Villa Lav Wedding in Bale, Istria

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Why do we love weddings in Istria?

Each year we do a lot of weddings that are scattered all across Croatia and Europe. Being a wedding photographer and videographer is a great opportunity to travel and experience a lot of different things at different places. We all have some preferences, some places or things that we particularly like, and we are not the exception. We have a special kind of bond with Istria and most of its places. If you want to learn more about this region of Croatia and why we believe it’s a perfect place for all kinds of weddings, you should read our comprehensive guide for weddings and elopements in Istria. It’s full of useful information that will turn on your daydreaming mode about your Istria wedding.

And before you start daydreaming of your destination wedding in Croatia, here’s the article about one of the recent weddings we did in Istria. Sunčana and Sam chose Villa Lav for their wedding, a beautiful wedding venue located next to the old and picturesque town of Bale.

Villa Lav wedding venue in the heart of Istria

This was our first Villa Lav wedding experience and we immediately fell in Lav with it (pun intended). Located in the scenic countryside of Istria, Villa Lav is a combination of rusticality and modern amenities. Villa’s old architecture adds traditional charm to each event that is being organized here, and we believe Villa Lav to be one of the best intimate wedding venues in Istria. It’s perfect for small to medium weddings and a great choice if you want to have a lot of privacy. The pictures below will tell you the rest of the story about this Villa.

Related: Rovinj Wedding Guide

Getting ready and first look in Villa Lav

Sunčana and Sam stayed in Villa Lav for their wedding and their getting ready part was also in the rustic and dark rooms of the Villa. We love that darker ambiance with the dark-colored furniture and protruding lights that focus on the single points in the room. In these kinds of situations we like to play with the light from the outside as well as with the light sources within the room and it always makes our subject stand out. Especially if it’s a bride in a white dress in front of the century-old cabinet.

The couple’s first look was also done on the premises of Villa Lav which is surrounded by stunning gardens and lush greenery so it was kind of the best place for the first look.

Wedding ceremony in picturesque Bale town

Sunčana and Sam made this wedding easy for both their guests and them. Another great side of Villa Lav weddings is the location of Villa which is close to the historical town of Bale where the couple decided to have their wedding. The town is within walking distance so Sunčana walked her way to the Town Hall where the couple had a civil ceremony.

Let’s just say that Town Hall in Bale is the best Registrar’s office we have seen so far in Croatia. Unfortunately, most of the other offices where civil wedding ceremonies are held are not in the state they should be so a lot of couples choose to have their weddings in outdoor locations which, on the other hand, have some other advantages.

Bale wedding photoshoot and back to Villa Lav for dinner and party

After the wedding ceremony, it was time for regular after-ceremony stuff and we did some great group photo drone shoots at these moments. Shortly after, the guests headed back to the Villa Lav while we stayed with Sunčana and Sam for a walk and photo shoot in the narrow streets of Bale.

As the sun was nearing the horizon we headed back to Villa where we were able to capture some more sunset photos at the Villa Lav premises just before the dinner was being served. The wedding dinner and party were in the garden of the villa which was beautifully decorated and illuminated by the fairy lights that were hanging above the dinner table.

Related: essential Opatija Wedding Guide

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We are Mario & Andrea, a photo+video team, specialised in elopements and intimate weddings all across Europe. Contact us if you plan an elopement or intimate wedding with a pinch of adventure.