For your viewing pleasure, please check back in January - we will send you an email when Wedding Photos have been posted!
In the meantime, please feel free to have a look at the series of photos below, which is a visual rundown of the very special weekend that we shared in Moscow earlier this year.
Tip - pass your mouse over the thumbnail images for a closer look at all of the fun!
A traditional Russian wedding has three days of celebration; we have managed to extend our celebrations over seven months - a fantastic effort even by Russian standards! Here is a little snapshot of our Russian experience, albeit, not necessarily in correct order.
Bread & Salt
Who's The Boss?
Russian church weddings are not considered official, and so couples wanting to get married must exchange their wedding vows at a Russian marriage civil ceremony. Here, we received bread and salt, which symbolizes health, prosperity and long-life.
We broke off a piece of the bread, it is said that the person who breaks the largest piece will be the boss, “Thank goodness, he now knows who the boss is!”
Ridin' in style!
After the marriage ceremony we conducted a tour around the city to see the sights, otherwise known as “The Wedding Tour”. Usually it is the couple, the witnesses and a number of very close friends in one car (often a stretch Hummer). Here is our beautiful car parked outside our apartment building.
We then visited some memorials in memory of people who died in World War II, the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922 and other famous sites to lay flowers.
We began our tour at Park Pobedy otherwise known as Victory Park, where it is tradition to drink champagne and dance on the knotted wedding bands painted in the centre of the road. We danced to a Russian Military Band while Babushka’s threw rice, blessing our lives together.
Dancing to the Russian Military Band
Doves on Sparrow Hill
Red Square
We then went to Sparrow Hill, one of the highest points in Moscow. Here it is tradition to release doves as a sign of love for each other.
And then of course we went onto Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral.
Our last stop was to see through one more Russian tradition. This involves the happy couple locking a padlock engraved with their names onto a tree on a bridge over the Moscow River and then throwing the keys into the river. This symbolises the couple locking the ties of love forever to ensure a happy and lasting marriage.
Farewell key!
Under lock and key...
The Key Tree over the Moscow River
The Russian civil ceremony is often considered insignificant to friends and relatives - the main event is the wedding reception, which demands a two day celebration with music, dancing, feasting and drinking. A Russian wedding is typically an event where being sober is considered impolite. And typically there is also such an abundance of food that people often say “If you are going to a wedding, you don't need to eat 3 days before and 3 days after.”
Peter & Joanne get some Vodka drinking tips from a real Russian...
A little music with Vladimir...
In true Russian tradition we went on to do it all again the next day, what a weekend!
Cheers!!!
Cake time!
Andre organised the “Wedding Tour” without my knowledge, it was a wonderful surprise once I got over the shock and with the help of a few friends. It was a wonderful day and memories that will be with us forever and I honestly think Andre is more Russian than great deal of our wonderful Russian friends.
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