Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s Wedding on Lake Como, 2013
Three Vera Wang gowns, a villa on Lake Como and a love song that closed with footage from the day itself. An Italian lake wedding, done with warmth and a sense of humor.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend met on the set of his music video for “Stereo,” in which she played his love interest, and married on the shores of Lake Como on September 14, 2013, after six years together. It was a wedding of a particular, very contemporary kind: a destination celebration for close friends, three dresses by the same designer, and a song, released that summer, that went on to top the Billboard Hot 100.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, September 14, 2013 |
| Place (ceremony) | A villa on Lake Como, Italy |
| Reception | At the same villa |
| The dress (designer) | Vera Wang (three gowns) |
The couple
When they married, Legend was a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, and Teigen was a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model with a growing following as a cook. They became engaged in December 2011, after four years together; Legend proposed in the Maldives. The wedding was kept quiet until it had happened. “Phew. I gotta say, that was a hard secret to keep from you guys,” Teigen wrote afterward.
The ceremony
The couple chose Lake Como, one of the most popular settings in Italy for weddings, and a villa on its shore. Teigen designed the wedding menu herself. On the rest of the planning she was unusually relaxed. “We just let our wedding planner do everything,” she said. “We’re not neurotic about it.” Her stated aim was simple: to see all of her friends in one place.
The dresses
Teigen wore three gowns by Vera Wang. “Every time I went in for a fitting, I couldn’t stop getting one,” she said. “It’s just too pretty.”
The ceremony gown was an ivory strapless ball gown with a V neckline, a structured bodice and a full tulle skirt with a tiered flange and hand-cut petal embroidery.
The reception gown was an ivory mermaid with a pleated bodice and a skirt of sheared organza.
The late-night gown was a strapless crimson mermaid, a bold change of color for dancing.
For more of the gowns that shaped modern bridal fashion, see our guide to celebrity wedding dresses.
The song
Legend wrote “All of Me” for Teigen. It was released to radio in August 2013, as part of his album Love in the Future, and its video was filmed in Italy shortly before the wedding, directed by Nabil Elderkin, the friend who had first introduced the couple. The video ends with footage from the wedding itself. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2014, Legend’s first number-one single in the United States, and it remains a natural first-dance choice.
What came after
The couple have four children. On their tenth anniversary, in September 2023, they returned to Lake Como and renewed their vows, closing the circle on the place where they had married.
Planning a lake wedding in Italy
The Italian lakes are one of the most rewarding places in Europe to marry, and one of the most demanding to plan from abroad. A few things to know:
Book the villa first. The best-known lakeside villas are booked well in advance for late summer and early autumn. Settle the venue before anything else, then build the weekend around it.
Plan for boats. Many villas are easiest to reach by water. Budget for private boats or a water taxi for the wedding party, and a covered alternative if the weather turns.
Decide what is legal and what is ceremonial. Couples from abroad often marry legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony in Italy; others complete the Italian civil paperwork with a local planner’s help. Decide early, because the documents take time.
Why it mattered
The Teigen–Legend wedding added to Lake Como’s allure for stylish, well-traveled couples, and it made the multiple-dress wedding feel less like excess and more like fun: a change for dinner, a change for dancing. The couple’s openness about the day, from the hands-off planning to the three dresses, was part of its appeal. For other destination weddings in Italy, see George and Amal Clooney in Venice and Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in Florence.
Borrow the idea
Change for the evening. If you want more than one look, choose a second dress that moves: a lighter mermaid or slip for the reception, or a color for the late party. Our guide to the wedding dress explains silhouettes.
Hire a planner you trust, then let go. A local planner is essential for a wedding abroad, from permits to boats to florists. Our guide to destination weddings covers what to ask.
Choose a first-dance song with a story. A song written, sung or simply loved by one of you says more than a chart hit. Browse first dance selections.
Go back for the anniversary. A destination wedding gives you somewhere to return. Mark the tenth with a trip; see anniversary gifts by year.
Written and edited by the Today’s Weddings editors. How we research and check what we publish is set out in our editorial standards. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
