Egor & Ekaterina: An Intimate Family Ceremony

Egor and Ekaterina’s wedding shows how an intimate registry office ceremony can become one of the warmest days of the year. It did not take a large guest list or elaborate decorations to make it feel like a true celebration.

The ceremony took place at the Tsaritsyno Registry Office in Moscow, in a setting that naturally lends itself to a calm rhythm. There were no grand columns or the formality of the city’s central wedding palaces, but the room had beautiful natural light and the building was surrounded by greenery.

Only their closest family and friends were there. This is what makes a small ceremony so special: it stops feeling like a formal event for a large group of relatives and becomes something deeply personal. I photograph weddings like this differently, with fewer wide scenes and more attention to details, glances and hands. Nobody is performing for the camera, and the photographs feel alive because of it.

After the ceremony, we took a short walk nearby for a relaxed portrait session, without a long list of locations or time spent travelling between them.

Intimate weddings have a special place in my work. They are every bit as emotional and visually rich as large celebrations; often, their slower pace leaves even more room for sincerity.