We came to the decision to have a church wedding consciously and spent a long time preparing for it spiritually. We attended discussions with a priest, confessed our sins, and received communion at our local church in Moscow.

Our official wedding was quite simple and took place 12 years ago on the outskirts of a distant Siberian city. For our church wedding, we wanted something not only deeply meaningful but also romantic, based on our current vision of happiness.

We searched for a church in Moscow for a long time, but nothing felt quite right. Then, somehow, we remembered (or maybe saw it in a feed somewhere—I don’t recall exactly). But I do remember that on Monday, we had a call with Marina, and just three weeks later, we were boarding a “Moscow – Rome” flight with full confidence that this was “the one.”

And our expectations were completely fulfilled and even exceeded 🙂 On Thursday evening, we checked into an apartment with a luxurious terrace and a breathtaking view of Rome. The next morning, our stylist, Ruslana, arrived with her magical “beauty suitcase.” Then Marina greeted us with a bouquet, a gift, and heartfelt words of encouragement. Together, we got into a brand-new Mercedes and headed to our wedding ceremony.

We want to thank everyone—Marina, Ruslana, Father Alexei, photographer Irina, our driver, and everyone involved in the preparations. On that day, we didn’t have to think or worry about anything; we simply enjoyed every moment. Everything was organized smoothly, calmly, and right on time. It felt as if all of Rome knew about our wedding, as we were given the “green light” everywhere we went. In the evening, we had a romantic dinner at a small, cozy, yet truly exceptional Italian restaurant, which Marina had also booked for us. The next day, we explored Rome with a private tour guide.

I used to think that something like this was only possible for the very wealthy and required extensive planning. Now I know that with the WOW Italy team, a church wedding in Rome is both real and accessible. Thank you for your dedication and warmth—you are amazing!

Review by Olga and Nikolay, Orthodox wedding in Rome, October 18, 2019