I just love this photo of my husband, mother-in-law, the best man and one of our close friends on their way to my parents' house for the traditional "taking of the bride" ceremony from her father's house.

This was two days before our actual wedding ceremony.

Usually, in Macedonian weddings, the two events take place on the same day, but since my husband and I come from different parts of the country, we decided to spread it out, so there was plenty of time to get from one place to the other, and back again.

My parents threw an awesome party at their house, and we had just enough time to sober up for our wedding day :)

More pics are on their way...

Something Red For Church

Since it's custom in Macedonia to wear something over the dress during the church ceremony, I wanted to have something more creative than a shawl.

I spent some time looking for bridal bolero jackets, but couldn't find the right thing ...until I discovered Angelika Liv on Etsy. She designs and makes romantic bridal (and Gothic) pieces - they're fun, unusual, and something you can't really find in a store.

I absolutely love her work! And she was very sweet and helpful over email. Since I wanted something red, she made the perfect little red bolero from raw silk for me, and had it ready within a couple of days. I have to say, I was really impressed about how quickly I got it (she shipped it from Israel) and how incredibly gorgeous it turned out - much better than what I imagined.



So, it was the perfect thing to wear - fun and creative enough for me and formal enough for church :)

... and... it matched my bouquet :)

Church Ceremony

We had our religious ceremony at St. Naum monastery, a charming little church close to my husband's home town of Ohrid, Macedonia.



St. Naum's monastery is more than 1100 years old (built in the early 10th century A.D.). It is set on a rock hill overlooking the lake. It is one of the most beautiful spots in Macedonia, and my favorite place in the world.



In 1980, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid were accepted as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.