It was a warm and beautiful day in April when Valerie Zelinskaya first met Michael Kadashevich. New York City was turning soft pink as cherry blossom trees were blossoming all over the parks. Although it was a hectic Monday, no one could predict that it would turn into such a fun night when Valerie and Michael were invited out to dinner by a mutual friend, Eugene. Despite always being invited to celebrate many occasions with Eugene, Valerie and Michael’s paths never crossed until then. It was as if the universe simply wasn’t ready for them to meet; and when they did, the connection was instant.
year later, the couple went away on their first overseas vacation to the Dominican Republic. On the second day of their vacation, early in the morning, Michael took Valerie for a walk along the ocean. He started acting nervous and quickly disappeared for 30 minutes, making an excuse that he wanted to get drinks. When he came back, he suggested they take a walk to the pier. Valerie paid no attention to Michael’s behavior, and the two soon found themselves on a pier that overlooked the entire resort and beach.
THE COUPLE FELT AS IF THEY HAD THE ENTIRE VILLAGE TO THEMSELVES.
A moment later, Michael turned to Valerie and began telling her how much she means to him; then slowly, he got down on one knee and popped the question. Everyone on the beach froze and silence fell over the entire area. As soon as Valerie screamed, “YES,” the couple could hear cheers from the crowd of onlookers.
Valerie and Michael’s wedding planning process was nothing short of an adventure. Besides planning a wedding in New York, they also decided to have a destination celebration in Positano, Italy. Despite the logistical hurdles that come with planning an overseas wedding, every detail fell into place perfectly. A destination wedding at Hotel Marincanto was in the works, with the help of a wonderful coordinator, Antonella.
One of the more difficult decisions was choosing the right destination wedding photographer, and Valerie spent months sifting through countless portfolios and emails. Finally, when she decided to broaden her search outside of Italy, she found Daniel and Alexandra from White Vine Photography, based in Australia, and instantly fell in love with their photography, work dynamic, and wonderful personalities.
The wedding day started with a morning photo shoot that took the bride and groom all around Positano. With the photo session taking place early in the morning, the streets of Positano were quiet and the couple felt as if they had the entire village to themselves. Later that day, Valerie and Michael exchanged vows during a ceremony on the terrace of Hotel Marincanto and shared their first dance as the sun was setting behind the mountain.
After the wedding, the newlyweds decided to continue their stay in Positano by renting a yacht so they could explore Capri and the Amalfi Coast with their guests. Their Italian adventure then continued with a honeymoon spent sightseeing in Rome, Venice, and Florence.
WEDDING TALENT
Photography: White Vine Photography, Australia
