Simona and Raj met for the first time in Spain, live in New York, but got married in Italy, gathering their closest people from Latvia, the USA and other countries. They celebrated their wedding several days in a row, experiencing both a traditional wedding ceremony, during which Simone wore her dream wedding dress, and a traditional Indian wedding ceremony. (See here for the traditional part of the Indian wedding ceremony. )
"We Villa D' Este chose Villa D' Este as the wedding venue almost a year before the wedding, when we toured Italy last summer and stopped by for dinner at this famous place. We were overwhelmed by such magical feelings that we knew we had to get married there. We made a reservation the very next day. We couldn't have chosen a more beautiful place," said Simona and Raj.
The newlyweds admit that although everything went perfectly at the wedding, the advice to other couples would definitely be to plan everything ahead of time - so that all the big things have been done at least two months before the wedding. Then there will be more time to joyfully wait for the special event.
"The most beautiful moment at the wedding was the moment when my father took me to the altar. I will never forget Raj's emotions and the tears in his eyes," admits Simona.
Number of guests at the wedding: ~ 90
Advice for couples: "Keep track of all costs so that you don't end up overpaying. Of course, to avoid stress, the advice is to leave everything up to the wedding planners, otherwise the couple's hair will definitely turn gray."
Photo: LINAS DAMBRAUSKAS
Celebration venue and meal: VILLA GRUMELLO GARDEN, VILLA D’ESTE, VILLA GENO
Wedding dress: ZUHAIR MURAD
Suit: TOM FORD
Wedding dresses for Indian traditional ceremony: SABYASACHI
Morning outfit: AMORALLE
Bridal make-up: VITA VĪTOLA, ZANE ELLERE-PUZIKOVA
Video: COLORTIME
Music: String Quartet BLUNOTTE , saxophonist KITTY ERNSTONE, singer AIJA VĪTOLIņA with group, singer KATIE MARKHAM, DJ SERABE, HEERA dancegroup, Italian singer ANDREA NOCERA
Evening host: KASPARS BREIDAK
Wedding cake: VILLA D’ESTE
Music: AIJA VĪTOLIŅA