TILL DEATH DO US PART
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 Musho captured our marriage through film.[embed]http://vimeo.com/48049318[/embed]
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 byGolden 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! peace.love.fashion HEL
