We worked really hard for several years to get to the point where we could finally be together.
Dasha: I’m an artist, John is an opera singer and we met on Tinder when John was performing with the Warsaw Philharmonic. I was living in Warsaw at the time and John invited me to his show. It was an amazing evening and I think I was in love after the first hour but I wasn’t sure what might come from it because John lived in the US and our lives were so different. But it just felt right.
John: While visiting Dasha’s friends in Milan, we took a day trip to Lake Como. I proposed to Dasha on the lake and we spent the evening there.
Dasha: It wasn’t a typical wedding. We knew that neither of our parents, and only a few friends, could travel to Copenhagen so our plan was to make it as chill and relaxed as possible, have lots of fun and enjoy ourselves and the beauty of Copenhagen. One of the most important things was to have amazing memories that we could share with our families.
John: We had such a hard time jumping through bureaucratic hoops just to be recognised as a couple, including waiting almost two years for a visa that never came because of Covid, so we were more than ready to tie the knot in Copenhagen.
Dasha: That summer, following Covid restrictions, lots of planes were cancelled so we bought an extra pair of airline tickets to ensure that we would make it in time for our wedding!
Dasha: We worked really hard for several years to get to the point where we could finally be together. That included spending eight months apart during the pandemic with me being in Warsaw and John in Atlanta. It seems quite romantic, but it was very challenging.
John: The morning of our wedding there were some issues with the hotel we were staying in regarding our wedding photos and copyright issues with the hotel’s image but despite the initial stress we had a great day and were able to laugh about it now.
Dasha: I always wanted to get married in a suit, and my dearest friend Olesya, who is a fashion designer, made a special suit for me. I couldn’t have a fitting in Minsk, because of political issues making it difficult to travel back to the EU, but a friend’s mother brought the suit to Warsaw, and we did a fitting via Zoom and sent it back. When I got it just before the wedding, it fitted perfectly. I styled the suit with a feather brooch from a Polish designer to add a lightness to my look and it was a perfect match with the Copenhagen breeze.
John: I wore a double breasted suit from a custom tailor that Dasha found in Warsaw. I have to credit Dasha with finding the tailor and really putting all of the fashion elements of the wedding together. We went to have the suit fitted and found the perfect colour and style.
PHOTOGRAPHER Monique Maarschalk, @moniquemaarschalkphoto CEREMONY LOCATION Copenhagen City Hall RECEPTION LOCATION Den Vandrette, @denvandrette CUSTOM BRIDAL SUIT Sol’Voda, @sol.voda BRIDE’S SHOES Massimo Dutti, @massimodutti GROOM’S SUIT Andre Grand, @andregrandboutique GROOM’S SHOES Hugo Boss, @boss RINGS Rosa Chains, @rosa_chains FEATHER BROOCH Lui Store, @lui.store.warsaw GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Falcon Leather by Matiere Premiere, @matierepremiereparfums BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Byredo 1996, @officialbyredo