My day began with groom prep at the Hilton Garden Inn in Nanuet, NY with Schuyler and the groomsmen. Mariana shot Lidia and the girls back Lidia’s parents’ home, the guys had a slow morning with some toasts, some gifts, and a little bit of getting ready.

At around 2:30 we headed to Novo Diveevo, St. Seraphim Russian Orthodox Monastery. The inside of Novo Diveevo was absolutely stunning with its gold tones and gorgeous frescos. This was my first Russian wedding and I’m always excited to experience new wedding traditions.

The Russian Orthodox ceremony is so intimate. The couple starts together at the entrance of church and slowly makes their way down the aisle as the ceremony progresses. Meanwhile, their family and friends are gathered around, surrounding them the entire time until the bride and groom finally make it to the alter for their first kiss as husband and wife.

After the ceremony, we headed to the New York Country Club in Spring Valley for some formals before the sun disappeared on us and the reception began.

Another awesome Russian wedding tradition worth mentioning: at the reception, the bride and groom take their first drink and everyone chants, “Gorka! Gorka!” which means, “Bitter!” because the alcohol is bitter and they want the bride and groom to sweeten it up with a kiss. So the take away here is, when life gets tough, kissing is the answer. To Schuyler and Lidia, Gorka! Gorka!

Second shot for Mariana Feely