Natali & Dejan
Inspired by Shakespearean love stories and eternal romance, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more romantic wedding than this!
PHOTOGRAPHY FotoTomic
A beautifully detailed and traditional day, filled with flowers and lace. Natali and Dejan’s truly romantic wedding is featured in the June issue 161 of Wedding Ideas. Recently having received a lovely thank you letter from the couple themselves, this also came with a photo announcing they were expecting their first baby! We are over the moon for the couple and we’re so happy to feature your wedding! Congratulations Natali and Dejan! We love a happy ending…
“I’m from Bulgaria but I had already moved to Las Vegas when I met Dejan. He’s from the former Yugoslavia but has spent most of his life in South Dakota, the place he calls home. We met through mutual friends and he swept me off my feet! Despite being away from my loved ones, Dejan reminded me of the feeling of love and family,” Natali tells us. And with such a globe-trotting background, it only seems right that Dejan proposed while the couple were enjoying a grand tour of Europe!
“In 2013 we travelled across lots of Europe, visiting Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Italy and Germany. It was the first time Dejan met my family in Bulgaria and I met his in Serbia and Bosnia. Little did I know that during every visit he showed them the ring and told them what was coming up. When we got to Casa di Giulietta in Verona, he knelt down, pulled out a box with a ring and asked me to marry him.”
The bride found her Maggie Sottero wedding gown in Celebrations, Las Vegas.
“In my mind I’d always wanted a mermaid-style wedding dress but oh boy was it hard to walk in one!”
I finally found my dream ivory lace dress with a corset back and strapless sweetheart neckline. It had a ball gown style with layers whimsically draped to the floor with a chapel-length train at the back. One of my projects was to sew beads onto every lace appliqué which was time consuming but so worth it.”
“My veil was also from Celebrations and was a beautiful ivory tulle with lace and more beads. I wanted a long veil and it covered the whole train of my dress. I wore a crystal and pearl tiara and two separate necklaces – one for the ceremony and one for the reception. During the ceremony I also added a lace jacket with an off-shoulder neckline and elbow-length sleeves.” Ivory lace shoes in the ‘Haiti’ style by Menbur completed Natali’s bridal look.
Dejan wore a satin ivory dress shirt to match the colour of Natali’s gown, teamed with a bowtie and black tuxedo from Men’s Wearhouse. “He was my prince charming!” Natali gushes.
“I had seven bridesmaids, and along with the groomsmen, they really were the heart of our wedding. The bridesmaid dresses were absolutely stunning in a long red style and I found them in Bridal Galleria at Tux One, Las Vegas. They wore pearl necklaces with heart jewels and the groomsmen wore red waistcoats to match.”
With a large bridal party to get ready in the morning, Natali turned to trusted a trusted hair and beauty team on her wedding morning. “We had a salon recommended to us and several of their hair and makeup artists came out to the location where we were getting married. They did the hair and makeup for my bridesmaids and I, as well as a few guests. I had an elegant up-do, natural makeup with a coral lipstick and coral nail polish.”
“Dejan and I had always wanted a traditional wedding. Our ceremony took place in an Orthodox Serbian Church in Bosnia. The bishop married us in a ceremony where we held rose-adorned candles, had our hands tied together as a symbol of marriage and both drunk red wine from a golden cup. The bishop placed gold crowns on our heads. The architecture and art was absolutely stunning in the church.”
“Both of my parents walked me down the aisle! It was something I chose as I love them both very much.”
Following the ceremony, the couple welcomed their guests to their reception venue for the wedding breakfast, serving mainly Serbian cuisine. Dishes included appetizer plates of ham, prosciutto, smoked cheese, meats, salads and soup, with goulash, roast pork and roast lamb for the main course. In an indulgent finale, Natali and Dejan offered unlimited drinks and plated desserts with fruit for the final course.
“Everybody was having so much fun dancing and singing that we forgot the speeches!”
“In a way we regret it, but we came to an understanding that nothing can be perfect and it was meant to be. The most important thing was that everybody was together in one place having a great time and celebrating our love.”
The couple chose a fairytale love story with Renaissance influences as their wedding inspiration. “Our engagement took place in Italy on the famous balcony from Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, so the Renaissance has a personal meaning to us.” A classical red, gold and ivory colour palette created an ultra romantic atmosphere throughout the day.
“Weddings can be expensive so we saved money decorating ourselves rather than hiring a company to do so. The ballroom was already stunning so we didn’t need to add much, simply decorating with ivory tulle, red and gold rose petals, candles and mirrors. The guest tables had ivory tulle runners with mirror and candle centrepieces at either end and candle holders in the middle. The bridal table was red with gold chairs, candles and flower garlands. We wrapped fairy lights around the ceiling for a romantic setting.”
Neven Floral in Bijeljina provided all the bouquets, a centrepiece of red roses for the bridal table, floral decorations for the bridal car and the buttonhole for the groom.
“Our cake was almost too beautiful to be eaten! I believe the cake is the centrepiece of a wedding reception so we had four tiers. Each layer was a different flavour, decorated in an off-white colour with bursts of red roses swirling around it.”
In keeping with their idyllic romance, Natali and Dejan took a personal and romantic approach to their wedding invitations. “We had a Romeo and Juliet style engagement photo shoot and used photos from this on our invitations from Wedding Paper Divas. They were sealed with wax stamps that had our names and wedding date on.”
Having travelled for their wedding in Bosnia from Las Vegas, the couple opted for smaller sized wedding favours that would fit into their luggage. “We chose golden glitter boxes from Etsy and filled them with candy for every guest.”
Serbian group of eight musicians, ‘Kakadu Bend’ were the couple’s band of choice for the reception. They performed a variety of music, Serbian rock ‘n’ roll, new and old folk pop and other genres, even surprising the newlyweds with two Bulgarian songs they had learned as a wedding gift to them!
“We choreographed our first dance together for a month before the wedding. We didn’t want to take dance classes because of the cost, so we chose three songs and combined them into one. The first part was a Viennese Waltz, transitioning into a Serbian song called ‘She is Only Mine’, finishing with ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’. We both love country music and it was a perfect finish to get the party started!”
And it seems the European adventures that led to their engagement whetted Natali and Dejan’s appetite for more, because for their honeymoon they will be travelling to Switzerland, France and Spain. “Both of us have never been so we are very excited!” Natali smiles.
C E R E M O N Y Manastir Svete Petke, Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
V E N U E Stanisici Ethno Village, Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
D R E S S Maggie Sottero at Celebrations, Las Vegas
A C C E S S O R I E S Bridal Galleria at Tux One, Las Vegas
B R I D E S M A I D D R E S S E S Bridal Galleria at Tux One, Las Vegas
G R O O M Men’s Wearhouse
F L O W E R S Neven Floral, Bjeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
S T A T I O N E R Y Wedding Paper Divas
V I D E O G R A P H E R Vladimir Talijan Film and Production
