For their celebration at Villa Bettoni, Daniel and Elise basically went full palazzo protocol. Think: ceremony lined up on the pier, a dramatic stone staircase moment, the palace faсade framing portraits, long garden perspectives, sculptures watching over cocktail hour, and guests moving through the villa like they’re part of a perfectly staged European reception. To make that happen, they brought in planner Sonja Yildizoglu of The Wedding Company, who basically ran the entire operation. As the couple later put it, hiring her was “the best decision we made.”
Location: Villa Bettoni, Lake Garda, Italy
Style: European, Сlassic, Elegant
Time of planning: 1 year
Number of guests: 90
Setting: Historic Villa
Season: Summer
Ninety people, almost all flying in from the US. So instead of planning just a wedding day, Danny and Elise built the whole thing as a Lake Garda experience week, something that felt intimate but still very much elevated. Visually, the wedding kept things super disciplined, as captured by Ena & David Mihoci.
Ivory, soft gold, pale blue, and little hits of lemon yellow carried through everything. White dominated the palette, letting the stone of the villa, the gardens, and the lake do most of the talking. When you’re throwing a wedding inside an 18th-century villa on the water, the smartest move is usually not competing with the architecture.
Day Before
The celebration unfolded over several days, beginning with a relaxed gathering for family and the bridal party at a traditional restaurant by the water in the heart of Salò. It set the tone immediately: warm, welcoming, and unmistakably Italian.
Danny appeared in a mint suit, while Elise chose an off-shoulder white dress, shifting the mood from formal celebration to Riviera aperitivo. Tables were styled with lemons and a citrus palette, and even a table lamp made its way into the setup, giving the dinner a slightly residential, hotel-terrace feel rather than a typical event design.
Behind the scenes, Sonja and her team from The Wedding Company were quietly orchestrating every step of the week. The couple later shared that she was always one step ahead, anticipating needs before they even appeared. During the welcome dinner, when additional lighting was suddenly needed, the issue was solved immediately, without the couple ever noticing the stress behind it.
Bride's Morning & Look
Elise’s bridal look was built around volume, structure, and those little details. Her gown had that crisp, light-catching surface, with a full skirt that stayed sculptural. What made it interesting was that it never felt heavy, even with all that volume. The dress held its line, but still moved with air. You could also catch the appliqué work scattered across the fabric, which kept the look from reading too plain or too severe.
Groom's Look
Danny went for a white dinner jacket with black trousers and a black bow tie, which instantly gave the look that old-society summer formal vibe. It felt very Lake Garda, almost Casino-Royale, almost diplomatic terrace dinner, and worked perfectly against the pale stone of the villa and the blue of the lake.
The rest stayed clean and classic. Tailored black trousers, formal shoes, and a minimal white boutonniere tied his look back to the wedding palette without overcomplicating it.
First Look
Before the ceremony, Elise and Danny chose to shift one of the most meaningful parts of the day earlier. Instead of disappearing for portraits after the ceremony, they shared their first look in the gardens, followed by a quiet moment together before guests arrived.
The gardens themselves are unusually theatrical. One of the most striking features is the zig-zag double staircase, framed by curved walls, niches with statues, and warm terracotta tones that contrast with the greenery. Built in the 18th century as part of the villa’s formal garden design, the structure creates layered perspectives and unexpected sightlines.
Color played a subtle but deliberate role throughout these moments. The bridesmaids wore butter yellow dresses, introducing a soft tone that would repeat later in the aisle flowers and smaller details throughout the design. The palette leaned into what felt almost like a gelato spectrum.
Ceremony
The aisle itself mixed florals with fabric in a way that added a quiet theatrical quality. Low white flowers ran along the length of the path, while soft panels of fabric were tied along the sides like light drapery, moving gently in the breeze and framing the walk toward the chuppah. The combination of water, stone, and fabric created this slightly cinematic atmosphere without becoming overly styled.
Elise and Danny chose to hold a traditional Jewish ceremony, a meaningful way to honor their heritage while celebrating in Italy. As guests arrived, kippah were offered, and small thoughtful touches helped everyone stay comfortable in the summer sun, including parasols and handheld fans placed on the chairs.
The ceremony itself was deeply emotional. Standing at the end of the aisle, with the lake stretching behind them, the couple exchanged vows surrounded by their closest family and friends who had traveled from the United States for the celebration.
Moments Together
Because the newlyweds had already done their portraits earlier in the gardens, the cocktail hour turned into exactly what it’s supposed to be but rarely is: quality time with their guests. Instead of disappearing for photos, they moved easily through the garden terraces, greeting friends and family. The weather that afternoon couldn’t have been better. Clear skies, warm light on the villa façade, and that soft breeze coming off Lake Garda.
“From the very beginning, we felt we could completely trust Sonja. Throughout the entire process she kept everything organized, calm, and enjoyable for us, which allowed us to really experience the week with our friends and family rather than stress about logistics.”
One of the most talked-about details was the cocktail wall, where every guest found a pre-poured drink waiting with their name attached. Around the garden, servers circulated with beautifully presented Italian bites while live cooking stations prepared fresh dishes on the spot. It felt abundant but effortless, the kind of food moment Italy does better than anyone.
Reception
Long tables of reception were arranged across the lawn terraces, broken up by those small geometric islands of grass that naturally divide the garden. Against the pale stone building and the deep green ivy climbing the walls, the design leaned into a soft baby-blue palette, which immediately cooled the whole scene visually and felt perfectly in tune with the lake just beyond the gardens.
Above the tables, crystal chandeliers were suspended like open-air ceilings, turning the entire lawn into something that felt halfway between a formal dinner and a grand Italian garden party. The tables themselves were dressed in pale linens featuring a subtle Toile de Jouy pattern, that classic pastoral print heritage houses love to reference. Florals stayed light and airy in whites and soft neutrals, allowing the architecture, the ivy, and the glow of candlelight to carry most of the atmosphere.
Dinner moved easily into evening as the light faded and the chandeliers began to glow. Between courses, guests wandered toward a gelato cart, which immediately became a magnet for late-summer nostalgia and second desserts. Later came one of the most playful moments of the night: the mille-feuille station, where chefs in tall white hats assembled the pastry live while guests gathered around to watch the layers being stacked and dusted with sugar.
As the evening shifted into party mode, Elise changed into a second look, trading ceremony elegance for something lighter and easier to dance in. From the couple’s first dance onward, the energy never really dropped. What started as a refined garden dinner gradually turned into a full dance-floor takeover, the kind where guests keep saying “one more song” until suddenly it’s very late and nobody wants to leave.
Advice from the couple:
• Trust the process and focus on the experience rather than perfection. Choosing a destination that resonates emotionally, working with a team that understands both logistics and aesthetics, and allowing space for genuine moments will always elevate the celebration.
• We believe that the true luxury of a destination wedding lies in how it makes people feel, a sentiment that guided every decision throughout the planning process.
WEDDING PLANNING & DESIGN The Wedding Company Munich | PHOTO & VIDEO Mihoci Studios, Ena Mihoci | WEDDING VENUE Villa Bettoni | WELCOME DINNER VENUE & ACCOMMODATION A-ROSA Hotels Italy | FLORALS Fiore all’Occhiello | CATERING Food & Sweet Catering | AUDIO & LIGHTS The Good Lights | MUSIC Good Vibes Live Music | STYLING BLBS Management | FURNITURE Verleih & Dekoration Wedding | CHILD CARE Non Solo Tata | STATIONERY Jeanette Seemayer Designverliebt
