DASHA & STAN

MARRIED | PARK CHATEAU, EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ

When Dasha contacted me about her wedding over a year ago I was thrilled and beyond excited – not only did she have a beautiful vision for her day planned at the gorgeous Park Chateau, but she and Stan are such a kind couple whom I already knew from shooting Valine and Chris’ wedding in 2017.

If Stan’s proposal was any indication of how grand their wedding would be, the bar was set very high. During a trip to Paris for their three year anniversary, Stan took Dasha to the Pont de Bir-Hakeim Bridge where the view of the Eiffel Tower was breathtaking and the perfect backdrop to get down on one knee and ask the woman of his dreams to marry him. After popping the question, the photographer who captured the whole event, congratulated them and took them around Paris to take photos in the iconic city. The Park Chateau was the most fitting venue to carry out their grand, Parisian inspired wedding theme and the sunny day did not disappoint!

Upon walking into the bridal suite bright and early in the morning, I was greeted by the sound of clinking champagne glasses, ladies in petal pink robes and lots and lots of rollers and curling irons. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day because I start thriving on the anticipatory excitement of everyone getting ready for the festivities! Dasha looked head over heels stunning in hair and makeup – I couldn’t wait to see her in her gown. Her mom and sisters helped her with all her pretty details and then we headed out for the first look out by the chapel. Watching Dasha and Stan see each other for the first time were some of the sweetest moments of the day. Stan’s face lit up when he turned around and saw his gorgeous bride and joy was just radiating from Dasha. As if she could get any more beautiful!

Dasha and Stan celebrated an intimate wedding ceremony in the chapel incorporating the unity candle tradition with their mothers and an epic bubble exit after the service. A memorable moment during the service was when Fr. Corso asked each family member to bless the rings that they would share as a sign of their union. I love when family and friends are incorporated in meaningful ways in the day, and Dasha and Stan’s wedding took full advantage of all these opportunities. Not only did their bridal part include 24 of their closest friends and family, but their reception was full of rich tradition and dancing.

Half way through their reception the newlyweds changed into customary Slovak costume, along with friends and family, and harkened to a few of the most traditional Slovak marriage rituals, with a slight modern twist. Dasha led the parade of women onto the middle of the dance floor and sat waiting for her groom to come to her. Instead of the Best Man removing her veil from her head, her new husband did the honors and it was replaced with a čepiec, or handkerchief tying up her hair and signifying her new status as a married woman. The bride and groom proceeded to dance with the guests, linking arms and circling around each other until finally Stan whisked Dasha away before any of the other men could take her. It was a fun and entertaining part of the party and we captured so many awesome moments from it! Dasha then made her third and final dress change into her after party dress and the rest of the evening was filled with desserts and dancing. Cheers to the new Mr. and Mrs. Shyshkin! I wish you both a lifetime of joy and many blessings to come!