A Serbian Affair

16 Aug

Sanja and Aleks
28th May 2022

Here at By Adrienne Monteverde, we are firm lovers of all kinds of weddings - a statement that will shock no one, we’re sure. Whether it’s an elopement, saying your vows on the beach, an overseas affair, a big, lavish party or something in between, we’re on board. Had a themed wedding? Love it. Had four dress changes? Obsessed. Serenaded your guests? Amazing. Invited five guests - sorry, five hundred? How cool is that!

But, truth be told, one of the things we love seeing and learning about from our clients is the beautiful cultural traditions they work into their big day. Adrienne and I come from Italian backgrounds, so traditions stretching back generations were special parts of weddings we each attended growing up. Traditions from all over the world and those that are part of all different religions are often so special to all those involved and mean so much to the couple and their families - it’s hard not to fall in love with these gorgeous elements of a big day!

Cue our lovely client, Sanja, and her now hubby, Aleks. Their wedding was rich in cultural traditions honouring their Serbian heritage which we loved hearing about and seeing in their photos.

Sanja’s morning started off with her closest family and friends at her parent’s house for the morning festivities as she got ready. Aleks then made his way down to Sanja’s house, socialising with all the guests on his way over, for their private first look.

The couple had two specific groomsmen, the ‘flag bearers’, that carried a Serbian and Australian flag throughout the day. During the morning festivities, and also later in the day, guests were also given a boutonniere with a sprig of rosemary and ribbon to wear, which acts as a welcome to all those who came to celebrate the happy couple.

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The couple were pronounced husband and wife in a Serbian Orthodox Church. Their ceremony involved the exchanging of the rings three times to represent the trinity; the tying of the hands with a silk towel to symbolise unity between the bride and groom; the wearing of the crowns to represent the royalty of marriage; and the drinking wine out the common cup to symbolise the sharing of happiness between the pair.

As their big day went from ceremony to party mode, guests enjoyed a Serbian band at the reception and traditional Serbian dancing. The groomsmen and the proud father of the bride all wore a cutura, a round, decorated, wooden bottle, filled with rakija, the traditional Serbian spirit.

We loved hearing about Sanja and Aleks’ wedding and their incredible journey to the altar. Check out our Q&A with her below!

How would you describe your wedding day?

Absolutely magical! Our day was filled with so much raw emotion and love, there honestly wasn’t a moment of the day that we didn’t enjoy.

What were some of the harder parts of wedding planning?

Definitely finances - the costs accumulate very quickly when planning a wedding. And time - so much of your energy and time from your afternoons and weekends go to wedding planning.

What about the more enjoyable?

Wedding dress and bridesmaids dress shopping and the events leading up to the wedding. In general, I quite enjoy planning so I had an absolute blast during the process. Aleks was also incredibly helpful throughout, and is fantastic at creating spreadsheets that kept me accountable. He had also planned our entire honeymoon which was a massive help.

What was your inspiration or vision when planning your big day?

Ahh so many inspos! My vision for the style itself was something romantic. I wanted a venue that was quite modern and classy with chandeliers and lots of pink/white florals (heavy on the roses, no greenery). I was absolutely set on having reflexed white roses as my bouquet and pink roses for the bridesmaids.

Did you have any must-haves or non-negotiables?

One of my non-negotiables was actually our photographer, Mark Jay Photography. As soon as we saw Mark’s incredible work and reached out to Leanne, we both knew this was actually who we wanted to capture our special day. We decided on our date around their availability because we loved their work so much!

How many wedding dresses did you try before you found ‘the one’?

I always knew I had my heart set on a Pallas Couture dress but the cost had been a massive barrier for me. I had visited three different bridal boutiques and tried on about 9 different dresses but with each dress I couldn’t get Pallas out of my head. In the midst of another COVID-19 lock down, I finally booked a zoom meeting with Pallas Couture to secure my dream wedding dress.

Who was the stand-out vendor that you worked with for your wedding?

All of our vendors were absolutely incredible, but a few special shout-outs go to our photographer, Mark Jay Photography; our videographer, CC Media; our MC, Elvis Miletic; and my hairdresser and hair stylist, Kaatya from Natalie Anne Hair. Mark, Christian and Elvis worked incredibly well together and went absolutely above and beyond for us both in the lead up and on the day itself to ensure everything went seamlessly for us. You can see how passionate they are through their incredible work.

Kaatya from Natalie Anne Hair - not only did she absolutely nail my wedding hair but she also eased all my morning nerves. Always an absolute pleasure to be around.

What advice would you give to other couples currently planning their wedding?

During the lead-up to the wedding, take some time off - you’ll need it!. Make a budget (with some wiggle room) - things can get expensive, real quick. And don’t go down the rabbit hole of instagram, there is so much out there and it is so easy to become overwhelmed and second guess your decisions. Wedding planning is incredibly stressful, make sure you spend some quality time with your soon to be.

As cliche as it is, the day really does fly by - don’t sweat the small stuff, enjoy any chance you can with your partner. Have moments to yourselves and stop for a minute to take in the amazing day and everyone that is there to celebrate your love. Would absolutely choose to relive our wedding day if we could!

And on her experience with Adrienne, Sanja said…

“I’m in awe of Adrienne’s talent. Our artwork is everything we wanted and more. Our family and friends were so amazed at how accurately she drew our features. Adrienne was also absolutely lovely to deal with in the process of organising which size and photo we wanted to choose for our artwork. Would highly recommend - such a special keepsake of our favourite day! Our artwork sits on display next to our wedding cutura keepsake on our hall table. We pass this area of the house every day and it makes me incredibly happy to see it.”

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Custom Wedding Painting by Adrienne Monteverde

A Note From The Artist:

When Sanja got in touch, she knew exactly what she wanted, which of course, makes my job that little bit easier. I always say that sometimes the hardest part of my job is looking at my couples wedding album full of endless amazing photos and having to pick just one. Thankfuly for Sanja, she knew exactly what she wanted and sent through her beautiful wedding photo the second she got in touch. We created a medium wedding painting for her and her husband, delivered in our classic white frame and I’m incredibly grateful they both trusted me to bring it all to life!

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