Sylvain (the groom) is a private pilot with a seaplane rating already and has flown in Lake Como many times before. So, it was only natural for him to attempt a perfect lakeside landing on our special day! The entire arrival sequence was timed to the James Bond, Mission Impossible and Indiana Jones themes – to add even more colour and theatre to his entrance. That created suspense and surprised the unaware guests.
The bride chose an Elbeth Gillis dress (the first Insta find!) for its looks of timeless elegance, perfect for a Lake Como wedding.
But then… Anastasia (the bride) discovered the dress had pockets. It was absolutely perfect and exactly what was needed. The bride could have the phone with her at all times for wedding showtime coordination before the ceremony (you can see it in her hand – as if it were a remote control – on her speedboat photos as she points at Sylvain flying by in a seaplane!). The bridal wedding wows book within the wedding dress pocket, as well as some emergency tissues. Truly the best find!
It was the beauty of Lake Como that inspired the entire wedding. We picked the location first, and everything else was inspired by it. At the same time, some inspiration came from looking at our photographer’s wedding pictures of other couples (e.g. the idea to rent a classic boat, as we saw many super cute pictures of couples on classic speed boats as part of his photo collection).
We could not be happier with our photographer – Cristiano Ostinelli – who was super easy to work with and produced stunning work. He is based locally in Como and knows pretty much everyone in the industry, making communication and coordination work seamlessly on the day.
Getting married on Lake Como wasn’t a vanity. We truly fell in love with the area, as Sylvain (the groom) kept going back there to fly seaplanes. So, we thought: “If wanted to splash on a wedding, we should make it count!”
Anastasia Ivanova and Sylvain Gloux, otherwise known as the Sylvanoffs, live and work in the UK. She is a PR professional with a passion for oil painting. He is a banker by trade and an amateur theatre performer and a private pilot when out of the office. Having travelled to Lake Como on several occasions, the couple opted for a DIY wedding that produced a good show, and delivered a bit of theatre throughout the day… in one of the most sought-after wedding locations in the world… on a budget!
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