St. Mary’s Romanian Wedding
Nadina and Matt’s St. Mary’s Romanian wedding was a wonderful cultural experience.The church was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.
Please enjoy, Scott Shaw Photo | Cleveland Wedding Photographer
St. Mary’s Romanian Wedding
We started with the couple getting ready at a Tremont Rod and Reel Club apartment in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood.
After a first look with an Airstream trailer backdrop we walked around the Tremont neighborhood for the portrait time. It was so fun seeing what we discovered in the area.
Then it was time for their St. Mary’s Romanian wedding in Cleveland.
St. Mary’s Romanian Orthdox Cathedral was founded in 1904 and is the oldest Romanian Orthodox parish in the United States. The current cathedral in Cleveland’s Kamm’s Corners neighborhood opened in 1960.
From here I will share Nadina and Matt’s thoughts for the day.
Nadina: “I grew up in the Romanian community in Northeast Ohio and often performed with the Doina Romanian dance ensemble at St Mary’s Romanian Festival, so I was quite familiar with the church. Part of me wanted to go to a venue that would be new to me and our guests, but when each venue was not right for us for some reason or another, my mom suggested we visit the church and its hall once again. I learned to see it in a new light. I really wanted to be able to bring in the Romanian culture into our wedding to share with our non-Romanian guests, and I love that they could see the Orthodox wedding ceremony in the beautiful church and that we could incorporate elements of the hall into our wedding such as the frieze depicting Romania’s history, folk art behind the bar and various photographs. It felt so special to have it there.
“I also wanted to make sure to bring attention to these elements, so I included a QR code on the tables that linked to a description of the frieze written by the church’s prior priest/our officiant, Father Remus Grama. My mom also brought some textiles that were handmade by my late grandmother to display on our welcome table. When we first started planning the wedding, I also mentioned I’d be interested in having Romanian pottery included on the tables. When my parents last went to Romania, they spent a lot of time collecting different small handmade pieces for us to use in our wedding. I just love that I could bring authentic items from there into our décor, and that I got to show a little bit of how amazing my grandmother was that she was able to make these textiles.
“Lastly, I definitely had to have my dance group perform a few dances and show off their costumes. So many of my friends have heard me speak about being in this group, and finally I was able to show them what we were about. It was really fun (but also really difficult) trying to dance in my gown.”Matt: Nadina’s Romanian culture is very important to her. I gave a speech in English and Romanian, which I’m learning, because some of Nadina’s family came from Romania and only speak Romanian. Most of the Romanian guests were very surprised that I had learned enough Romanian to give that speech.”
Nadina: “This was also a very special time because it was a reunion for much of my family. My parents, sister, sister’s fiancé, grandma, aunt, cousin, cousin’s wife, and Matt and I had never prior been together all at the same time. It had been a long time since even my immediate family was all together with my grandma. We also had extended family visit at the same time. It was so amazing being able to all be together and stay up late talking both before and after the wedding.
“For me the biggest surprise was how emotional it was. There was so much planning involved and I thought maybe I was desensitized to all the emotions associated with the day, but actually having almost all the people we care about all in one room was overwhelming in the most positive way. I felt overcome with emotion when I realized how so many people traveled from near and far just to be with us and when I saw how genuinely happy people were for us.
“I also didn’t expect so many people in the city to congratulate us as we took our photos. It just felt like a very large joyous celebration. I don’t have the proper words to describe it, but it was the most wonderful day of my life. I keep saying I wish I could bottle up all those feelings for later.”
Nadina’s sister Manuela had her hair done by Kaleigh.
Matt’s mother Kelly put his boutonniere on.
Dana watched as her daughter’s hair was styled.
Flaviu and Astrid were the sponsors for the couple.
Nadina’s was emotional during her father Florian’s speech.
Mackenzie and Nadina shared a laugh after her toast.
Officiant: Father Remus Grama
Ceremony: St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church
Reception: St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church
Catering: Italian Creations
Wedding planner/coordinator: Abigale Blashinsky at Heart 2 Heart Occasions
DJ: Bogdan Enacache
Cake: Made by our family friend and one of the unofficial official bakers of the Romanian community – Corina Pasca
Florist: Plantscaping & Blooms
Dress store and designer: Alyssa Kristin, purchased from the Alyssa Kristin flagship store
Bride’s shoes: Sam Edelman (ceremony shoes), So Danca (reception shoes)
Engagement Ring: Gale Diamonds – custom design
Wedding bands: Bario Neal (Nadina’s)
Hair: Kaleigh Dudas
Makeup: Mane Chic – Lara
Signage-invites and seating: self-created by Nadina using templates from Zola and Canva
Linens etc.: L’Nique
Getting Ready Location: The Tremont Rod and Reel Club
Assistant: Parker Shaw
What a beautiful St. Mary’s Romanian Wedding!
Bonus link:
St. Mary’s Romanian Wedding info:
Thank you for viewing their St. Mary’s Romanian Wedding,
– Scott Shaw Photo | Cleveland Wedding Photographer
