Photography: Magic Flight Studio

Emmanuel was stationed in the South of France for his internship with the Army. Ksenia says, “He called me every time he could between the exercises in the forest, in the sea and other difficulties he had to do in his Stage commando.”

The two spoke for hours on the phone for a month before they could see each other again. Through their conversations they realized that as children they lived in the same region without even knowing.
 
How He Proposed
Ksenia says the proposal was very romantic! On their first St. Valentines Day, Emmanuel invited Ksenia to the place where they first met, a sweet bar on the 33rd floor of the Hotel Concorde in Paris, he asked her to be his fiancée.

The Wedding Day
In the Russian tradition, the groom has to come to the bride’s home for a series of tests. Ksenia says they made Emmanuel play Russian roulette with vodka, dance to Swan Lake and sing a serenade to the bride. After the tests, the couple drove together to city hall.

“The religious ceremony was celebrated in four languages, so everyone could share the great moment with us. At the end of ceremony the unforgettable Ave Maria was sung by one of the bridesmaids.”

The day followed with lunch at the groom’s parent’s home. “To know who the leader in the family is, the spouses have to eat traditional Russian big bread with salt. Who ever takes the biggest part of the bread is the boss” says Ksenia.  Guests enjoyed the evening with dancing the quadrille and drinking lots of Russian vodka!

Ksenia’s advice for future brides, “enjoy the moment!”