Today is a very special, and personal day I'd love to share with all of you. It is two years since my hubbs and I tied the knot. I'm not a big wedding person, but to me my wedding was absolutely perfect, for us...
I've never shared these photos before and thought that it was a perfect day to do so, if not only for my selfish reasons of reliving this day all over again! Below is a post I wrote two years ago describing the day.
On Monday, July 23rd, 2012 I married the
man I've referred to as "HUBBY". He officially became my
husband in a very private wedding ceremony in Highland Park, Il.
Many have asked me about our wedding
details and so today I'd like to share a little bit about our special day.
We got married in Millard Park
in Highland Park. The location was a gorgeous garden overlooking Lake
Michigan. The space is out of a fairy tale and I highly recommend the visit. It
is stretched above a private beach and the long steps to the garden are worth
the hike for the gorgeous scenery. One of my favorite movies and love stories
of all time is the 1998 film, Great Expectations. For those of you that haven't
seen it, see it! This garden reminded me of that film...
Dennis and I decided to do things a
little differently and got married on a Monday, as we are both Russian.
Russians believe that you shouldn't do anything on a Monday besides work, as
it's considered to be the toughest day of the week. Having a big event on a
Monday is a big "NO NO!" We opted to go against all odds in the hope
that if this is the toughest day of our lives, so be it... as we all know, life
has a lot in store for all of us and we hope getting married on a Monday means
we'll breeze through the rest!
My incredible friend Amy DiTomasso
of A Sweet Delivery was amazing to come on board. She
set-designed this romantic story that lived in my head for many years. The
story was originally a photo shoot I wanted to style and photograph but it
became my wedding! Andrea of Life Made Pretty did the dreamy floral scapes and Billy Rood, Emily Hard and
Tim Mushocaptured our marriage through film.
Watch our video teaser...
My goal for the setting was that it
be very romantic and private. It was important to me to be authentic in my vows
and I believe that it's very difficult to be "real" when you have
150+ people watching you in your very private moment. I wanted the day to be
just about us: relaxed, in love, and living in romance.
The garden transformed into a
lustful fashion wonderland and Amy made it happen. The biggest inspirations of
my life were all there with me on my big day including: Tim Burton, Alexander
McQueen, Dali, Ellen Von Unwerth, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermes
and Louis Vuitton. My precious books, a Louis Vuitton vintage trunk, Hermes
China, Hermes towers of boxes and black and white Bettlejuice linens
transformed Millard Park into a world I never wanted to leave.
Our wedding was tiny, to say the
least. My best friend Darya became an ordained minister and officially married
us, while D's best friends were the ring keepers, and my best friend Steve
serenaded us down the isle with his guitar. That's it. It was just us; two
lovers and our closest friends in one gorgeous space sharing one of the most
intimate moments in human history.
After D and I exchanged vows, we
made a wish and released a dozen monarch butterflies out of a red lacquer box.
It was wonderful being one with nature, hearing the sound of Lake Michigan and
the flutter of these gorgeous creatures' wings. A deer walked through the
forest, stopped and watched us, as we looked back at the deer D & I held
hands and kissed.
My bridal attire was simple and
represented who I am at the core. I wore an off-the-rack Tadashi bone colored
dress, a 12 foot veil for my walk to the isle, and Manolo Blahnik jeweled
heels. As for my jewelry I wore Alexis Bittar earrings, a "something
borrowed" Tiffany & Co. rose gold "LOVE" necklace from my
friend Alexandra, my engagement ring, a ring with the word "WISH",
and a red evil eye bracelet. I kept my jewelry simple and went against the
"ARM PARTY" as I wanted to resemble a Forrest Fairy, looking as
natural as possible. I didn't want to be trendy today. My dream was to be
timeless...
D wore a custom made tuxedo with a
white custom tux shirt and red skull & gun cuff links. His tuxedo shoes
were lined with red velvet on the inside and he had a bow tie and a custom
hankie with our monogram H+D in Old English to complete the look. He was beyond
handsome!
We got married with my late
grandmother's rose gold engagement band that was given to her by my grandfather
years ago. D had a custom band made by Golden Dream Jewelers. My bouquet also had a key to my
Grandmother's apartment in Ukraine. She was with me every moment on my special
day.
Private, intimate and filled with
fashion and magic; it was truly a perfect, gorgeous day!
