Ukrainian couple got married on top of a skyscraper in New York: how it was

The Ukrainian couple, who live in New York, got married in May on the roof of Rockefeller Center. Three hours later, they flew to Italy to celebrate another wedding with a family that had fled the war in Ukraine. The edition told in more detail Insider.

Daria Sokol, a 29-year-old travel blogger known as @daria.newyork, said she met her partner, 34-year-old Anton Topiga, when she moved to New York three years ago after moving from Ukraine to Washington, DC. According to Sokol, Topiga has been living in the US for over 20 years, although he still has relatives in Europe.

On May 3, Daria shared a video of the ceremony with her 20 Instagram followers, writing underneath that they chose the location because it is "the best view in the world." She wore a long-sleeved wrap dress by designer Vesna Wedding, while the groom wore a navy blue suit.

Sokol said her parents were unable to get a US visa when she first started planning the wedding last year, so they initially wanted to have it in Italy until they figured out how many paperwork would be required. According to the Weddings in Tuscany website, US citizens who are married in Italy must have an affidavit at a US consulate in Italy, as well as an affidavit at an Italian consulate in the US or in an Italian court.

The couple ultimately decided to have a legal ceremony in New York before heading to southern Italy that same day. Their second wedding ceremony and reception took place in Sorrento. There were about 34 guests at the celebration.

The couple got married with one witness and a photographer

It was important for the bride that there should not be a wedding in the courthouse, because, according to her, it would be “gloomy”.

“I wanted something very beautiful, and I really love New York,” she said. “My husband too, so getting married in front of all these beautiful buildings in the city was special.”

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In addition to the wedding master of ceremonies, the couple had only one guest at the wedding - a close friend and photographer, known by his Instagram handle. @ivanshatokhin.

The couple, the clergyman, and their witness bought a joint admission ticket to the observation deck for $40. Daria explained that they did not have to pay extra for the wedding there and did not need to notify the building administration in advance.

“I wouldn’t have thought that a whole group could be brought there, but there were only two of us, plus a witness and a photographer,” she said. "We didn't bother anyone."

According to her, the first thing her mother packed when she fled Ukraine was her daughter's wedding dress.

On June 14, Daria shared on Instagram a video of her father leading her down the aisle during her second wedding at the historic Zagara Sorrento villa in Sorrento, Italy.

She wrote that she did not know if her parents, who are in their sixties, would be able to attend after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

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The new wife said that when her parents decided to flee Ukraine on the fifth day of the invasion, they packed one bag of essentials, as well as her wedding dress, a strapless A-line dress (also from Vesna Wedding). According to her, the dress was ordered online and delivered to her parents' house in Kharkiv before the start of the war.

“The decision to run was made very quickly. They didn’t know what was better: to stay or leave — people were shot,” the Ukrainian woman noted, adding that, according to her mother, they had only 30 minutes to get ready.

When it came to important things, the girl's mother thought of her daughter's two wedding dresses and hers: "The wedding dress was the number one thing we packed to take with us."

Daria Sokol's parents now live with her in the United States. They are grateful for the security, but it was difficult for them to adjust because they don't speak English. They had to "start life from scratch."

“We are very glad that everything worked out and they are safe,” the daughter rejoices. - It is most important".