Cernobbio · Lake Como
Indian wedding makeup at Villa Erba
A 19th-century villa, a lakeside park and purpose-built pavilions next door. Villa Erba is where Lake Como weddings go when the guest list runs into the hundreds.
Please read first
Based in Pune, travelling to Villa Erba for your wedding.
Please note that Tejaswini is based in Pune, India and flies to Villa Erba with her own artists. Every destination booking is planned months before anyone boards a plane.
Travel, Schengen visa and stay costs for every team member are the client’s responsibility, always shown separately.
- Based inPune, Maharashtra
- TravelsWorldwide
- Flights & visasBilled at cost
- Stay & transfersCouple arranges
A little history
A family villa that became Lake Como’s event venue.
Villa Erba was built at the turn of the 20th century for the family of Luigi Erba, whose daughter Carla married into the Visconti family. Her son, the director Luchino Visconti, spent his childhood summers here, and the villa’s salons still have the feel of a private house.
Today the estate is owned and run as an exhibition and congress centre. Alongside the villa and its park, modern pavilions provide indoor space on a scale the old lake villas cannot match, which is why it appears on so many large wedding shortlists.
For makeup this creates a split day: the villa and park in natural light, and the pavilions under event lighting, often with a stage. We build a separate look for each and time the change between them.
The venue at a glance
What Villa Erba offers a large Indian wedding.
A planning summary from public information about the property. Your planner confirms spaces, capacities and permissions for each function.
- Location
- Cernobbio, next to Villa d’Este
- Built
- 1898–1901 for the Erba family
- Known for
- The childhood summers of film director Luchino Visconti
- Event spaces
- The historic villa plus large modern exhibition pavilions
- Setting
- A wide lakeside park with its own landing stage
- Accommodation
- No hotel rooms on site; guests stay in nearby hotels
The wedding day
A typical Villa Erba wedding day.
- 08:00
Team sets up in the bride’s hotel suite nearby
We ask for a room with good window light and a second room close by for family makeup, so the bride’s room stays calm.
- 09:30
Mothers and family first
Family looks run in parallel with the bridal skin prep, timed so nobody waits in the corridor.
- 11:30
Bride’s skin prep and base
Hydration, primer and a base built for park daylight followed by staged event lighting.
- 13:15
Hair, eyes, jewellery and draping
Maang tikka, nath and dupatta set with the outfit on, checked from every angle the photographer will use.
- 15:00
Portraits in the villa salons and lakeside park
First photographs while the makeup is at its freshest, before the busiest part of the day.
- 16:30
Baraat and pheras at the villa lawn by the water
One artist stays near the mandap with a touch-up kit: blotting papers, powder, lip and spare pins.
- 20:00
Change for the reception
New lip, refreshed eyes and a second hairstyle if planned; allow 60–75 minutes.
Function by function
Matching each look to a Villa Erba setting.
Mehendi in the lakeside park
Soft daylight bouncing off the lake. Fresh, dewy skin with SPF, a sheer flush and hair pinned up and off the shoulders for the mehendi artists.
Sangeet in an event pavilion
Warm evening light, mirrors and dancing. Deeper eyes, a base set to survive a full dance floor and hair secured for movement.
Pheras at the villa lawn by the water
Afternoon sun on water and pale stone. A satin finish that holds detail without flashing white, waterproof eyes and a dupatta pinned for the lake breeze.
Reception in the large pavilion hall
Candlelight and chandeliers with a photographer at every table. Lower shine on the T-zone, defined lashes and a richer lip.
Tejaswini
Your artist at Villa Erba
Tejaswini has styled more than a thousand Indian brides since 2012, including many large weddings where the hard part is logistics, not brushes. At Villa Erba she plans the morning around the drive from the bride’s hotel, builds a daylight look for the park and a stage-ready look for the pavilion, and sizes the team so no aunt is left waiting.
Watch
How the finish moves on camera.
Bare skin to finished bride
Specific to this venue
Villa Erba details we plan around.
Worth doing
- Confirm early where the bride will get ready, as the villa has no hotel rooms
- Ask for a quiet room inside the venue for touch-ups and changes
- Share the stage lighting plan so we can match the reception base to it
- Allow for the drive from the bride’s hotel on the wedding morning
Worth avoiding
- Arriving at the venue just in time for the pheras with no touch-up stop
- A dewy base under strong stage lights
- Getting ready in a hotel room without daylight
- Under-estimating how many artists 400 guests’ families need
Villa Erba questions
Bridal makeup at Villa Erba.
Do you provide Indian bridal makeup at Villa Erba?
Yes. Tejaswini’s team flies from India for weddings at Villa Erba and covers each function for the bride, family and bridal party. The team’s flights, Schengen visas and rooms are paid by the family.
Where does the bride get ready for a Villa Erba wedding?
Usually in a suite at a nearby hotel, such as Villa d’Este or a hotel in Como, with a touch-up room at the venue itself.
How large an Indian wedding can Villa Erba host?
It is one of the few Lake Como venues that can handle several hundred guests, thanks to its pavilions. Your planner confirms layouts with a mandap and stage.
How many artists do we need for a big Villa Erba wedding?
It depends on how many people need hair and makeup on the busiest morning. Large families often need four or five artists; we size the team from your function list.
Can functions be split between the park and the pavilions?
Yes, that is common. We plan the bride’s look for each space and time the change between them.
How do we get a quote for a Villa Erba wedding?
Message us with the dates, functions and the number of people who need hair and makeup. The quote lists the artist fee and the travel costs on separate lines.
Her work
Brides from the studio.
Real brides styled by Tejaswini in India. The same hands and kit travel to Lake Como.
Keep comparing
Other Lake Como wedding venues.
Shortlisting more than one property? Each has its own guide.
Villa Erba bookings
Planning your wedding at Villa Erba?
Share the dates and the list of functions, and tell us which spaces you are considering. We will send availability, a suggested team size and an itemised quote, with the team’s travel shown on its own line.
