Real Bride: Zarja & Nontas

Oct 22, 2015

For Zarja and Nontas their ten year relationship was filled with love, but it was tricky at times. From 4 years long distance to moving from their home in the US to the UK, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. To celebrate their ten year anniversary and finally being properly together Zarja and Nontas gathered their families (most of whom had never met!) at the undeniably fabulous Ritz London. Their adorable ten month son even made an appearance, and it was all captured by the talented Amy Fanton.

Posted on One Fab Day.

Zarja and Nontas sat beside each other throughout their lectures in their last semester of graduate school. Both too shy to approach the other it was a few weeks before Nontas proposed a date, and even then things didn’t at first go to plan. Zarja admits…“I had to reject him – I had tickets to a U2 concert for that night! I thought he’d give up, but he persisted and we had a lovely Italian dinner a few days later. Our wedding day marked 10 years since we first became a couple.”

For the first four years of their relationship Zarja and Nontas dated long distance – with half of their time spent between Europe and the US. Gradually they agreed they wanted to be together for real and on New Year’s Nontas proposed with a beautiful ring in the equally beautiful St. Lucia.

Now based in the UK Zarja and Nontas gathered their families in London to celebrate. As most of their family had never been before Zarja and Nontas really wanted everyone to experience the city. Zarja recounts…“We wanted our wedding to be a family event. We’re both crazy about our families, and they came from Slovenia, Greece and the US; for most, if was their first time to London – and for the most part, the families from either side had not met before! So, we planned for a weekend of activities, starting with a cocktail master class in central London, for everyone to get to know each other in a relaxed environment, and ending with a brunch at our home in Hampstead. We planned for the ceremony and the reception to be an intimate event, telling our story and reflecting who we are. In the end, it was all we ever wanted, and more.”

The location for their elegant family wedding was the beautiful Ritz, which originally Zarja didn’t even consider as a possible wedding venue. She explains…“Funnily enough, I didn’t even want to go see the venue when proposed by the wedding planner. I thought it was too rich and too ornate for our taste. We were looking for relaxed and understated elegance. Surely enough, as soon as I walked into the Ritz, I fell in love with the venue – the colours, the light, the high ceilings, the elegance and the diversity of the rooms (we hired three rooms!), the tranquil little garden… The central location was perfect for our guests and we also very much liked the privacy; while we were in the hotel, it felt like we had the place (William Kent House) to ourselves.”

For their honeymoon Zarja and Nontas are planning a romantic safari in Africa next year. A huge congratulations to you both and thanks so much for sharing your beautiful Ritz wedding with us all. A big thank you also goes to Amy Fanton for sharing her work with us, to see more from Amy Fanton visit www.fantonphotography.com