Getting Married at Villa Carlotta on Lake Como
Villa Carlotta, from a wedding I photographed there: the 2026–2027 ceremony fees, civil or symbolic vows, when the sun leaves the terrace and how your guests arrive by boat from Como.
I photographed Helene and Tobias's wedding at Villa Carlotta alongside Marina Muravnik, on Roman Ivanov's team, and the villa is still very dear to me. When they married, they had shared more than fourteen years and three children, and the children took part in the ceremony, under a round arch of baby's breath with the lake behind it. Afterwards a wooden boat carried the newlyweds down the shore to dinner and a long evening of heartfelt Norwegian speeches; their story is here.
Villa Carlotta is a museum and botanical garden in Tremezzo, on the west shore of the lake. It marries couples on its camellia terrace, for up to 80 guests. A civil ceremony starts at €2,500 + VAT and a symbolic one at €5,000 + VAT, each for 90 minutes, and the season runs from spring to early fall.
What is Villa Carlotta like for a wedding?
The villa stands at Via Statale 5605 in Tremezzina, above the SS340 lake road, and its terraced gardens run down toward the water. Ceremonies are held on the Terrazza delle Camelie, the camellia terrace, which faces east over the water toward Bellagio, with the mountains rising behind it. For Helene and Tobias the sun was full on it, and the only shade came from a single large tree at one side.
Villa Carlotta and its gardens above the lake
It stays a museum on your wedding day. In 2026 it is open to visitors from 10:00 to 19:00 between 20 March and 18 October. The fee reserves only the event area, so expect other people in the gardens around you.
Before the ceremony, while I photographed the details, I also walked the grounds, so afterwards no time went on searching: our short loop took in the balustrade over the water, the garden stairs with their statues, and then the marble floors and tall windows indoors. In the hard sun outside, the stone cast sharp shadows, and some of those frames worked best in black and white. Just indoors, the light from a tall window over the lake fell softly on Helene's face and veil.
Window light inside the villa
How much does a wedding at Villa Carlotta cost?
The villa's 2026–2027 wedding terms price the ceremony for 90 minutes in the event area, plus 22% VAT:
- Symbolic ceremony: €2,000, plus €3,000 for up to 50 guests or €4,000 for 51 to 80, so €5,000 or €6,000 in all
- Civil ceremony: €2,500 for up to 50 guests or €3,500 for 51 to 80, plus the municipality's own fee
- Included: your guests' entry to the museum and gardens, basic garden chairs and four ornate ceremony chairs
- Not included: catering, flowers, musicians and the SIAE music license, an interpreter, the celebrant, a marquee, and transport by small tractor, from €300 + VAT
- Holding a date: €500, not refundable
The villa can host dinner too, from 19:00 to 23:00 for up to 80 people. The evening fee, before the food, is €8,000 + VAT for 2 to 10 guests, €12,000 for 11 to 50 or €18,000 for 51 to 80. Its partners for dinner are the garden bistrot, Class Events and S-Catering La Breva. With a symbolic ceremony for 50 guests, the villa's fees alone come to €17,000 + VAT.
So Villa Carlotta suits up to 80 guests who will move for dinner or pay for the evening. With more, I'd look at a lakeside hotel. Helene and Tobias moved: they dined at Lido di Lenno, about 3 km down the shore, in a marquee with open sides and a view of the water from every table.
Civil or symbolic: which ceremony should you choose?
A civil wedding at the villa is legal: the Tremezzina registrar, or a delegate, marries you on the terrace. You book it with both the municipality and the villa. A symbolic ceremony has no legal value, and you choose the celebrant. If the legal part can happen at home, I suggest doing it there and having a symbolic ceremony here: the civil route asks for papers from your own country and several days in Italy.
For a civil wedding in Italy, each foreign partner needs a nulla osta, a statement from their own country that nothing prevents the marriage:
- US citizens: a sworn statement, the Dichiarazione Giurata, signed in person before a US consular officer in Italy (for Lake Como, in Milan). It is legalized at a Prefettura in the same consular district with a €16 revenue stamp. You also need an Atto Notorio, sworn by two witnesses who know you and aren't relatives; it is easiest at an Italian consulate before you fly. US documents need an apostille and an Italian translation, and must be under six months old (US Embassy in Italy).
- UK citizens: the Nulla Osta is a certificate of no impediment from the British Embassy in Rome; where you can apply by post, you sign your notice of marriage in front of a notary (gov.uk).
Then you declare your intent at the town hall. On the day, bring two witnesses over 18 with photo ID, plus an interpreter if you don't speak Italian, who can't be one of the witnesses. If neither of you is Italian or lives in Italy, the banns are waived or shortened. Allow several days in Italy all the same: the US Embassy warns of waiting lists in May, June and September.
When does the sun leave the terrace at Villa Carlotta?
Earlier than the sunset time suggests. The terrace faces east, with the mountains behind it, so in the evening the sun drops behind the ridge above Tremezzo long before it sets. The terrace goes into open shade while the mountains across the water keep the light. Estimated from the height of the ridge, the shade comes around 19:00 from May to August, closer to 19:15 in June and July, and around 18:30 in mid-September. Sunset itself is around 21:15 in mid-June and 19:30 in mid-September. Trees and the villa's own walls can bring the shade sooner.
What I suggest: between May and August, expect full sun for a ceremony in the villa's opening hours, as Helene and Tobias had. The shade arrives about when the gardens close and the dinner hire begins, at 19:00. For vows in open shade, ask early whether a slot can run that late, or choose September; a civil wedding follows the registrar's hours. In full sun, plan water and hats for your guests from June to August. I'll work between the hard light outside, the window light inside and the shade under the garden trees.
The ceremony on the terrace, in full sun
How do guests get to Villa Carlotta?
Boats stop at Tremezzo - Villa Carlotta, 400 m from the entrance. From Como the fast service takes about 40 to 50 minutes, with a supplement, and ordinary boats nearer two hours, so tell your guests which one to book (Navigazione Laghi). The C110 bus from Como stops by the villa. In high season, drivers can park at Villa Mainona on Via Peduzzi.
Going by boat is one of the moments I love most at a Lake Como wedding: for a few minutes the water is yours alone, and when you step ashore, your guests are already there. If you leave by boat yourselves, as Helene and Tobias did for Lenno, remember that from the garden gate you cross the SS340 lake road to reach the water. Ask your planner which landing the boat will use.
Waving from the boat on the way to Lenno
What happens at Villa Carlotta if it rains?
With up to 10 guests, the ceremony moves into a museum room, if one is free. With more, you rent a marquee for the terrace, and the aperitif can move into the villa's bistrot.
How much photography does a day like this need?
Helene and Tobias's day needed two photographers, because it split twice: Marina stayed with the couple while I went ahead, first to the terrace and later to the marquee at Lenno. For two places with a boat between them, plan 10 to 12 hours. My collections start at €2,900 for a full day of up to 10 hours with me, and a second photographer is an add-on. The Wedding Weekend, €6,500, has the rehearsal dinner, two photographers for 12 hours on the wedding day, and either an engagement session or a third day with a brunch or pool party. Travel across Europe starts at €900, flights and stay included; the wedding collections page has the details.
If Villa Carlotta is where you see yourselves, write to me with your date, your guest count and whether you want a civil or a symbolic ceremony. I'll tell you where the sun should be on the terrace at your hour, and I would love to hear your story.
Details checked in October 2026
Yana Yart
Yana Yart is a wedding and elopement photographer based in Cascais, Portugal, with over 15 years behind the camera in 55 countries. She studied architecture for five years, which is why every day she photographs is planned around the light.
