We bring the whole wedding together.
Weddings at Villa Erba for 50 to 250 guests. Whether you're imagining an intimate dinner or a full weekend with everyone you love, we help you understand what's possible and plan it with care.
Choosing a venue is only the beginning. We coordinate catering, flowers, furniture, photography, entertainment, sound and lighting. We also help with accommodation, transport, hair and makeup, and any gatherings before or after the wedding.
You make the decisions that matter to you. We explain the options, manage the details and keep everyone working to the same schedule.
A place for everyone you love.
Villa Erba brings together a historic villa, lakeside gardens and a separate contemporary event space. These different settings offer room to shape the celebration around your guests, your traditions and the way you want to spend time together.
Room for everyone, never crowded
The villa seats up to 450 across the entrance hall and five connecting rooms. We plan weddings of up to 250 guests, so there is space in every room and the evening never feels full.
Right on the water
Lakeside gardens, views across the lake and a private pier, so guests can arrive by boat where schedules and permissions allow.
Three settings, many layouts
Gardens, villa and event centre on one estate. A ceremony outside, dinner in the villa, dancing in the hall: your celebration can move without your guests ever leaving.
We help you choose the right spaces, understand the costs and make a plan for both sunshine and rain.
Villa Erba, Lake Como.
A historic villa and lakeside gardens in Cernobbio, northern Italy.
If you haven't visited Lake Como before, Cernobbio is a town close to the city of Como. Villa Erba sits beside the water, with extensive grounds, ornate interiors and a separate congress and event centre.
We help you understand how these spaces could work for your wedding, including which areas you would hire and how your guests would move between them.
- 01
The gardens
The grounds offer space for outdoor celebrations with views of the lake. Depending on the agreed layout and venue permissions, your plans might include a ceremony, drinks reception or dinner outside.
We consider shade, seating, lighting, access and the arrangements needed if the weather changes.
- 02
The historic villa
Built in the late nineteenth century as the Erba family's summer house, where the film director Luchino Visconti spent his childhood summers, the villa has a grand entrance hall and five connecting rooms on the ground floor, seating up to 450 across these spaces rather than in a single dining room.
We help you choose a layout that suits your guest count and keeps the experience connected, with space for dining, speeches and the other parts of your celebration.
- 03
The event centre
Designed by architect Mario Bellini, the separate glass-and-steel event centre offers options for larger gatherings and celebrations with more substantial staging, lighting or entertainment.
Its availability, hire and suitability are confirmed separately as part of your plans. We explain what would be needed to turn the space into the setting you have in mind.
- 04
Arriving by water
Villa Erba has a private pier. Where suitable boats, schedules and permissions allow, we can coordinate arrivals or transfers by water.
We also plan road transport and alternatives, so your arrangements don't depend entirely on lake conditions.
From the first conversation to the wedding day.
You don't need to arrive with a finished plan. We help you work out what matters, what it will cost and what needs to happen next.
- 01
We start with you
We talk about your guest list, dates, budget and priorities. You can bring detailed ideas, a few photographs or simply a feeling for the kind of celebration you want.
- 02
We explore the venue and build the budget
We contact Villa Erba about availability and hire arrangements, help organise a visit where possible, and outline the main costs. You'll understand what is included, what is optional and which decisions affect the budget most.
- 03
We choose the people and plan the details
We help you compare suitable suppliers, develop the design and coordinate bookings. We keep track of decisions, payment schedules and how each part of the wedding fits together.
- 04
We prepare everyone for the day
We bring the plans into one schedule, covering the ceremony, catering, entertainment, guest transport, supplier setup and the weather alternative.
- 05
We coordinate the celebration
On the day, we manage the agreed schedule and coordinate the teams, giving you time to be with your guests.
Everything around the day, coordinated as one plan.
01Venue, budget and bookings
Communication with Villa Erba, venue arrangements, supplier proposals, bookings, payment schedules and the overall planning timetable.
02Food, drinks and cake
Catering, menu choices, drinks, tastings and cake. We coordinate dietary requirements and discuss specialist needs with the appropriate suppliers.
03Flowers and decoration
Flowers, tables, furniture, linens, stationery, signs and other decorative details, developed alongside the practical requirements and budget.
04Music, entertainment and technical services
Musicians, DJs and other entertainment, together with the teams responsible for sound, lighting, staging and equipment.
05Photography and video
Suitable photographers and videographers, with a schedule that gives them time to capture the celebration while leaving you time to enjoy it.
06Hair, makeup and getting ready
Hair stylists, makeup artists, appointments and any agreed trials, coordinated with the ceremony and photography schedule.
07Accommodation and transport
Accommodation options and room-block enquiries, airport transfers, cars, coaches and suitable boat transfers. We make clear which arrangements you are hosting and which guests book themselves.
08Guest arrangements
Guest information, RSVP support where agreed, seating plans, dietary information and accessibility needs, plus childcare providers or children's activities if required.
09Ceremonies and family traditions
Ceremony planning and coordination with your chosen celebrant or religious officiant. Where you want a legally recognised ceremony in Italy, we help identify the relevant process and specialist assistance.
10Wedding-day coordination
Supplier arrivals, setup, timings, guest movements, the weather plan and pack-down.
The people bringing your wedding together.
Margarita Casati, our founder and creative director, planned weddings on Lake Como from 2012 to 2022, many of them at Villa Erba. Since 2020 she has also designed flowers and settings for luxury destination weddings across Europe.
She sets the creative vision for each wedding and oversees it personally, from the first concept to the setup on the day, with a team of project managers who look after suppliers, schedules and guests. With a business degree from the University of Trento and leadership studies at Stanford, she brings the same rigour to budgets as to design. We work in English, Italian and Russian.
Why only Villa Erba?
Because knowing one venue in depth is worth more to you than knowing fifty a little. Having planned many weddings here, we know its rooms, its gardens, its light, its timings and how the estate works on the day, and everything we learn goes into the next wedding.
We take on a small number of weddings each year, for up to 250 guests, so each one has our full attention.
The Villa Erba wedding guide.
Still deciding? Our free 13-page guide covers the spaces and how many guests each holds, a sample wedding weekend, a planning timeline, ceremony options in Italy and the costs couples most often miss.
Here is your guide.
Download the guide (PDF, 13 pages)
When you are ready, tell us your date and we will check it with Villa Erba.
Let's start with your plans.
Tell us your preferred dates, approximate guest count and anything you already have in mind. We'll talk through the next steps and contact Villa Erba to check the options for your celebration.
Thank you.
Your enquiry has reached us. We will write back within two working days to talk through the next steps. If you would rather talk first, write to hello@lavillaweddings.com.