Nila and Mike's Timeless Lake Como Wedding at Villa Del Balbianello

Author: Natali Grace Levine
Wedding date: 07/17/2025
City: Lake Como

Love Story

Nila and Mike's story began at a show neither of them originally wanted to attend—one of those moments where fate intervenes through reluctant social plans. A friend of Mike's approached Nila first, setting in motion the introduction that would change both their lives. "What began as a night we almost skipped became the start of our story," Nila recalls.
The proposal came during a trip to Greece for Mike's 40th birthday, the day after his celebration. The timing was particularly poetic because Nila had secretly been planning a surprise trip to Paris for him. "It turns out he had been planning a surprise of his own all along," she laughs. "It was a total surprise because I usually figure it out."
Mike designed Nila's engagement ring himself, creating what she describes as "the most stunning classic engagement ring" without ever being told what she wanted. For the wedding band, she chose a delicate row of emerald-cut diamonds as an eternity band, adding a modern twist to her classic engagement ring. Mike's Cartier band received a deeply personal touch—Nila had it engraved with عشق همیشگی in Persian, meaning "eternal love."

About Your Wedding

Planning their Lake Como celebration took a year, but the vision was clear from the beginning. "To create an experience that felt timeless, romantic, and elegant," Nila explains. "We wanted the day to feel like a movie, creating an atmosphere that felt intimate, cinematic, and true to who we are as a couple. One that honored the beauty of Lake Como while remaining deeply personal."
The two-day celebration unfolded across Lake Como's most iconic locations. The welcome party at Grand Hotel Tremezzo embraced vibrant La Dolce Vita energy—colorful, playful, joyful. The wedding day at Villa Del Balbianello shifted to effortless Italian elegance with an editorial sensibility. An after-party brought deep burgundy florals and dramatic sophistication. Each event had its own character while feeling connected to a larger vision.
"The biggest inspiration was to create an experience for guests," Nila notes. "Inspired by the romance of Lake Como and its natural beauty, old-world Italian elegance, historic villas, and sense of timeless romance guided every decision. I wanted it to feel true to the location."
They chose the destination wedding format specifically to travel with families and best friends, giving their guests an experience in an iconic location that would create lasting memories. After an exploratory meeting with their planner and a review of options, Como seemed to fit every aspect of what they imagined.

Morning Details

The details began setting the tone long before guests arrived in Italy. Working with Cartalia, Nila and Mike designed invitations featuring a hand-drawn sketch of Villa Del Balbianello paired with a custom watercolor map of Lake Como. "We wanted to set the tone from the very beginning," Nila explains. "It was our way of introducing guests to the place and experience that would define the entire weekend."
The personalization extended to every element. Welcome bags filled with local Italian favorites greeted guests at Grand Hotel Tremezzo. The welcome party featured colorful, retro menus and signage that matched the La Dolce Vita theme, while the wedding day brought elegant aperitif and cocktail menus, fans, and seating charts—all designed by Pink Ink Studio. The after-party included burgundy wine keys personalized with the couple's initials for guests to take home.
One particularly charming detail: a painted rendition of their dog, Nousha, welcomed guests to the gelato cart after dinner. Custom embroidered attire, personalized handkerchiefs gifted to family members, and even a song Mike secretly recorded and surprised Nila with during the after-party—every detail reinforced that this celebration was deeply, specifically theirs.

Bride Getting Ready

Nila's morning began with something most brides don't get on their wedding day: a quiet walk through the gardens of Grand Hotel Tremezzo with Mike. "Surrounded by lush greenery and overlooking the waters of Lake Como, we took a moment just for ourselves," she describes. "It was calm, grounding, and deeply personal, a pause that allowed us to fully take in where we were and what the day would bring."
After the walk, she finished writing her vows before her glam team arrived. The Studio Como team created what Nila remembers as "the most calming and supportive energy. We had the best morning filled with laughs, music, and Persian delights" alongside her mom, sister, and best friend.
Finding her wedding dress had been a journey requiring exceptional persistence. "I tried 78 dresses to be exact, till I found my wedding dress," Nila admits. The search led her to New York Bridal Fashion Week in October,where she met Galia Lahav herself. "It was the most amazing experience to have her and Sharon Sever help me with the most perfect gown for my Lake Como wedding." The custom Galia Lahav Splendid gown required multiple trips to New York before it was ready.
Her welcome party dress came from Monique Lhuillier—the Arden gown she'd fallen in love with at fashion week. "From the moment I saw the Arden gown during fashion week, I knew I had to have it, and with the help of Amanda, my amazing stylist from Ultimatebride in Chicago, I was able to bring my vision to life."
Her accessories were deliberately simple and classic: Jimmy Choo shoes, her Galia Lahav veil, and diamond earrings Mike had gifted her a week before the wedding. Her bouquet was equally restrained—a simple gathering of lily of the valley. "I wanted the smallest bouquet to not overshadow the dress, and I've always loved the delicate beauty of lily of the valley."

Groom Getting Ready

While Nila prepared with her closest women, Mike got ready at Grand Hotel Tremezzo with four of his best friends and Nila's father. He wore a custom Ralph Lauren Purple Label tuxedo—classic, refined, perfectly suited to the Villa Del Balbianello setting they'd chosen for the ceremony.
The morning carried its own significance for Mike, knowing that in a few hours he'd be standing on the loggia at one of Lake Como's most iconic villas, watching the woman he'd been planning to marry walk toward him with the lake and mountains as backdrop.

First Look

The first look happened on the grand staircase inside Grand Hotel Tremezzo—a moment of privacy before the day's celebration fully began. Mike's first thought when he saw Nila captures the weight of the moment: "Overwhelmed by how beautiful and perfect she looked and a rush of memories of our time together up to that point, leading to a tear and a smile as I walked up to her."
For Nila, seeing Mike brought unexpected calm. "I remember thinking how surreal it felt to finally see him after all the planning. I felt an overwhelming sense of calm. Seeing him instantly brought me peace."

Photoshoot Before The Ceremony

After the first look, Nila and Mike dedicated two hours to a photoshoot on a boat traversing Lake Como—just the two of them with their photographer, Roman Ivanov, capturing images against the water and mountains before arriving at Villa Del Balbianello. The boat shoot allowed them to have intimate moments together as they moved through Como's legendary waters, creating editorial images that would define their visual story.
The decision to invest this time before the ceremony proved essential—by the time guests gathered at the villa, Nila and Mike had already experienced a quiet connection, already centered themselves, already created space for the enormity of what was about to happen.

Ceremony

The ceremony took place at Villa Del Balbianello's Loggia Durini,where panoramic lake views and ivy-covered arches created a setting that required no additional decoration. Nila walked down the white aisle runner to "Pas de Deux"—a choice that felt "timeless, emotional, and perfectly aligned with the romantic atmosphere of Lake Como."
Their dog, Nousha, served as ring bearer, adding personal warmth to the formal beauty of the setting. The vows themselves remained private—Nila and Mike chose to read them silently from their vow books, sharing the emotions but keeping the words between them. "Our guests could see everything we were feeling as we exchanged and read our vow books silently," Nila notes.
The day before the wedding, they'd honored a cherished Persian tradition with Nila's parents, setting a heartfelt foundation for the celebration to come. These cultural touchpoints—the Persian engraving on Mike's ring, the traditional ceremony, the Persian music at the reception entrance—wove Nila's heritage throughout the Italian celebration in ways that felt organic rather than forced.
The moment Nila remembers most vividly came after the ceremony ended. "We wandered through the villa. We found ourselves alone overlooking Lake Como. We paused to take it all in—the stillness, the view, and the realization of all we accomplished. It was an intimate moment just us, yet beautifully captured by our photographer."

Photoshoot After The Ceremony

Following the ceremony, Nila and Mike took advantage of every corner of Villa Del Balbianello's grounds. The historic villa, with its terraced gardens, architectural details, and the specific Lake Como light that photographers dream about, offered endless opportunities to capture not just how they looked but how the day felt.
They moved through the location until the setting sun and their wedding planner finally pulled them away, reminding them that their guests were waiting at the reception and the celebration needed to continue beyond just the two of them and the camera.

Wedding Venue & Decor

The color palette evolved across the two days of celebration. The welcome party at Grand Hotel Tremezzo embraced vibrant coral and pink La Dolce Vita tones—colorful, playful, joyful. The wedding day maintained classic elegance with white and green, letting Villa Del Balbianello's inherent beauty provide the drama. The after-party shifted into richer, more dramatic territory with deep burgundy florals by Il Profumo Dei Fiori, creating moody sophistication.
Villa Del Balbianello was chosen for "its timeless beauty and versatility that the grounds offered." The location has appeared in films for good reason—it photographs like a dream, with every angle revealing another perspective on Lake Como's dramatic beauty. The loggia where they married, the terraced gardens where they photographed, the architectural details that have existed for centuries—all of it contributed to the cinematic quality Nila had envisioned from The reception setup featured wavy tables that created an organic flow rather than rigid lines, with seating charts customized to match the unconventional intentional layout. Sunlake Catering created a menu that was "a curated journey through Italian cuisine"—scallops with buffalo mozzarella to start, fresh tagliolini with summer truffle for the first course, and bacon-wrapped beef fillet as the main course. Sound, lighting, and music by Blu Notte Venti transformed the space as daylight faded into evening celebration.

Reception

Nila and Mike entered their reception to "Azizam" by Ed Sheeran—a choice that added Persian flair and honored Nila's heritage. Their first dance was Lana Del Rey's "Say Yes to Heaven," romantic and contemporary, perfectly capturing their aesthetic.
The celebration continued with espresso martinis and a custom Lake Como Spritz as signature cocktails. The gelato cart—announced by that painted portrait of Nousha—appeared during the after-party, helping guests cool down from dancing. A champagne tower with firework fountains followed the traditional Italian Millefoglie cake cutting, adding entertainment that felt celebratory without being over-the-top.
Mike's secret surprise—the song he'd recorded and had the DJ play mid-after-party, inviting Nila to dance—created one of those unscripted moments that guests would remember as vividly as the planned elements. Different music marked different moments throughout the evening, with Welcome Party DJ from Up Como reading the energy and adjusting accordingly.
The celebration at Villa Del Balbianello continued until midnight, when the newlyweds left by boat. Their guests, not quite ready for the night to end, rejoined the party at a local bar and kept celebrating until 4 AM—the kind of organic extension of joy that happens when a wedding truly succeeds in creating experience rather than just an event.