Brushstrokes of Love

An art-driven visual story of two fated souls

The poetic beauty of life's unimaginable moments. A serendipitous online meeting in the heart of lockdown, blossomed into a knowing, forever kind of love. Two souls, yin and yang, living in synchronisity and embracing eachother's uniqueness. Here, we peel back the layers of their love story and celebrate their union with an engagement shoot. A vision of art and nostalgia colliding with vintage style frames embodying this undeniably cool duo.

^{The Day We Met}

My husband and I met on Instagram during the lockdown in 2020. We've been chatting for a long time, and since Kirill knew I painted, he commissioned a piece from me, which gave us a reason to meet in person for the first time. By then, each of us have already gone through our own life experiences. We knew right away that meeting each other wasn’t just a coincidence, and that it was meant to be something lasting. We focused on figuring out how to love each other without trying to change, fix, or mold the other person. I know my husband can create a whole new world for me out of nothing, and I can be the light that guides him through his darkest moments.

Brushstrokes of Love

^{Our Engagement Story}

After we get home from a party or dinner with friends, we usually like to hang out in the kitchen and chat for a while before going to bed. It was one of those late nights, when we were discussing some really important things. Then, out of nowhere, Kirill started twisting a napkin into a ring, got down on one knee, and proposed to me.

At first, I was completely overwhelmed, thinking that he was just joking. But Kirill kept asking which finger to put the ring on and assured me he wasn’t kidding. We kept it a secret from our friends for two weeks, planning to gather everyone and share the news, but it never quite worked out. So, we decided to fly to the Maldives, and after a couple of days there, I made an Instagram post announcing our engagement, which had actually happened a few weeks earlier.

Turned out, Kirill proposed to me in the exact same way my late father had proposed to my mom. I was completely stunned! The proposal happened on August 21, 2023. I still have the napkin ring to this day, and I always will. It’s my most treasured ring because it’s priceless.

^{Our Engagement Shoot}

I love art, so I really wanted to do a photo shoot in an old mansion with beautiful paintings as backdrop. And that’s exactly what we did! Afterward, we headed to the registry office in Barvikha, where all our friends and family were waiting for us. Then, we went to have dinner with our closest loved ones at the Pushkin restaurant.

Brushstrokes of Love

^{The Wedding}

Our wedding took place on August 30. We wanted to create a sense of quiet French luxury and so chose an old mansion in the heart of Moscow. The mansion was adorned with flowers and greenery that was quite literary growing right up the walls. There were beautiful paintings hanging everywhere, silver tableware, and candles flickering on the tables.

Guests were greeted by a girl playing the harp on the second floor, and the welcome area had a DJ spinning vinyl records. In the main hall, a talented pianist played while an actor recited poetry. Later in the evening, everyone gathered for karaoke with the piano. We also had a separate room where we projected a video montage with precious moment of our lives. It was such a magically beautiful evening!