With my hand on my heart I can say the happiest day of my life is our Wedding Day - March the 17th, 2013 (just about 6 month after I met my Leo).

The wedding ceremony took place on the most beautiful deserted beach in Juanillo of the Dominican Republic. Here is the best scenery known to man – the softest white sand under our feet, the choppy turquoise Caribbean sea before our eyes and massive green palm-trees over our heads. No foot prints on the sand, the territory is almost uninhabited…Only the amazing wedding arch decorated with red roses, sea stars and sea shells break the peace of this stunning scenery ... Paradise!

I had no hesitation about what the bride’s bouquet should be as I definitely knew which flowers will suit my personality.

. It was a striking combination of lilies in white and red tied with taffeta red ribbon, which made this bouquet look very romantic. White lilies represented purity of emotion and blood-red lilies symbolized love and passion. However, when red and white intermingle, we felt they reflected our unity. Another pleasant surprise were our wedding rings with a simple but precious message engraved on them, which added a sentimental touch to the classic golden wedding band. It is a very personal reflection of a very special promise to each other … Bonded by fate … Richie & Anya

We didn’t choose a traditional sit-down banquet in a ballroom – it’s so traditionally Russian and actually rather mundane.

Instead we had an incredibly relaxed beach dining experience in the open air coupled with tasteful cuisine of locally caught, fresh seafood. We indulged in Lobster teeming with calamari, prawns and fish, all accompanied with fine Champagne. Crashing waves, salt air, and sea spray created the perfect background and a breathtaking view of the Caribbean sea enhanced such a pleasant and idyllic atmosphere.