A simple and sophisticated destination wedding at Villa Erba in Lake Como, Italy

Ledion Lico got the best present of all for his 27th birthday—his future wife, Sara Hoxha. Although they’d flirted with each other over Instagram, the two had never had a serious interest in each other until mutual friends invited Sara to Ledion’s birthday party on the beach.

“It was all very sudden and very romantic,” Sara says.

The marriage proposal was equally unexpected. Ledion had intended to propose just before midnight at a New Year’s Eve gala the couple was attending in Monte Carlo, but he got stage fright and instead opted to ask Sara to be his wife in private.

“It wasn’t until the next morning when we were laying in bed just the two of us that he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him,” Sara says of the proposal. “Three months later we were pregnant and expecting our baby boy.” The couple chose Italy’s Lake Como, perhaps the world capital of elegance and romance, for their wedding festivities. The ceremony was held at Villa Erba, a 19th-century villa on the shores of Lake Como in the super chic village of Cernobbio.

Friends and family flew in from around the world to celebrate with the couple and experience the warmth and beauty of Italy’s northern lakes region. With such a naturally beautiful setting, Sara and Ledion chose to keep the ceremony simple and sophisticated. The stunning lake, combined with the villa’s dreamy grounds and incredible florals, were more than enough to take everyone’s breath away.

“My most memorable part of the wedding was the ceremony and my sister officiating us,” Sara says. “Her words were so meaningful and touched both of us.”

After the ceremony, the trio—Sara, Ledion and their two-year-old son—walked up the aisle together as a family and led the party to Villa Gastel, an impeccably decorated regal estate, for the reception.

Sara changed out of her classic Ines Di Santo ceremony gown (which had been chosen by her mother and serendipitously fit Sara perfectly) and into the first of her two reception dresses, both designed by Zuhair Murad. Villa Gastel was the perfect setting for the glamorous party, which was decked out with hanging lights and flowers.

“Our décor was a dream come true. I wanted our ceremony to be something that never went out of style or became boring. As for our reception, we wanted a fairytale and a more modern feeling,” Sara says.

They certainly achieved that, as the villa had a vibrant, magical feel thanks to the striking floral creations and lighting. From the couple’s first candlelit dance through the Albanian folk music and dancing, the dance floor was the place to be. (Although oohing and aahing over the towering cake was popular too.)

Throughout, Sara kept a chair empty in tribute to her late father, who passed away 10 years ago. Honoring and incorporating his memory at the wedding was a must for the couple.

Sara and Ledion had originally planned on heading out on their Turks and Caicos honeymoon the day after the wedding, but when they got to the airport they learned that Ledion’s visa had expired. In all of the wedding planning chaos, they’d forgotten to check it and weren’t able to travel as planned.

Two months later they tried again and successfully made it to the sun and sand of the Turks and Caicos. But with the delay, the couple got a bonus: They brought along their young son with them to the Amanyara resort.

“It was a beautiful week for all three of us,” Sara says.