Blog > Lake Como Proposal > Boat proposal
The boat slows down. Villa del Balbianello is right in front of us: the terrace, the big round tree, the loggia up on the hill. She is in a red dress at the bow. He goes down on one knee on the white cushions. Then everything happens fast, and she says yes.
I am on board, a few steps away, as part of the crew. I am a lucky witness, and on a boat even more.
June, Villa del Balbianello from the water. He kneels at the bow, she is in red. From the boat the villa is all yours: no visitors around you, nobody waiting for your spot.
In short. A boat proposal on Lake Como is simple. I tell you which boat is right for the photographs, and you book it with the captain for one or two hours. I try to be on board before you arrive. The boat slows down in front of a villa, you walk to the bow and you ask. Then we take photographs on the water, and from above with my drone.
Why a boat
A boat is one of my favourite ways to propose on Lake Como. On the water you are alone, even in summer. In season the villages are full of visitors, and the famous villas ask for a booking and a fee. A few minutes after you leave the pier, you have the lake to yourselves and the most beautiful villas as a background.
July, a few minutes after the yes. Two glasses in the air and a row of cypresses behind. This is the moment I wait for, and it is always different.
How it works
You two, the captain and me. I often work with the same boats, so I try to have the captain pick me up a few minutes before you. When it works, I am already on board when you arrive: for your partner I am one more person of the crew, and nobody has a reason to look at me before you kneel.
It does not always work. Then I come on board with you, and we think together about the best way to keep the surprise.
If your partner knows that a photographer is coming, there is an easy story: a couple's photo shoot on the lake. Nobody expects a ring at a photo shoot.
There is a second way: you on one boat, me on another. It needs two boats, so it costs more. We can talk about it if the surprise has to be complete.
The boat slows down in front of a villa. You go to the bow together. One knee, a question, a yes. After that we stay on the water for the photographs, with the wind and the lake around you.
The ring on a boat
Keep the ring in a pocket that closes. Take it out only at the bow, when the boat has slowed down and you are ready. The lake is deep, and I prefer to photograph the ring on her finger.
Before we leave the pier we agree on a simple signal. You give it, I am ready, and the captain keeps the boat steady in front of the villa.
August, the ring on her finger a few seconds after the yes. On a boat it stays in a pocket until the bow, and then it goes exactly here.
Not every boat is right
You need a particular kind of boat for photographs. A wooden boat is lovely, and one with a glass top adds fun. Shoes come off on the white cushions, and everybody relaxes.
Boats with a captain go from €350 to €1,800 an hour. Tell me your budget. Once your date with me is confirmed, I tell you which boat is right for the photo shoot, and you book it directly with the boat.
Book early. In spring and summer a good private boat is hard to find at the last minute.
August, barefoot on the stern while the boat runs. The wake opens behind them and the mountains close the lake. On a wooden boat everybody ends up barefoot.
From above
After the yes I fly my drone. From above the boat is a small wooden arrow on green water, with the two of you on it. I love these pictures. They show where you were.
Drones on Lake Como have rules. Some villas do not allow them at all. Others ask for a special permit. Over a few villas only their authorised pilots can fly. From a boat on the open lake I can fly mine, when the weather is right. This is also how I photograph Villa del Balbianello from above: from the water, not from the gardens.
The drone is part of my service. It is included in the price, you do not pay anything more for it.
May, from my drone. The wooden boat, the white cushions, the two of them lying in the sun. This photo exists because we are out on the open lake.
Boat and villa together
One hour is enough for the proposal and the photographs on the water. With two hours you can add a villa or a garden, before or after the boat. This is what I suggest, because you take home two different stories from the same day.
The order depends on the light. From late spring to early August the evenings are long, and the boat can come after a villa. From the end of summer the light goes earlier, so the boat comes first and the villa after.
A private boat is also the easy way to move. From Bellagio it takes about ten minutes to Lenno and about fifteen to Varenna.
At Villa Melzi I can arrange private time in the gardens outside public hours. Every well-known villa has its own rules and its own fee for photography. Tell me which villa you like and I will tell you how it works there.
June, the same afternoon as the red dress. The boat stops in front of a white villa, they stand at the bow, and after this we walked into its garden.
When
I like the end of the day on the water, when the sun is low and the lake turns silver. Weekdays are quieter than weekends. Every month has its own light, and I will tell you the best hour for your date.
July, the sun behind them and flowers on the cushions. Light on the water is the reason I love the end of the day.
If the weather changes
Lake Como is a lake, and sometimes it rains. In Italy we say that rain on your day brings luck, but on a boat you want the sun.
I am flexible on my side. If the sky is wrong, we look at the forecast together and move the hour or the day, when the boat can. Villas are different: they rarely move a booking. If you want real flexibility, tell me before you book and I will suggest the best way to keep it.
What it costs
There are three costs, paid to three different people:
The photography, paid to me: from €850, with the drone included. Every proposal is different, so I send you a quote for yours.
The boat, paid to the boat: from €350 to €1,800 an hour, with the captain.
A villa, if you add one, paid to the villa: every villa has its own fee.
What you receive
There is no limit to the photographs I take. For every hour you receive about 80 finished photographs. The day after, you already have a preview of 10 to 15, to send to your families while you are still on the lake.
Questions I receive
Is a boat proposal on Lake Como worth it?
Yes, if you want to be alone. You have the lake to yourselves and the villas as a background.
Can it be a surprise?
Yes. I try to be on the boat before you arrive, as part of the crew. We agree on a simple signal before.
Can you use a drone?
Yes, from the boat, when the weather allows it, and it is included in my price. Over the villas it depends: some do not allow drones, some ask for a special permit, and over a few only authorised pilots can fly.
Who books the boat?
You do, directly with the boat. I tell you which boat is right for the photo shoot.
What if it rains?
I am flexible on my side, and we choose another hour or day together when the boat can. Villas rarely move a booking.
How far ahead should I plan?
As early as you can for spring and summer. Private boats and the villas fill up.
Proposing isn't stressful. It is pure joy, happiness and excitement! If you are planning your proposal on Lake Como, send me your date and your idea, and I will prepare a quote for you: the boat, the villa, the hour with the best light.
You can see more of my work as a Lake Como proposal photographer.