge of the bed in her robe, under a wooden ceiling

Manuela under her veil looking towards the window, in black and white

A friend in pink helping Manuela into her dress in a room with a wooden ceiling

Manuela in her dress lifting her skirt as a friend helps with her shoes by the window

Manuela seated by the fireplace lifting her skirt to fasten her shoe

Manuela fixing her earring in a mirror as a friend looks on, in black and white

Manuela reading a letter in an armchair by the window in her wedding dress

Chris and his friends

Chris dressed with his friends in another part of the villa: bow tie, buttonhole, a last look at his watch by the window. Then a drink together in the library, among the bookshelves, before he went out to wait.

Black shoes and a bow tie beside a lamp on a round table

Hands fastening a cufflink on the cuff of a white dress shirt

A friend tying Chris’s bow tie by the window

Chris fastening his bow tie by the curtained window in his white shirt

Chris’s friends dressing in the bright room, one bending to tie his shoes

Chris and his friends putting on their shoes in a bright room at the villa

A friend pinning the buttonhole on Chris’s dinner jacket

Chris smiling as he checks his watch by the window

Chris laughing with his friends over a drink in the villa’s library

Chris sitting at a small round table opening a blue box

Chris in silhouette at an open window above Lake Como

First look

They saw each other first on the terrace, with Lake Como and the mountains in front of them. Chris turned round and laughed, and we stayed in the garden for a few portraits on the steps and by the old walls before the guests arrived.

Manuela walking up behind Chris on the terrace, Lake Como and the mountains ahead

Chris turning round and smiling at Manuela by the lake

Manuela and Chris forehead to forehead by the terrace wall above the lake

Manuela and Chris small on the terrace by the lake, framed by trees and misty mountains

Manuela and Chris embracing at the top of the garden steps

Manuela lifting her long veil on the lawn above the lake

Chris waiting alone at the terrace wall, the lake and mountains ahead of him

Manuela and Chris walking side by side across the lawn towards the lake, her veil on the grass

Manuela with her bouquet at the corner of the terrace, a villa and cypress across the water

Chris perched at the end of the old red wall, the lake and hills behind him

Manuela with her bouquet of white and peach flowers, the lake behind her

Chris sitting on the terrace wall in his dinner jacket

Manuela and Chris at the foot of the twin stone staircase in the villa garden

Chris kissing Manuela’s cheek beside the old stone steps

The ceremony

The ceremony was at 2 pm on a terrace above the lake. We were lucky with the weather: not too sunny, not too cloudy, just soft, natural light. Chris could not hold back his tears during the vows, nor could the guests, and they kissed with the mountains behind them.

Chris waiting with the officiant on the terrace above Lake Como

Manuela walking up the aisle past the guests in front of the villa

Manuela and Chris holding hands in front of the officiant, in black and white

What couples say

“Dina was our Photographer in June '25 in the Dordogne, and she was amazing. So easy to meet her online, organise all of the details easily, and then send her photos we wanted in preparation. She also worked really well with our videographer, and made sure we got every photo we needed. Highly recommend!!”

Hannah and Guy, wedding at Château d’Oche, DordogneSee wedding

Guests watching the ceremony on the lakeside terrace, the mountains beyond

Guests seated in the cobbled courtyard in front of the ochre villa

The ceremony glimpsed through white hydrangeas and tree branches above the lake

A guest holding an order of service as Manuela and Chris stand before the officiant

Chris reading his vows to Manuela on the terrace above the lake

Chris wiping his eyes during the vows as Manuela holds her bouquet

A small boy walking up to Manuela and Chris on the terrace during the ceremony

Chris’s hand holding a small blue ring box at his side

Manuela and Chris exchanging rings beside the officiant’s red book

Guests in tears and smiles watching the ceremony under the hydrangeas

The officiant reading from a red book as Manuela and Chris face each other

Manuela and Chris kissing at the end of the ceremony above the lake

The ceremony terrace seen from the guests’ seats, flower girls by the aisle

Manuela and Chris walking back down the aisle past the flower girls

Guests and the flower girls standing in the courtyard after the ceremony, in black and white

Guests hugging Manuela and Chris after the ceremony, in black and white

A guest hugging Chris as Manuela holds her bouquet beside them, in black and white

Guests on the sunny terrace seen through the villa’s open arched doorway

On the lake

While the guests had drinks in front of the villa, Manuela and Chris walked down to the pier and we took a wooden boat out on the water. The wind caught her veil, she laughed all the way, and we came back through the iron gates from the lake.

Guests helping themselves to the aperitivo buffet in front of the villa

Manuela and Chris stepping out of the ochre villa’s front door with two friends

Manuela and Chris walking down the pier to a wooden boat

Manuela and Chris in the back of the wooden boat by the villa

Manuela and Chris on the white leather seats of the boat on Lake Como

Manuela throwing up her arm and laughing as the boat speeds along, in black and white

Chris kissing Manuela’s forehead as her veil blows across the boat

Manuela’s veil flying above Chris on the back of the boat

Manuela and Chris sitting on the back of the boat with the town and mountains behind

Manuela standing in the wooden boat looking back towards the lakeside village

Manuela and Chris walking back through the villa’s iron gates from the water

Dinner in the ballroom

Dinner was at one long table in the ballroom, under the chandeliers, with white roses and pale blue flowers along it. It was an intimate wedding, so everyone sat together, and the toasts went back and forth across the table.

Centrepiece of white roses and blue flowers on the dinner table

The long dinner table set in the ballroom of Villa Regina Teodolinda

Manuela walking along the table under the chandelier

Chris raising a glass to Manuela at dinner, in black and white

Guests at the long ballroom table, seen past chairs with printed white covers

Manuela with a fan at the dinner table, in black and white

Into the evening

Chris twirled Manuela through their first dance in the ballroom. Outside, a pink cake with a ribbon bow waited on the terrace with the lake behind it, and the night ended with sparklers in the courtyard.

Chris twirling Manuela during the first dance in the ballroom

Manuela and Chris dancing close under the chandelier as guests watch

Pink wedding cake with a ribbon bow on a table above the lake

The pink cake on a round table with blue flowers on the cobbled terrace

Manuela and Chris cutting the pink cake on the terrace above the lake

Manuela and Chris sharing cake on the terrace, Lake Como behind

Guests gathered around the cake table on the terrace at dusk under the trees

Guests holding sparklers as Manuela and Chris walk through in the courtyard

Manuela and Chris kissing under an arch of sparklers held up by their guests

Photographing at Villa Regina Teodolinda

Stone steps leading down through the gardens of Villa Regina Teodolinda to the lake terrace

The villa.

An old villa in Laglio, on the shore of Lake Como, rented exclusively for the stay, with six suites on the upper floors. The rooms have tall windows and old furniture, so getting ready is easy to photograph.

The gardens.

Two levels: one by the lake for breakfast and evening drinks, and a lower garden with a pool. Manuela and Chris married on a terrace above the water, with the mountains behind them.

The pier.

The villa has its own pier for private boats. Just after the ceremony we went out on the water for portraits, which is the best way to see the lake.

The ballroom.

On the ground floor, with chandeliers and room for up to 100 guests. Dinner and the first dance were both here.

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Questions

How far ahead should we book?

Most couples book six to eighteen months ahead. Summer Saturdays go first.

I’m excited to go wherever your love story is taking me and looking forward to hearing from you!