Ukraine’s main wedding house is jokingly referred to as the Bermuda Triangle. Its amusing shape adds to a popular feeling that once you enter its premises, you are lost forever. And yet every autumn, hundreds of couples dive in there to re-emerge as husband and wife.
Marriage is arguable the most important rite of passage for young Ukrainians, and the traditional ceremony reaffirms their importance. The bridal industry is often limited to do-it-yourself projects with hometown ceremonies heavy on drink, food and dancing bucking the trend. Destination weddings and off-site hip parties still make the news, but Western fashions never take long to catch up in Ukraine.
Options for a breezier and versatile wedding, as opposed to a conventional one, exist in Ukraine.
But you’d still have to stop off at the Bermuda Triangle to leave your signature in their big ledger. If you are not a foreigner though, you may do it in 11 other registry offices. You must complete an application a month ahead at the latest and two months at the earliest. An in-house ceremony costs Hr 215. Special bureaurcratic features must also be covered with all sorts of miniscule offerings. For an offsite ceremony, you’ll have to spend around Hr 850, but it’s all worth it with our Lifestyles choices around Ukraine to escape from the traditional walk down the aisle.
UKRAINIAN VENICE
In Vilkovo, guests will arrive at your wedding by boat. Not very spoiled by choice, cossacks fleeing political and religious prosecution in the 18th century founded the town in the swamps. Up to this day, there are canals instead of streets and fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
So like in good old Venice, you’ll board a Ukrainian version of a gondola to get to a chapel on a small island. Most likely your captain will be a woman, since they are considered better rowers in Vilkovo. Don’t forget to have passports on you – Romanian border guards will mind if your wedding frolics take you beyond Vilkovo waters into the Danube. If you crave a cosmopolitan party after a union on the water, head to Odesa – it’s only four hours away.
“Vilkovo-tour”, (048)798-1629, (067)287-9994, www.vilkovo-tour.com
“Vilkovo Pelikan Tour”, (067)483-5207, (048)777-12-05, www.pelican-danube-tour.com.ua/
MEDIEVAL WEDDING
A well-preserved castle in Kamyanets-Podilsky has many legends to keep your guests busy. One of them says that it was found by nephews of the Lithuanian prince. Hunting in the forest one day, they saw a vast gorge and a rocky hill fit for a medieval castle. Local historians though may disagree with this theory showing you around excavations dating back to the Kyivan Rus times. The castle has seen many wars in its lifetime.
This time around, make love, not war. Curators won’t let you party inside the museum itself because “paintings don’t go well with the alcohol.” Yet medieval courtyards will fit some 100 people. For a package price of Hr 530 per guest, wedding planners offer food, music and a night tour of Kamyanets. The party would have to follow a rather Soviet, not a medieval, schedule: 6 – 11 p.m. If you still opt for it, beware of wearing high heels. Courtyards are paved with old stone and sprinkled with grass.
Tourist information center at the city council (067) 991-7052,
www.kam-pod.info (English available),
www.kamenets-tour.com for accommodation
CASTLE OF LOVE
Swallow’s Nest house near Yalta looks like one of those sand castles about to be washed away by the sea. Sitting dramatically on the edge of the cliff, it’s a must stop for tourists in the Crimea. But you can rent the whole place out just for yourself for Hr 3,000. The restaurant hangs 40 meters above the sea.
The story goes that sea god Poseidon was hovering above the waters with a beautiful crown to gift his beloved goddess of dawn, Aurora. But she rejected the poor bloke; heartbroken, he dropped the tiara, which later became the Nest. Another legend has a retired general instead of the sea god. But it also says that he built a castle for Aurora. Whatever the story, Nest’s white towers do look like a wonderland and are perfect for a romantic setting.
A couple ties the knot in the Swallow’s Nest castle in the Crimea on Oct.10, 2008. (Vitaliy Shtorm, vivalavita.gallery.ru)
Village Haspra, tel. (0654) 24-7571, 24-72-18, www.lastochka.com.ua/html/english
SAIL AWAY WITH ME, HONEY
Ukraine’s been blessed with lakes, rivers and seas, so weddings on yachts and boats are becoming more popular. For a small ceremony of up to 20 people, there are yachts starting from Hr 2,000 per day. If you need to fit 10 times more people than that, there’s St Andre boat with a dining hall, dance floor and a piano room. It costs some Hr 60,000 but the price may vary depending on your route.
For bigger boats that would fit from 200 to 500 guests, prices start at Hr 1600 per hour. They are your regular, Soviet-looking excursion boats, which run from the Kyiv riverport.
A scene from the wedding on a yacht on July 4, 2009 (Alexandr Shpilevoy, www.alexnewaro.livejournal.com)
DniproTrip, 332-54-77, (067) 288-79-32, www.yacht.org.ua
KyivRichFlot, 501-94-43, www.rechflot.kiev.ua
WEDDING ON WHEELS
The first Kyiv tram was launched in 1892. But after a century on rails, it looks like its days are numbered in the capital. For a vintage and hip wedding of up to 26 people, you can hop on one of these beasts for Hr 350 an hour.
Luckily, Kyiv’s metro is not going out of service. Despite all sorts of bureaucratic obstacles, it’s quite possible to throw a party underground. The price will depend on the number of wagons you need to rent, stops you want to make and lights you need to switch on at the stations of your choice.
These may sound as small details but they sure amount to a big bill of “thousands of hryvnias,” as we have been warned by the metro managers. Bear in mind that a party can be organized only in the afterhours when metro’s regular passengers don’t need its service.
A tram wedding in Lviv in 2009 (Tereza Likhuta)
Trams: (068) 121-6701, www.tramvaj-kafe.kiev.ua
Metro: 238-58-55, www.metropoliten.kiev.ua, www.metro.kiev.ua
UKRAINIAN WEDDING
If you don’t have grandparents in a village, it’s still possible to have a traditional rural wedding. Mamayeva Sloboda or Pirohovo open air museums will arrange a proper church ceremony and folk music bands. At Sloboda, the ceremony costs will run up to Hr 7,000 including the food. On top of it, you can rent folk dress, hire Cossacks and fire cannons on your special day.
Mamayeva Sloboda, 361 98 48, (093)872- 4877, www.mamajeva-sloboda.ua
Pirohovo, 526-5765, www.pirogovo.com.ua
MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
Hot air balloons can fit up to 10 people from your wedding party. And if you can convince a registrar to hold a ceremony in the sky, you can then brag about your match being made in heaven. Children and pregnant women are not allowed on board, and old people may not appreciate the idea either. So, a balloon could actually make for a nice small wedding at Hr 1,500 per hour.
Kyiv Ballooning Society, 406-77-00, (097) 498-66-69, www.ballooning-ua.com/english
Nashare, www.nashare.com.ua
Kyiv Post staff writer Alexandra Romanovskaya can be reached at [email protected]
