My wife and I were married in Lake Como on June 29th. Our reception was held at Lido Di Lenno. We arrived by boat from the wedding, although it is possible to walk to it from the street. When we stepped off the boat, there was a grassy area where the staff had hors d'oeuvres set up at a long table with a white tablecloth. There were cute little white wicker furniture sets with tables so the guests could mingle, take pictures, sip Prosecco and look out at the lake. When it was time for dinner, we moved from the grassy area to our tables, which were positioned perpendicular to the lake so everyone had a great view. The dinner was in the marquee - a permanent outdoor area with tile flooring covered by a big white tent. We had the garden half of the marquee to ourselves, so our seating area was adjacent to the grassy garden area where the hors d'oeuvres were served. The sides of the marquee were able to be closed independently so that as the sun was setting, strategic flaps were folded down to prevent the sun from annoying people as they ate while still letting a breeze into the marquee. The champagne was poured just before we were seated, and we had enough of it for everyone's toasts. After the champagne, there was red and white wine for the table. The antipasti we chose was the smoked salmon. It was a huge dish of thinly sliced salmon perfectly smoked and beautifully presented. The primi piatti we selected was a pasta with prawns. The pasta was cooked al dente and the prawns were very light and fresh. The secondi piatti was the beef limousine and vegetables. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare with a pink center and was very tender and juicy. Nothing about our wedding was conventional and we stayed true to that with dessert. Instead of a wedding cake, we selected a special dessert. With a wedding party of 32, there will always be a dish that someone doesn't care for because maybe they don't eat fish or they don't eat meat. But EVERYONE LOVED the chocolate fondue. They brought huge dishes of fruit with skewers and bowls of melted dark chocolate. The staff also brought out espresso. It was the perfect ending to a great meal. We had the area under the tent (the marquee) for as long as we wanted. But after dinner and drinks and long day, some people began to go back to the hotel. We stayed at the Albergo Lenno, which was less than a mile around the lake. It is a beautiful walk and very doable, especially since there are gelateria's along the way. But we also rented a bus for those in need of assistance for one reason or another. Inside the bar area was a dance floor and a local DJ (that we did not have to pay for) who played a great selection of popular songs that you would hear off the radio at home. We danced into the night with the locals and had a blast. They closed around 2am. It is also worth noting that on the other side of the dance floor is a large opening to a beach area. This was a large area with sand and lounge chairs. The kids loved playing in the sand in their wedding clothes . read more
