As we prepare for our wedding day, our hearts are full — not only with excitement for the celebration ahead, but also with deep love for the people who will not be able to join us in person. Distance, circumstance, and time may keep us apart physically, but they remain an important part of our story and of this moment in our lives.

Svetlana’s Family in Russia

Much of Sveta’s maternal and paternal family — her grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins in St. Petersburg and Kungur, along with her older brother Dimitri, his wife and Sveta’s neice Adele in Samara — will be celebrating from afar. The world has made travel and reunions more complicated than they should ever be, but their support, warmth, and blessings are felt across every mile. We carry their presence with us as we move toward our wedding day, honoured by the love that spans oceans and borders.

Loved Ones We Remember

We are also holding close the memory of those who are no longer with us, but whose love continues to guide us:

Tesh’s paternal grandmother, Taraben, who passed in 2025 — a source of tradition, strength, comfort, and love within the family. She told Tesh’s parents about Svetlana and Nitesh: “they should just get married already, cheap and cheerful, sign some papers and be done with it!!”

Sveta’s paternal grandmother, Dorothy, who passed in 2022 — remembered for her warmth, giggles, love of cake, and constant support. She told Sveta, “Tesh seems very nice, we can tell. So happy for you and I wish you both all the best.”

Sveta’s biological father, Aleksander, who passed in 1993 — a quiet but enduring part of her heart and history - half the reason she’s on this earth.

They will be with us — not in body, but in spirit, in memory, and in love ♥︎