Timeless Italian Elegance on Lake Garda: Kendall & Jeff’s Wedding at Villa Bettoni
- Author: Natali Grace Levine
- Wedding date: 06/13/2026
- City: Lake Garda
Love Story
Kendall and Jeff first met at university, dated briefly, and then went their separate ways, only to find their way back to each other years later. Two months after reconnecting, they booked an impulsive trip to Hawaii together, and one night, in the back of a pickup truck, Jeff told Kendall he loved her and asked her to be his girlfriend. “That trip became the real beginning of our story, and we’ve been together ever since 2019.” Looking back, Kendall says it feels fitting that their forever began with a spontaneous trip and a little adventure, the same instinct that would later carry them all the way to Italy.
The couple got engaged in the Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal, during a family trip Kendall didn’t see coming at all. Jeff proposed at the top of Sete Cidades on a rare, perfectly clear day, a small miracle on an island that rains nearly half the year, the kind of weather locals themselves would call lucky. Kendall had no idea anything was coming, focused instead on simply enjoying a trip with her own family, which made Jeff getting down on one knee feel like it came entirely out of nowhere. Just after she said yes, he surprised her again: his family had secretly flown in to celebrate alongside hers, both families standing together on the same clifftop for a moment neither side had expected to share in person. Having both families there at once, rather than finding out secondhand later, turned an already unforgettable proposal into something the couple still describes as one of the most meaningful moments of their entire relationship.
About Your Wedding
“We both love love, and we love celebrating.” That line, more than any other, explains why Kendall and Jeff spent nearly two years planning a wedding at Villa Bettoni on Lake Garda for 112 guests, married on June 13, 2026, in a vision built around timeless Italian elegance with a romantic, editorial feel. Villa Bettoni’s history did most of the heavy lifting before a single decoration went up, and the couple chose restraint and soft, refined detail over anything that might compete with a setting already this extraordinary.
Kendall keeps coming back to one idea when she talks about the planning process: that finding your person is rare enough to deserve a celebration equally rare. “We wanted it to feel romantic, magical and completely transporting, like for one day, everyone had stepped into our little world.” The ambition went beyond visuals too. Early on, the couple made a quiet promise to stay by each other’s side all day, refusing the common trap of a wedding spent apart, pulled in a dozen directions by well-meaning guests.
Morning Details
Kendall spent the morning getting ready at Eden Reserve Landmark III, and despite months of detailed, deeply considered planning, the day itself brought a calm she hadn’t expected from herself. She describes herself as incredibly Type A, someone who thought through every detail long before the wedding arrived, yet on the morning itself, all of that preparation gave way to something steadier. At one point, her wedding planner looked at her and said the words she still hasn’t forgotten: “That’s how you know you’re marrying the right person.” There was no lingering nervousness, no second-guessing, only the quiet certainty of knowing exactly what the day was about to become.
Bride Getting Ready
Kendall tried on over a hundred wedding dresses before realizing her gown needed to feel just as special as the wedding itself. She ultimately chose a Galia Lahav gown as her foundation, then customized nearly every detail: new buttons, scalloped lace along the bodice, an extended train for extra drama, even leftover lace fabric repurposed into a custom choker. The result felt completely one-of-a-kind, built specifically around her rather than pulled from a rack. Her bouquet stayed classic throughout, simple white peonies that let the dress and the setting carry most of the visual weight.
Groom Getting Ready
Jeff got ready at Eden Reserve in a custom Suit Supply tuxedo, tailored specifically for the day rather than pulled off a standard rack. Where Kendall’s morning centered on a hundred small, deliberate choices refined over months, Jeff’s stayed simpler by comparison: one fitting, one fabric, one clean line meant to complement rather than compete with the dress waiting across the property. The choice reflected the same instinct running through the rest of the wedding’s styling, polished and considered without ever feeling overly formal or stiff, the kind of tuxedo built to move easily through a full day of photos, a ceremony, and a night of dancing that followed.
First Look
Jeff waited at the top of the staircase in Villa Bettoni’s Grand Entrance, the kind of setting dramatic enough to match the weight of the moment itself. Kendall remembers her exact thought as she saw him for the first time that day: “This is real, and this is happening.” A year and eight months of decisions, both large and small, collapsed into that single, immediate realization on the stairs.
Photoshoot Before The Ceremony
“We took our photos throughout Villa Bettoni because the property itself was such a huge part of why we fell in love with our venue.” Between the architecture, the gardens, and Lake Garda itself, every corner of the property offered something completely different to shoot against, gilded interiors giving way to open lawns within a few steps of each other. Kendall and Jeff moved from room to room, garden to garden, treating the whole estate less like a single backdrop and more like a series of small, distinct scenes stitched into one afternoon.
Ceremony
Kendall walked down the aisle on a terrace overlooking the lake, Lake Garda spread out behind the altar as the actual backdrop rather than a detail added afterward in photos. She chose “The Blessing” specifically for what the song represents rather than how it sounds, a meditation on blessing the life and future two people build together, a sentiment that felt especially fitting as she crossed the terrace toward Jeff. The recessional swung into a completely different register once they were officially married, a Kygo track chosen as a small, personal nod to the couple’s own history together; they’ve traveled the world three times over just to see him perform live. That shift, from something quiet and intentional during the walk in to something considerably more energetic on the way out, mirrored the emotional arc of the ceremony itself, weight and meaning giving way to pure celebration the moment they were pronounced husband and wife.
Photoshoot After The Ceremony
“We went on a boat, which felt so us. We both said it was the most euphoric boat ride of our lives; we almost forgot where we were.” Lake Garda itself became part of the portrait session rather than simply a backdrop; the newly married couple photographed against open water instead of returning straight to the villa’s grounds. The choice made sense for two people who’ve built so much of their relationship around water and travel; a boat ride felt less like a styling decision and more like an extension of who they are together. By the time they climbed back onto dry land, golden hour light had settled over the lake, and the portraits from those final minutes on the water became some of the most striking images from the entire day.
Wedding Venue & Decor
“Flying to Italy twice to search for venues, and almost running out of battery in our hybrid car on the way to Lake Garda, but we made it. It was pouring rain, and we still knew it was perfect. That’s how you know it’s the one.” Villa Bettoni’s own beauty and history shaped every decision that followed, with Kendall intentionally keeping the color palette soft, romantic, and timeless- whites, creams, and soft greens, with warm candlelight and gold details woven throughout. Nothing was meant to compete with the venue itself, only enhance what was already there.
Personalization ran through nearly every detail of the day. Kendall’s mother designed and hand-created the entire invitation suite and wedding stationery, a project the two loved so much they’re now turning it into an actual stationery business together. A video built from years of the couple’s own travel footage played during the reception, set to “Collide” by Ed Sheeran, a song that speaks to how much fuller life feels once you’ve found the right person. Instead of traditional wedding favors, the couple hired a live painter to capture guests throughout the night, sending everyone home with something considerably more personal than a party favor.
Reception
Kendall and Jeff still describe every vendor who worked on their wedding as “incredible and so talented,” the kind of praise that comes easily when an entire team gets every detail right. Food and Sweet’s wedding cake became one of the night’s most talked-about details, specifically, memorable enough that Kendall calls it the best cake she’s ever had in her life, and one she’s confident every guest at the wedding would agree with. The reception opened with Kendall’s own signature cocktail, cucumber, egg white, lime, mint, and vodka, alongside an aperitivo built almost entirely around seafood, a genuine dream for the pescatarian bride. The couple’s first dance played “Love” by Lana Del Rey, a simple, unpretentious song chosen because it captures what the whole wedding was really about: how even the smallest, most ordinary moments feel extraordinary with the right person standing beside you.
Wedding Team
- Photographer Salviati studio
- Venue Villa Bettoni
- Wedding Planner @europeweddingofficial
- Catering @foodandsweetcatering
- Content Creator @weddingrawmemories
- Service @croval.service
- Florals @fioreallocchiello.it
- Music & Entertainment @shantiandsongs_entertainment
- Fireworks @brixiafireworks
- Hair & Makeup @blbsmanagement @thebridalstudio.it
- Boat Service @bertoldi_boats
- Live Painter @studiosheena
- Transfers @caldanatravel
- Stationery @poplark_patterns
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