Lake Como Elopement Guide: My Favorite Villas for an Intimate Wedding

A personal guide to the Lake Como venues I love shooting most — Villa Lario, Villa d’Este, Villa Pizzo, Villa Serbelloni and Villa Monastero — for couples planning an intimate elopement.

Lake Como has become one of my favorite places to photograph weddings. Over the past few seasons I’ve shot elopements and intimate ceremonies at several of the lake’s most beautiful villas, and couples often ask me which one to choose. Here’s my honest take on five venues I keep coming back to, and why each one works so well for a small, romantic wedding day.

Villa Lario: Intimate and Effortlessly Elegant

Villa Lario is one of the first venues I fell in love with on Lake Como. It sits right on the water with its own private garden, and the light in the late afternoon is something I still get excited about every time I shoot there. It’s a wonderful choice for couples who want a small, relaxed elopement without giving up that classic lake-and-mountain backdrop. You can see a full session from an intimate elopement I photographed there in this gallery.

Villa Serbelloni: Old-World Romance in Bellagio

Perched above Bellagio with sweeping views over the water, Villa Serbelloni has a kind of old-world romance that’s hard to find anywhere else on the lake. I love shooting here because the gardens give us so many different backdrops in a single afternoon, from shaded pathways to open lawns with the lake stretching out behind the couple. If you’re considering it for your own wedding, I put together my honest thoughts and tips from photographing there in this gallery.

Villa d’Este & Villa Pizzo: Grand Como Glamour

If you want that unmistakable Lake Como grandeur, Villa d’Este and Villa Pizzo are hard to beat. I’ve photographed weddings at both, and I love how differently they each let a couple show off their style, from grand staircases and manicured gardens to quieter, more private terraces right on the water. These venues suit couples who want a bigger, more glamorous celebration, but still want portraits that feel personal. You can browse the full story from a wedding I shot there in this album.

Villa Monastero: A Quiet, Botanical Backdrop in Varenna

Villa Monastero, in the little town of Varenna, is my go-to recommendation for couples who want something a bit quieter and more botanical. The lakeside terraces and gardens feel almost like a private park, and the light bouncing off the water in the early evening is beautiful for portraits. It’s a lovely option if you’re planning a small ceremony and want gorgeous scenery without a huge, formal estate. I photographed a wedding there that you can see in this gallery.