Some places look good in photographs. A few seem to photograph themselves, as long as you stand in the right spot at the right minute. Villa Erba belongs to the second group, but you have to know where those spots are. We spent a long June day there with Renee & Tino, and I want to write down what I'd tell any couple planning a Villa Erba wedding in Cernobbio.

A villa that already feels like a film set

Villa Erba was built at the turn of the twentieth century for Luigi Erba, and his grandson Luchino Visconti spent his summers here as a boy. Once you know that, it's hard not to see the whole place as a set: the marble hall, the painted ceilings, the gravel paths that run down to the water. Our studio is called Cinemotions, so you can imagine how we felt walking in.

The practical side matters just as much. The villa sits right on the lake, a few minutes from the center of Cernobbio, and it's big enough for the ceremony, the aperitivo, dinner and the party without anyone getting into a car. For a destination wedding, where half the guests have flown in from another continent, that's worth a lot.

The morning: ask for the right rooms

Renee got ready in the historic rooms of the villa, and this is where I'd tell every bride to ask for time. Parquet floors, tall windows facing the lake, a ceiling painted in gold. We didn't need to add a single light. We switched off the chandeliers and worked with the windows only.

The photograph of Renee with her veil spread across the parquet is one of my favorite frames of the year. It exists because the light coming through those windows stays soft for most of the day, so we weren't racing the sun. Before she put it on, her gown waited for her in the next room, beneath a gilded fresco, and we photographed that too.

A ceremony by the water

The ceremony was set on the lawn by the lake, under an arch of white roses and hydrangeas by Ratti Flora, with the mountains on the opposite shore as a backdrop. If you're planning a ceremony there, think about the time. In June the sun stays high until late, and an early-evening ceremony gives you softer faces and a lake that turns silver instead of white.

We flew a drone for a few minutes before the guests sat down. From above you finally understand the villa: the gardens, the shoreline, the little jetty. Drone flights over Lake Como need an authorization, so this is something your planner and your photographer should sort out weeks ahead, not on the morning.

Yes, the boat

Renee & Tino left the ceremony on a classic wooden boat. I know, every Lake Como wedding seems to have one now. There's a reason. Twenty minutes on the water between the ceremony and the aperitivo give the couple a moment alone, and they give us photographs that couldn't be made anywhere else: the villa behind them, the wake behind the boat, the two of them finally laughing because the hard part is over.

One small tip: agree on the route with the boat driver beforehand. Ask him to pass slowly in front of the villa twice, once for the photographer on the jetty and once for the drone.

The red staircase

In the evening Villa Erba becomes a different place. The grand staircase was lined with candles and a red carpet, and Renee came down it in her second look, a red evening gown. That staircase is the image people remember from this wedding. We photographed it from the landing above, waiting for the two of them to stop halfway, because from up there the lines of candles do all the work.

Dinner, champagne and fireworks

Dinner was served beneath Murano chandeliers. There was a champagne tower, a band that had people dancing before dessert, and at the very end fireworks over the lake, with Renee & Tino standing next to a tall white cake covered in roses.

A practical note about fireworks: decide in advance exactly where the couple will stand. A display lasts a few minutes, sometimes less, and there's no second take.

If you're planning a Villa Erba wedding

A few honest thoughts after a full day there:

• The villa is big. Plan the timeline so guests move with the light: ceremony by the lake, aperitivo in the gardens, dinner inside after sunset.
• Ask your planner which rooms you can use for getting ready. They're some of the most beautiful in the villa and they're often overlooked.
• Keep twenty minutes for the boat. You won't regret it.
• If you'd like aerial images, start the paperwork early.

Renee & Tino's wedding was planned and designed by Europe Wedding, with flowers by Ratti Flora. You can see the full gallery in their Villa Erba wedding story and watch their wedding film. If you're planning your own day on Lake Como, we'd love to hear about it.