If you haven’t seen the lovely photos from their wedding, you simply must! The rich reds and deep purples filled the space with a glow that belied the temperatures outdoors.

In addition to being the beautiful bride, Irene is also a fantastic graphic designer.

from Irene …

“As a graphic designer, I wanted to personalize our event through our stationery. The invitation was written in English and Russian. Russian textile work and the baseball diamond, reflecting my husband’s passion for baseball, inspired the design of our invitation suite. This design was then incorporated throughout the wedding, including the menus, coasters, and the calendar favors.”

Irene has now started designing for weddings and events. We’re really anxious to see more of her fabulous work! When her new website, Rinka and Ink, launches, we’ll see if she will send us some more of her creations. In the meantime, we’re pretty sure she’d love to hear from you!

And as always, a huge thank-you to Karen Wise for sharing her fabulous photos. For more from Irene & Marty’s wedding, here is the LINK to Karen’s blog post with ALL the details!

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Post tags: Bridgewaters, Color Palette Red Purple, Karen Wise Photography, Manhattan, New York City, New York Weddings, Rinka and Ink, Russian Inspired, Winter Wedding
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography, Wedding Style

They were married in Manhattan on a freeeeezing New York afternoon in January.

Irene, the beautiful bride was born and raised in Russia and wanted to find ways to intermingle her heritage and it’s rich traditions into her very New York-chic wedding celebration at Bridgewaters.

from the bride  … “I was born in Ukraine and raised in a Russian household, in a small community. We wanted to have as many personal touches as possible, including incorporating wedding traditions from my background, to make the day unique to us. During the ceremony, one of my bridesmaids read a love poem in Russian, which was then translated by my brother into English.

As my husband and I entered the reception, my parents presented us with traditional wedding welcome bread, the Karavay, on a decorated handmade towel called a Rushnik, welcoming us to the family. We had hired a Russian vocalist to perform during part of the reception and for the father-daughter dance.

One of the highlights at the reception was when the maid of honor and my brother surprised everyone by stealing the bride’s shoe. … a game played at Russian weddings when the groom then needs to “pay ransom”, in the form of performing a task, to win back the shoe for his bride. My husband had a great sense of humor about the whole thing and happily performed the Slavic folk dance “prisiadka” with much encouragement from his American friends and family. Although we were celebrating in America, my husband and I felt that my Russian heritage was a big part of our day.

We have a few more beautiful shots from Irene and Marty’s wedding day coming right up as well as photos of the wedding invitations that Irene designed!

Also, be sure and check out Karen’s blog for even more.

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Post tags: Bridge Waters, Bridgewaters, Color Palette Red Purple, Karen Wise Photography, Manhattan, New York City, New York Weddings, Russian Inspired, Winter Wedding
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography, Wedding Style

From Valerie,” When I first spoke with Natasha, she knew that she wanted an all white and cream wedding, with the only colors being the green of the flowers. I soon discovered that both of the bride and groom’s parents had moved to the US from Russia, so we started planning a loose “Ice” theme…

“The chuppah was designed with white fabric and hanging crystals strung with orchids.”

“The ballroom was up-lit in pale blue with leaf silhouettes to showcase the venue, the Botanical Gardens. Guests found their names on elegant rhinestone escort cards hung on white trees. The white satin linens and embroidered leaf organza overlays, chargers and specific silver flatware completed the settings. When guests found their tables, they were greeted with hand-made, personally calligraphied menus.”

“Natasha was born in Zhdanov, Ukraine.  She and her parents immigrated to the United States when she was five years old. Through mutual friends and family, Ronald’s and Natasha’s paths crossed many times during the ensuing years, but it wasn’t until December 2003 that they fell in love.  And as the saying goes, the rest is history!”

A huge thanks to Valarie Kirkbride, one of our great Little Black Book Wedding Planners in Cleveland and the surrounding areas. She’s provided us with an extensive list of wedding vendors involved in Natasha & Ronald’s beautiful wedding … Photography by Easywind Studio, Ice Sculpture by Elegant Ice Creations, Music by Grand Avenue Band, Cake by Flour Girl, Catering by Bon Appetit, Floral décor by Grande Designs, Lighting by Vincent Lighting, Videography by Moonstruck Productions.

For more of Valarie’s dazzling weddings, please visit her website and blog!

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Post tags: Bon appetit, Cleaveland Botanical Gardens, Cleveland, Color Palette White, Easywind Studio, Elegant Ice Creations, Flour Girl, Grand Avenue Band, Grande Designs, Ice Sculpture, Kirkbride's Wedding Planning and Design, Moonstruck Productions, Ohio, Russian Inspired, Vincent Lighting
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Planners & Designers