Inside: An Enchanting Island Wedding In Bled, Slovenia

From proposing on a hike in Switzerland to their enchanting island wedding in Bled, Slovenia, we take a look inside the beautiful lakeside wedding of Elena Falcettoni and Vegard Mokleiv Nygård.

The Story So Far

We met during our PhD program in Minneapolis, MN. We were extremely close friends first, then got together and were immediately inseparable. This year (2025) is actually our 10-year anniversary of us being together.

Our story is really an international one. He is from Norway, I am from Italy, we met and live in the United States, and we got engaged in Switzerland and married in Slovenia.

We got engaged in Interlaken, Switzerland. We went hiking on the Schynige Platte. You catch a railway all the way up, and Vegard expected some very mountain look at the top and was disappointed by the very simple hilly look at the end of the railway, very green and not quite meeting his expectations of awe-inspiring glaciers. I was quite confused by how annoyed/nervous he looked. He then found this small trail on the side, and we decided to follow it. He started sprinting up toward the end and was very excited to see a hut at the top. There were a few people around, and you could see a beautiful view through some trees. He then followed the trail forward and called my name to follow him. He found a spot where the trees were gone and the trail simply opened to a gorgeous view of Interlaken’s lakes, surrounded by the mountains. He told me to turn around so that he could take a photo of me facing the lakes, my back facing him. I did as instructed, and next thing I knew, he called my name. I thought that he was having some whatever photo issues, but I found him on one knee, ring box open.

The ring is a round brilliant colorless 1.62 carat diamond, excellent cut on a platinum interwoven rope pavé setting. Vegard designed the engagement ring starting from the diamond, through James Allen.

Venue

We got married in Bled, Slovenia. The church ceremony and a first reception was on the island on Lake Bled. 99 steps lead to the beautiful church at the top. The main reception and dinner were on the terrace of Bled Castle, overlooking the lake and the island where we got married. We had fireworks shot from the lake at 10pm, lighting up the sky. The castle is in fact so high up that we had to look down at the fireworks instead of up.

Funnily enough, Vegard came up with the venue. During the first vacation that he took together with my family, we brought him around the east seaside of Italy (Lignano Sabbiadoro) and Slovenia, the typical places where my family would vacation when I was younger. One of these spots was Bled. During that vacation, we took the same boat over to the island, walked up the same 99 steps, and went over to the same church… only to find it closed because a wedding was ongoing. Soon after, the couple came out. That must’ve struck Vegard. When we started thinking about potential venues, we knew that our guests would have to travel no matter what—too many countries are involved with our lives. So, we decided that we should pick a location that would make it interesting and exciting for everyone. And Vegard suddenly said, “Hey, what about that church on the island on the lake in Bled?” I thought it was something that only celebrities could do. But it turns out that some careful planning and a local wedding planner could make that happen.

We met with almost all of our guests very casually the day before our wedding, and most of the girls had a relaxing pre-wedding lunch and hangout. The family members had a rehearsal dinner at the beautiful Vila Adora, where my dress was hanging, taking over the entire bedroom with the extra-long train and veil.

The day after our wedding, we had a lunch at the lake at Cafe Park.

Fashion

My wedding dress was a custom-made Pronovias Atelier, which I bought in Milan. I had assumed that I would end up buying my wedding dress in DC for convenience, but I wanted to have my parents take part in a couple of trials to have their opinions, so I set up a couple of appointments during a trip in Milan. When I entered the Pronovias shop in the center of Milan, the beautiful white silk of the dress, hanging right at the entrance, called to me. I asked to try it. When I put it on, the silk was flowing perfectly, falling like a feather, feeling light despite the beauty of its layers. Once they told me that I could have that dress custom-made to my specifications, including an extra-long train and veil, I could not take that dress off my mind. I went back an hour later and bought it. I then flew back from the US for every trial.

My shoes were from Emmy London, with a beautiful single white crystal on each of their soles. They simply looked perfect and—a detail not to be overlooked—are actually incredibly comfortable.

My something blue was my garter—a combination of white and blue silk from Lise Charmel. It worked like magic—when Vegard removed it during the dinner and threw it, my best friend’s boyfriend caught it. They are getting married next year.

Vegard’s tuxedo was a custom-made navy blue piece from SuitSupply. Among other things, the customization included having our wedding date under his collar and his monogram on the inside. Vegard’s blue eyes are so intensely blue that they have always reminded me of the ocean’s glaciers. That blue simply sings in navy, and we wanted a brand that would allow for a navy blue suit and a contrasting navy lapel.

Jewellery

Given the princess style of my dress, my jewelry was relatively simple and only meant to further highlight the dress. The necklace was a gift from my mom—a combination of gold and diamonds. My earrings—my something new—were a cascade of gold and crystals, moving with my hair. My wedding band is a family heirloom, while Vegard’s is from Tiffany’s Forever collection. The jewel in my hair was from Pronovias, an accessory that matched the crystals on my dress.

Bridal Party

The flower girls had matching pink flowing dresses that they bought in Norway. They had flower crows on them that we had made for the occasion.

We did not have a typical American bridal party but the simple European witnesses. My witness, a dear friend of mine who I have known for a decade, wore a beautitful long green dress. Vegard’s witness was his brother, who wore a grey suit. We let them pick their own clothes as long as they matched the dress code. To identify them, we gave each of the witnesses as well as the family members an accessory with a white orchid, the flower of the wedding. The women had a pearl bracelet with a large, white orchid flower on top, while the men had a white orchid for their boutonniere.

Tablescape

The general table setting came from the castle restaurant, and we did not have a choice about it. The table settings matched the flowers of the wedding: White orchids and greenery, with the main table highlighted by candles as well.

Wedding favors were traditional Italian confetti (Jordan almonds). In Italian tradition, 5 Jordan almonds have to be given as wedding favors, each symbolizing a good wish: happiness, health, fertility, wealth, and longevity.

Every arriving guest also received, before the wedding, a welcome tote with some snacks, including personalized M&M with the couples’ photo and wedding date, as well as a welcome letter.

Food & Drinks

In Milanese tradition, we had Aperol Spritz as the cocktail for the reception. Beer and wine were served throughout the day.

The first reception at the church served a mix of snacks together with a lot of celebratory bubbles. Perhaps the most traditional thing was serving Potica, a Slovenian sweet with different fillings.

We picked the entire menu from the castle with great collaboration from the chef and the castle team, who were absolutely fantastic. Multiple appetizers were served during the reception. The main meal was a five-course meal, and three menus were available: a vegetarian option, a fish option (sea bass), and a meat option (veal). The dessert for the main meal was the traditional Bled cream cake.

I would particularly compliment their attention to detail when it came to allergies and dietary restrictions. My mom has a lot of allergies, so she can rarely eat out, and they adjusted an entire meal for her so that she could also enjoy a full menu. I was touched by their attention to every single detail.

The wedding.cake had two alternating flavors and was a four-tiered wafer paper design. Fully white with golden accents, it matched the sparkles that were behind us as we cut it. Fun fact: we saved and froze a piece of the cake to eat it on our first wedding anniversary

Beauty Regime & Wellness

I am always very simple in my regimen: I never wear any foundation, but I only (and always) wear black mascara and a cherry red lipstick. I provided both products to the stylist for my wedding as well. My mascara is Wander Beauty’s Mile High Club mascara, and my red lipstick is Maybelline Super Stay. I have worn red lipstick since I was 15, and I wear it every day. It’s my signature colour no matter where I am or what I do.

Entertainment

I am very lucky to be best friends with the daughter of a wonderful opera singer, Mia Riker-Norrie (my best friend, Violetta Norrie, is also a wonderful harpist, but transporting a harp was a little hard for the day given our locations). Mia sang during our castle reception, and it was an absolutely touching moment. Her beautiful voice and dedication was one of the most special moments of the wedding, and I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

We had a DJ and presenter during our wedding. During the dinner, we did the traditional groom’s cutting of the tie. In Italian tradition, the groom takes his tie and cuts it in pieces, then auctioning off the pieces to the guests. The bigger the piece, the greater the amount of love/luck bought by the guest. Having an auction with a presenter was incredible! Everybody was really into it, and the fact that people were from multiple countries made it even more fun, with people fighting in different currencies.

The playlist that we gave as examples for the DJ: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ZA5XyPgnDuFfxFDqToyVI?si=721f56ab29ea455e. He really did an amazing job matching the vibe according to the moments of the day.

Our first dance song was Someone Like You by Van Morrison.

Honeymoon

Vegard and I travel a ton both for leisure and work, so we decided that we will take multiple trips as our honeymoon. We just came back from South Korea, and we are going to New Zealand later this year. We are also planning for Japan and South Africa.

Advice

A wedding planner is very helpful especially because you will be able to receive a lot of advice and recommendations, but you should also make sure that you are getting what you want—it’s your day, and if something is important to you, you should try to make it happen.
As much as possible, you should try everything beforehand to not have bad surprises on the day—that includes all food and services.
You can’t control the weather, so always have a plan B that would make you just as happy, and have a smile on your face no matter what!