LAKE COMO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
I’m Stephen Walker, a UK-based wedding photographer photographing weddings and multi-day celebrations on Lake Como. My approach combines relaxed documentary photography with an editorial eye, creating photographs that feel beautiful without turning your wedding into a photoshoot.
Lake Como wedding photography starts from £5,000 including travel.
Photographing Weddings On Lake Como
I first photographed a wedding on Lake Como in 2018 at Villa Relais Vittoria in Laglio. Since then I’ve returned for very different celebrations, including two weddings at Villa Erba and a recent wedding at Villa Monastero Gardens.
I’ve photographed intimate weddings, large celebrations, private boat journeys, welcome events and wedding weekends spread across several days.
That experience has taught me that Lake Como is not just about finding a beautiful villa. The way you move around the lake, where you get ready, how much time you give yourselves and the experience you create for your guests can completely change how a wedding feels.
And when the experience feels good, the photographs usually follow.
Two Weddings At Villa Erba
I’ve now photographed two weddings at Villa Erba, and it is one of those places that feels even more impressive when you actually work there.
Some Lake Como venues feel quite snug against the shoreline. Villa Erba is different. The grounds are huge, the main hall has real scale and grandeur, and the large staircases and open outdoor spaces give guests room to relax during the drinks reception.
That space makes a difference to the photography too. When people have room to move around, talk, drink and enjoy themselves, the atmosphere becomes more relaxed.
People stop thinking about the camera.
That is usually when the best photographs happen.
Lara + Qiao: Villa d’Este To Villa Erba By Boat
For Lara and Qiao’s wedding, they both got ready at Villa d’Este before travelling across Lake Como by private boat to Villa Erba.
I photographed the journey naturally while they enjoyed it together. Once we reached Villa Erba, I was also able to use the drone to give the boat journey and the scale of the lake more context.
One of my favourite wedding photographs I have ever taken came from that journey.
It is also a good example of something I’ve learned from working around Lake Como. Boat travel is not just about creating beautiful photographs. It can make genuine logistical sense.
Driving around the lake can take considerably longer than a map might suggest. If your preparations, ceremony and reception are in different places, a private boat can sometimes be a far more enjoyable way of moving between them.
You can see the complete story in Lara and Qiao’s Villa Erba wedding.
A Three-Day Lake Como Wedding
Lara and Qiao’s celebration took place over three days.
The first event was at Villa Carminati Resta. The main wedding took place at Villa Erba the following day, before everyone finished the weekend with a pool party at Lido di Cernobbio.
Multi-day weddings work particularly well on Lake Como because guests are often travelling from different countries and different sides of the family may not know each other particularly well.
Giving everyone time together before the wedding changes the atmosphere.
By the time the main wedding arrives, it often feels less like two groups of people meeting for the first time and more like one celebration that is already underway.
A better guest experience creates a better atmosphere. A better atmosphere helps the couple relax. And when everybody is genuinely enjoying themselves, the photography gets better.
Different Ways To Experience A Lake Como Wedding
The weddings I’ve photographed here have been very different from one another, which is useful because there is no single correct way to plan a wedding on Lake Como.
Binh + Rami at Villa Erba
Binh and Rami had a boat party the day before their Villa Erba wedding. It gave guests from different sides of the families time to meet, talk and relax before the wedding day itself.
Taylor + Kyle at Villa Monastero Gardens
Taylor got ready with her mum at a private residence in Tremezzo before the three of us travelled across the lake by private boat to Villa Monastero Gardens for the ceremony.
My First Lake Como Wedding at Villa Relais Vittoria
I first photographed a wedding on Lake Como at Villa Relais Vittoria in Laglio in 2018. I do not feature much of that older work now, but the experience was the beginning of my relationship with this part of Italy.
Getting Ready In Tremezzo And Arriving By Boat
Taylor’s morning is another good example of why I would actively encourage couples to consider boat travel where it fits their plans.
She got ready with her mum in a private residence in Tremezzo. We made a few relaxed portraits inside, but most of the photographs simply happened while she was getting ready.
When it was time to leave, we walked through the streets from the house to the boat. That was not arranged as a photoshoot. It was simply the journey she was making to her wedding, and I photographed it as it happened.
The boat was privately hired and it was just Taylor, her mum and me travelling across the lake. All the guests were already waiting on the other side.
Photographing on a small boat can be restrictive because there is not much room to move, but that is where experience, composition and understanding the light become important.
When we arrived, it was only a short walk from the boat to Villa Monastero Gardens for the ceremony.
Should You Travel To Your Lake Como Wedding By Boat?
If a couple told me they were thinking about getting ready on one side of Lake Como and travelling by boat to their ceremony on the other, I would actively encourage them to explore it.
Not simply because it photographs well.
Arriving at your wedding by boat becomes part of the experience. You get a period of calm between preparations and the ceremony, see the lake from a completely different perspective and arrive in a way that feels very different from stepping out of a car.
And yes, it can create incredible photography opportunities too.
I’ve been back to Lake Como many times and it still takes my breath away. The light, the changing colour of the sky, the shadows on the water and the layers of mountains surrounding the lake make every journey feel slightly different.
What I’ve Learned Photographing Weddings On Lake Como
Allow More Time Than You Think For Road Travel
Distances can look relatively short, but traffic around the lake can make journeys considerably longer. If preparations, ceremony and reception are happening in different places, build breathing room into the schedule.
Consider Using The Lake As Transport
Where it makes logistical sense, a private boat can be a far more enjoyable way to move between locations and can turn what would otherwise be travel time into part of the wedding experience.
Think About Your Guests, Not Just The Venue
Welcome events, boat parties and multi-day celebrations give people time to meet and settle in. That can completely change the atmosphere of the wedding itself.
Do Not Over-Schedule The Photography
Lake Como already gives us an extraordinary setting. I would rather use five or ten minutes at the right moment than take you away from your guests for an hour just because the schedule says it is portrait time.
My Approach To Lake Como Wedding Photography
Most of my photography is documentary.
I want you spending your wedding with the people you invited rather than disappearing with me for long portrait sessions.
When a little direction is useful, I’ll give it. But I am usually looking for opportunities that already exist within the wedding itself.
A walk through Tremezzo. A boat across Lake Como. Bridesmaids helping with a dress on a balcony. Champagne on the Villa Erba steps. Five minutes together when the light changes.
Those moments give me everything I need.
I won’t turn your wedding into a photoshoot.
You can see more of my work in my wedding photography portfolio or explore my Italy wedding photography.
Lake Como Wedding Photography Packages
Lake Como wedding photography starts from £5,000 including travel.
For multi-day weddings, welcome events or additional coverage, I can build the photography around the celebration you are actually planning rather than trying to force everything into a standard package.
If you already have your venue and date, send them over. If you are still earlier in the planning process, that is completely fine too.
Lake Como Wedding Photographer FAQs
How much does a Lake Como wedding photographer cost?
My Lake Como wedding photography starts from £5,000 including travel. Multi-day celebrations and additional events can be built around your plans.
Are you based in Italy?
No. I am based in Liverpool in the UK and travel to Italy for destination weddings.
Have you photographed weddings at Villa Erba?
Yes. I have photographed two weddings at Villa Erba, including a three-day Lake Como celebration involving Villa Carminati Resta, Villa Erba and Lido di Cernobbio.
Have you photographed a wedding at Villa Monastero?
Yes. I photographed Taylor and Kyle’s wedding at Villa Monastero Gardens after travelling with Taylor and her mum by private boat from Tremezzo.
Is travelling around Lake Como by boat practical on a wedding day?
It can be. From my experience, private boat transfers can be quick, relaxed and genuinely useful when the alternative involves a significant drive around the lake. The exact logistics depend on your locations and timetable.
What style of wedding photography do you shoot?
My work combines relaxed documentary photography with an editorial approach. Most photographs are created naturally, with direction used selectively when it genuinely helps.
Can you photograph a multi-day Lake Como wedding?
Yes. I have photographed multi-day celebrations on Lake Como and can build coverage around welcome events, the wedding itself and post-wedding celebrations.
Planning A Wedding On Lake Como?
If you want wedding photography that feels relaxed, stylish and genuinely connected to the experience of your day, I’d love to hear what you are planning.