The first time a client told me she wanted her Sangeet on a terrace overlooking Lake Como, my first thought was not about the view. It was about the wind. Lake Como is breathtaking, all pastel villas and cypress-lined water, but it is also unpredictable, and a bride's dupatta has a mind of its own the moment it meets an Italian breeze. That tension, between the fantasy of the location and the physical reality of dressing a bride in it, is exactly where my job begins.
Italy has quietly become one of the most requested destinations for Indian weddings this year, and Lake Como sits at the top of that list. Venues like Villa del Balbianello and Villa Balbiano are being booked out for three-day Indian celebrations, and I understand why. There is something about old-world European grandeur meeting Indian ritual that photographs like nothing else. But styling for it is a different craft altogether from styling for a Udaipur palace or a Goa beach. You are not fighting heat and sand here. You are fighting scale, light that shifts by the hour, and a backdrop so ornate that your bride needs to hold her own against it rather than disappear into it.
The Aesthetic: Old World Romance Meets Modern Bridal
The families I work with on European destination weddings almost always gravitate toward what I call quiet grandeur. Not less embellishment, but embellishment that reads as considered rather than loud. Think a Sabyasachi lehenga in deep emerald or burgundy silk, heavy on zardozi but restrained in silhouette, so it sits in conversation with the frescoed ceilings rather than competing with them. I have also been steering brides this season toward the tissue and corset-bodice lehengas that have become the real story of 2026 bridalwear: structured, a little architectural, and beautiful against stone balustrades and marble staircases in a way that a soft flowing skirt sometimes is not.
The Stylist's Touch: I always ask to see photographs of the actual ceremony space before I finalise fabric. Villa interiors in Lake Como tend to be warm-toned, all gold leaf and aged wood, so cooler jewel tones like emerald, sapphire, and deep teal cut through beautifully. A dusty rose or ivory lehenga can wash out against that backdrop the same way pastels wash out under monsoon skies back home. Colour has to earn its place against the room, not just against the bride's skin tone.
The Practical Reality: Dressing for Weather You Cannot Control
Lake Como in the warmer months is humid by day and genuinely cool once the sun drops behind the mountains. I build every European destination wardrobe around that swing. For daytime functions I favour lighter Chanderi and organza dupattas that move well but do not become unmanageable in wind. For evening functions, when temperatures dip, I always pack a second, heavier dupatta or an embroidered shawl that can double as both warmth and drama in photographs. Nobody wants to see their bride shivering through her Phere pictures.
Jewellery follows the same logic. Villa weddings tend to have low, ambient lighting rather than the bright, direct sun of an Indian outdoor wedding, so I lean toward pieces with real depth: uncut polki, antique gold, the kind of jewellery that catches candlelight rather than needing daylight to shine. A statement choker or a single striking maang tikka does more work in a dim, romantic room than five smaller pieces layered together.
The Groom and the Guest Wardrobe
Grooms styled for Italy get the same treatment I give any destination groom: fabric that breathes but still photographs with structure. A lightly embroidered bandhgala in a muted stone or olive tone works beautifully against Lake Como's greenery, and it travels far better in a suitcase than heavier silk sherwanis do. For the men in the wedding party, I have been recommending Indo-western separates this season: a well-cut Nehru jacket over trousers rather than a full traditional set, which keeps the visual story cohesive without making every guest sweat through three days of formalwear in an unfamiliar climate.
I also spend real time on guest communication for these weddings, more than families expect. A dress code card is not enough when you are asking eighty guests to pack for humidity, boat transfers, and an evening chill in one suitcase. I usually help my clients put together a simple one-page guide: fabric weight suggestions, a note on flat shoes for cobblestones and boat docks, and a gentle nudge that stilettos and Italian villa lawns do not get along.
Practical Takeaways for a European Destination Wedding
Choose structured silhouettes like corset-bodice or tissue lehengas over soft flowing skirts; they hold their shape against stone and marble backdrops far better.
Pack two dupattas per look, one lightweight for day and one heavier for evening, since the temperature swing at lake and villa venues is real.
Lean into jewel tones like emerald, sapphire, and teal for interior functions; pastels and ivory can wash out against warm, gold-leaf villa interiors.
Prioritise jewellery with depth, like polki and antique gold, over pieces that rely on bright daylight to look their best.
Send guests a one-page styling guide covering fabric weight, footwear for cobblestones, and evening layers well ahead of the trip.
The SGK Philosophy, Wherever the Venue
People sometimes ask me if a destination this grand needs a stylist more or less than a home wedding does. My honest answer is more. The farther you travel from familiar ground, the more decisions get made for you by circumstance: the weather, the light, the logistics of getting a heavy lehenga through customs without a crease in sight. My job as the Creative Director of your wardrobe is to make sure that none of that circumstance ends up dictating who you look like on your wedding day. Lake Como should feel like a beautiful backdrop to your story, not a costume you had to compromise into.
If you are dreaming of saying your vows somewhere far from home this season, I would love to help you plan the wardrobe for it. Reach out and let us start building your Style DNA for wherever the celebration takes you.
With love and style,
Shreya Gupta Kedia
Founder, SGK Styles
