Villa Melzi Wedding: What Is Allowed and Where to Marry Nearby

A Villa Melzi wedding is not possible: the Gardens of Villa Melzi in Bellagio cannot be rented for weddings, ceremonies, vow exchanges or private parties, and the villa itself is private and closed to visitors. What the gardens do offer is a private photo session by prior arrangement with management, and that is where the gardens fit into a wedding plan.

So the realistic plan looks like this. You marry at a venue that hosts ceremonies, in Bellagio or across the water, and you book a portrait session in the gardens the day before or the day after the wedding, or as an engagement session months earlier. Konstantyn and Mariya photographed Christine and Brandon's engagement session at Villa Melzi, and that is the kind of session the gardens are set up for: the two of you, your photographers, the lakefront paths and regular visitors walking past.

This guide covers what the gardens' own rules allow, what a photo session costs and how to request one, which nearby venues do host weddings, and how to fit Villa Melzi portraits into a wedding weekend without stretching your guests or your timeline. Everything below follows the gardens' official information at the time of writing, so confirm the details with management before you plan around them.

The Gardens of Villa Melzi d'Eril belong to an estate built between 1808 and 1810 for Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Duke of Lodi and vice president of Napoleon's Italian Republic. Today a ticket covers the garden, the chapel and the museum, while the villa itself stays private. The photography rules are short and clear, and they are worth reading before you build a plan around the place.

What is not allowed. Renting the garden for weddings, ceremonies, parties or other private events. Exchanging vows. Decorations or setups of any kind. Musicians or officiants on the premises. Drones. There is also no exclusive use: you cannot reserve an area, and every shoot takes place with regular visitors around you.

What is allowed. A private photo session arranged in advance with management through the request form on the gardens' website. The photography fee is around EUR 350 plus VAT per day at the time of writing, and it covers shooting for the day and the photographer's entry. Each of you pays regular admission on top, listed at EUR 10 per person. Confirm the current fee and conditions with the gardens when you send your request.

A few practical conditions come with the permit. The photography ticket is valid from 10:00 to 19:00, tickets are bought at the entrance before the session starts, and the fee can be paid at the ticket office or by bank transfer, with the receipt uploaded on the form. You also confirm that the images are for private, noncommercial use, so personal sharing is fine and stock photo platforms are not.

The gardens are seasonal and close for the winter on 1 November. For most of the season they open daily from 10:00 to 19:00 with last admission at 18:30, with shorter hours from mid October. The gardens note that their historic camellias flower from February to April, and the grounds also include a Japanese maple pond, lakefront paths and a chapel at the southern end overlooking the small harbour of Loppia. If you are still choosing where to have your portraits made, our Lake Como engagement session guide covers other places around the lake that work well for a session.

If Villa Melzi is the reason you fell for Bellagio, marry close enough that the gardens become an easy short trip rather than a logistics project. These venues confirm on their own websites, or through public reporting, that they host weddings, and each one relates to Villa Melzi in a different way.

Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, Bellagio. The hotel's wedding page offers ceremonies in its gardens, receptions for up to 220 guests in the Salone Reale, smaller dinners for up to 70 in the Sala Tivano, and aperitifs on the terrace or in the villa's private garden. It opens from April to November and has direct access to the water. Staying in Bellagio means the Villa Melzi session needs no boat at all. Brittany and Jason's three day wedding celebration began at the historic Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio before their ceremony at Villa Balbianello across the lake, a good model for couples who want Bellagio as their base.

Villa del Balbianello, Lenno. The FAI property hosts civil or symbolic ceremonies. Its Loggia Durini holds 80 to 100 people for a ceremony, with a maximum of 60 seated, and dinners for up to 130 guests can be set on the lake terrace. Our Villa del Balbianello wedding photographer guide covers the logistics and light of a wedding day there.

Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo. The villa offers a civil wedding or a symbolic ceremony on its Terrazza delle Camelie, followed by an aperitif or dinner. Public boats run between Bellagio and the Tremezzina shore, which makes a Villa Melzi session the day after a realistic half day outing.

Villa Monastero, Varenna. Owned by the Province of Lecco, it hosted 55 weddings in 2024 according to the local press. The ferry operator puts the crossing from Varenna to Bellagio at about 15 minutes.

How to choose comes down to distance. The Bellagio boat landing is about 15 minutes on foot from Villa Melzi, according to the lake's ferry operator, so a Bellagio wedding lets you walk to your portraits. A ceremony across the lake adds boat timetables to the plan, which is why we suggest a separate day for the gardens in that case. Our Bellagio wedding photographer guide covers the rest of the town for portraits, from the waterfront to the old lanes.

The cleanest plan is a Villa Melzi session on the day before or the day after the wedding, not on the wedding day itself. On the day, your time belongs to your guests and your venue, the gardens accept no setups or private events, and their hours rarely line up with the light you want for wedding portraits.

Light is the main reason. In late June, official sunset in Bellagio is around 21:20, more than two hours after the photography ticket ends at 19:00. A summer session in the gardens is therefore an afternoon session, and the golden hour portraits of your wedding day happen at your venue, on the promenade or on a boat. In September the gap narrows, and by the end of the month sunset falls just after 19:00, close to closing time. For a summer session, a late afternoon start that finishes as the ticket ends at 19:00 gives you the softest light the gardens allow.

Allow about an hour in the gardens and plan to share the paths. Because there are no exclusive areas, we work with the flow of visitors, wait for a path to clear and use the quieter corners rather than asking anyone to move. If you plan to wear your wedding dress or suit, say so in your request so management can confirm. Keep the group small: anyone who joins pays regular admission, and since nothing can be set up, the gardens suit the two of you far better than a family gathering.

If your wedding is in Bellagio, the session can be a walk from your hotel. If it is across the lake, build it into a relaxed day with lunch in town, and check the boat timetable for your dates, since the ferry schedules change with the season.

Konstantyn and Mariya photograph a limited number of weddings each year, and a session at Villa Melzi fits naturally into a Bellagio or central lake wedding weekend. Weddings start from EUR 7,000 and engagement sessions from EUR 1,800. Tell us where your ceremony will be and we will suggest the session day and time that fit your plans: check your date with us.

Can we get married at Villa Melzi?

No. The gardens state that they cannot be rented for weddings, ceremonies, parties or other private events, and that weddings and vow exchanges are not allowed. Officiants, musicians and decorations are not permitted either, and the villa itself is private. Couples who love the setting marry at a nearby venue and have their portraits made in the gardens on another day.

Can we have portraits taken at Villa Melzi before or after our wedding?

Yes, as a private photo session arranged in advance with management, and we suggest a separate day from the wedding itself. The photography fee is around EUR 350 plus VAT per day at the time of writing, plus regular admission for each of you. Shoots take place with other visitors present, so confirm the current terms with the gardens when you request your date.

Can our guests join the photo session?

Anyone who joins pays regular admission, but the gardens allow no setups and no reserved areas, so they are not a place for a group event. Family photos and group portraits belong at your wedding venue.

Can we use a drone at Villa Melzi?

No. Drones are not allowed in the gardens. If aerial views of Bellagio matter to you, plan them elsewhere and check the local rules with your planner.

Where can we get married in Bellagio itself?

Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni offers garden ceremonies and receptions for up to 220 guests in its Salone Reale, and it is open from April to November. Across the water, Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello and Villa Monastero in Varenna also host weddings, each a boat ride from Bellagio.

When are the gardens open?

The gardens are seasonal and close for the winter on 1 November. For most of the season they open daily from 10:00 to 19:00 with last admission at 18:30, with shorter hours from mid October. Regular tickets are sold at the entrance, while photo sessions need to be arranged in advance.