Polina and Kirill come from Moscow. They traveled to many beautiful destinations and chose to host their wedding on Lake Bled. The wedding was on an island in the Church of the Mother of God. The very arrival on the island was by two gondolas. For the guests, the ride was a very special experience. The bride and groom were especially impressed by walking up the stairs to the church on the islet, as Kirill carried the bride in his arms up all 99 steps to the top. He who wants to get married must successfully complete this task, a true custom, which Kirill has done very well. Their special wish was to see the mountains from the place where they will get married. The view of the lake and the alps, however, offered even more than they expected.
Relaxed summer wedding in Slovenia
Tell us how you met?
We first met at a birthday party, 4 years later we had a date on a lake in Moscow, 3 years later we have decided to get married on a lake somewhere in Europe close to the Alps.
Tell us about the proposal?
Kirill has proposed on top of Aibga mountain close to Sochi, Russia.
Why did you choose your wedding location?
We were looking for any beautiful place in Europe where we could find mountains and good accommodation, we ended up choosing Bled as there were not only mountains and well-developed infrastructure, but also an incredible lake, an island in the middle with a church on top, a castle with an interesting story, stylish boats, and very tasty food.
How did you find your vendors?
We have been organizing our wedding for almost a year contacting many people through the Internet trying to find the best hotel, restaurant, etc. 10 days before the wedding we only had a chance to visit the place in person and meet all the people. It was a bit scary that reality would not fulfill our expectations of the place, but everything was even better than we expected.
What was the inspiration behind your wedding day?
The idea was to gather all the family members and friends in a beautiful place. A reason to chose such a landscape was to feel integrity with nature, with massive mountains, with the clean and blue water of the lake, to plunge into a low and tranquil pace of life.
Any family or religious traditions incorporated into your day?
There were many of them. One of the family traditions was challenges that the groom has to complete to meet the lady on the morning of the wedding day. We also had an Orthodox Church Service.
Any funny stories from the day and/or the planning process?
During the celebration process in the restaurant, we had a series of quests for guests. One of the quests was to sing a baby song using 50 cent beat. Another was to answer correctly all the questions about bridegroom and lady, how we met, which countries have we already visited, what were the first gifts we made each other, etc. There were also magic tricks that amazed everyone.
What was your favorite moment of the day?
It is difficult to highlight favorite moment as the whole day is special to us: the way friends helped to decorate the bus, the way our brother and sister managed to complete Orthodox Church service, the celebration in the castle and souvenirs made by Gutenberg’s machine, all the speeches, and performances of the guests, everything was very appropriate and exactly what we wanted.
Anything you are really glad you did? Or wish you didn’t do?
We are really glad that we managed to let every guest come up with a speech, as communication with guests was the most important point to us.
Any words of wisdom for other couples?
If you have any doubts whether to celebrate or not, even if it seems to be complicated or expensive or anything else, I would recommend celebrating anyway as positive emotions, the unity of the family, support of friends give you memories that will last for the rest of your life and will help to deal with difficult periods in your life.
Credits
Photography - Vanessa Tivadar Photography