Seven years ago, Li Oi “Candy” Yin and Danny Sit attended the same charity function, not expecting anything out of the ordinary and certainly not expecting to meet the love of their life. But after being seated next to one another at the event, they each knew they had met someone special. Both were busy running their family businesses at the time, and it was the devotion to their work that bonded them at first.
But what fun is all work and no play? Originally, Danny planned a vacation to New York for Candy, but decided to surprise her at the last minute by switching their destination to Paris, the most romantic city in the world. After a fantastic Parisian dinner, the couple returned to their suite at the Shangri-La Hotel, where Danny had planned an even more exciting surprise for Candy.
A CELEBRATION OF LOVE ACROSS EUROPE: FROM ROMANTIC PARIS TO PICTURESQUE LAKE COMO
“We went out to the balcony and I proposed to her under a perfect starry night in Paris, with the Eiffel Tower shimmering in the background,” remembers Danny. Candy enthusiastically said, “Yes,” and the challenging task to find a wedding location that would match orsurpass the beauty of Paris begun. They found it at Lake Como’s Villa del Balbianello.
“I wanted to have the most memorable wedding, and Lake Como came up as one of the suggestions from my Italian friends,” Danny says. “When we first visited the venue in December 2016, Candy and I immediately fell in love with it.” They set the wedding date for the following May 1st and thus, had to move fast. They enlisted Exclusive Italy Weddings to help with the planning, but as the date approached, they realized they had to move even faster. On April 29th, their wedding planner Elena called the couple with news that there was a 99% chance of rain on the wedding day.
After confirming that all the guests had arrived in Lake Como, they moved the wedding to be one day earlier on April 30th. “It was a miracle! At the end, we got to enjoy a sunny day on the 30th and indeed it was raining cats and dogs on May 1st. I was never as happy to see a rainy day as I was on May 1st,” says Danny. Their sun-filled wedding day began with a ceremony officiated by a long-time family friend beside a lush, floral arch. Candy and Danny then took off for an intimate boat ride around the lake to savor their new status as husband and wife, while guests enjoyed cocktails in the villa’s stunning garden overlooking the water.
Dinner was served inside the main hall of Villa del Balbianello, decorated in pastel purple and pink, the bride’s favorite colors. A three-course menu was followed by the traditional Italian wedding cake, the mille-feuille, assembled in front of the guests.
After traveling from Hong Kong to Italy, Candy and Danny held off on their honeymoon, with plans to visit South Africa at the end of this year.
WEDDING TALENT
Event Design and Planner: Exclusive Italy Weddings, Codroipo, Italy
