Elizaveta and Alexander: Starring in Their Own Roman Movie

Like many couples, Liza and Sasha met at work. For a long time they knew each other only remotely, until one day they finally met in person at a company party in St. Petersburg.

Then came their first date, this time in Moscow, where for some reason they were both terribly nervous! That was when Sasha told Liza about his love for Italy. No one could have imagined that day that two years later they would become husband and wife in the little town of Tivoli, just outside Rome.

At first, the couple hadn’t even considered a wedding in Italy – it sounded far too unrealistic! Until Sasha happened to learn from a friend that you can actually get legally married in Italy. He told Liza, and that was it… the process was underway. There was no question about where the ceremony would take place – Rome, of course, Sasha’s favorite city.

For their Roman adventure, Liza and Sasha chose the Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel & SPA, a five-star hotel next to Rome’s main park, Villa Borghese. Its magical interiors made the morning of the wedding day truly special!

The couple told us right away that the dress, and the bride’s whole look, had to stay a secret until the very last moment – the first look. So Liza and Sasha spent the morning apart, but when they finally saw each other, it was incredibly emotional!

The civil ceremony took place at the town hall of medieval Tivoli. Liza was moved to tears, and Sasha later told us he was so nervous he didn’t even hear the violin! After the ceremony, the town hall official got a surprise – a big bag of Russian treats from our couple!

Next came a walk and photo shoot around the Eternal City. On that very first date, Sasha had told Liza how incredibly delicious Italian ice cream – gelato – is! So one of the must-dos of the wedding day was devouring gelato while wandering Rome’s picturesque streets.

In the noisy, multinational whirlwind called Rome, the couple felt like the stars of a movie. All eyes were on them: emotional Italians congratulated Liza and Sasha with shouts of “Auguri!”, while tourists smiled and snapped photos of the newlyweds, who blended perfectly into the picturesque ruins of Ancient Rome.

In the evening, they headed to a restaurant – because what’s a wedding without a plate of pasta and a glass of prosecco?

“Everything was amazing, and everything was exactly the way it was meant to be. The first part is the most nerve-racking, when you don’t yet know what comes next. I hadn’t even looked up what the registry office building looked like beforehand or dug into any of it. Everything happened in the moment, and it was absolutely wonderful! The ceremony itself was fascinating and moving! The idea with the witnesses, the musicians, the romantic atmosphere. The walk around Rome was unforgettable too – it’s not just the two of you walking, it feels like the whole city is with you! It’s fun to watch everything going on around you; it’s like you’re in the middle of a movie, you’re the main character, and everyone is paying attention.”

Review from Alexander