Imagine a day boasting lush florals from Kate Foley Designs, breathtaking details crafted by Hitched Events and a bride and groom who are the serious definition of stunning and you’ll land squarely on this affair captured by Joshua Aull. Think beyond beautiful stylings meets heartwarming moments meets cultural details sprinkled throughout. Join us for so much more in The Vault.
From the Bride… Eugene and I have known each other for almost eight years. We met in New York City; I work in fashion and he works in finance. We were both working crazy hours, but somehow made it work. After getting engaged in the Amalfi Coast, we moved to Dallas and decided to have our wedding here given it is our new home.
Eugene and his family moved from the Soviet Union in the early 90’s, and they still hold dear many Russian traditions. So when we began planning our wedding, we knew there would be lots of vodka! Nostrovia!
One of our favorite places in New York is a Russian restaurant, Mari Vanna. It’s like stepping into your Babushka’s (Grandmother’s) house in St. Petersburg: peeling floral wallpaper, mismatched chairs, towering china cabinets, hanging plants and of course dining tables with every inch covered in food. It was the perfect inspiration for our big day since we had so much history there as a couple.
We found our venue almost immediately. We fell in love with the Joule- its open terrace, art installations and rich history as a Bank in downtown Dallas. It just spoke to us when we first walked in. In fact, it was both the first and last venue we considered. The mirrored ballroom with soft lighting and dripping garden florals would make for the romantic setting we were looking for. The Joule even worked with us to create a custom Russian inspired menu with all of Eugene’s favorite recipes.
Being new to Dallas, I was incredibly lucky to find such talented vendors that shared my aesthetic and vision. The ladies at Hitched Events helped us stay relaxed and pulled together an amazing day. Our ceremony was held on the rooftop terrace of the hotel in a floor-to-ceiling windowed room with views of downtown Dallas. Propmaker Event Rentals designed a beautiful natural birch chuppah adorned with flowers and candles under which Eugene and I said our vows. My dress was a couture Anna Maier lace gown from Gabriella NY which fit like a glove! The blush lining under the ivory lace was the perfect blend of classic and modern styles. I added my own handmade, cathedral lace trimmed veil and knotted a crystal embellished ribbon belt around my waist.
I knew I had found the perfect photographer when we had our engagement session with the very talented Joshua Aull. He captured Eugene and myself in a way we’d never seen and our wedding day was no exception. He even humored us and snapped some photos of our dog, Myles. Kate Foley of Kate Foley Designs was such a pleasure to work with. The floral arrangements that she designed for us were beautiful, and perfectly sized. Our palette consisted of rich cranberries, indigo and soft pink with gold accents. The best piece Kate engineered was an installation of dripping garden florals over the head table, not to mention she whipped it up in under one week when I decided the ballroom needed one more exciting element! And my bouquet was enchanting with an ombre of colors – my absolute favorite. Everything came together so nicely and in such a romantic way from the gold trimmed place settings by Posh Couture and the mirrored mercury finish on our dance floor to the colorful matryoshka doll escort cards that doubled as party favors for our guests.
It’s hard to look back and try to remember every single detail, because what they say is true – your wedding day really flies by too quickly. But I can certainly say, the advice I was given to try and remember the little moments and leave the other stuff to the photos was some of the best I could have received. The memories I do have from that day are so incredibly special and are moments I will cherish forever… like laughing while attempting to safety pin my husband’s suspenders back together, signing my Hebrew name backwards, my father’s really funny “dad jokes”, changing our choreography mid-dance and best of all looking into my husband’s eyes for the first time after exchanging our rings.
Photography: Joshua Aull Photography | Event Planning: Kimberly Rhodes of Hitched Events | Floral Design: Kate Foley Designs | Wedding Dress: Anna Maier | Invitations: Val Marie Paper | Bride's Shoes: Valentino | Hair And Makeup: Samantha Landis | Groom's Attire: Custom Suit | Venue: The Joule | Film Processing: PhotoVision Prints