Romantic Serbian Winery Wedding | Milena + Razvan

Fans of hospital romances, this love story is for you!

During their residency in Vienna, surgeon Milena and anesthesiologist Razvan met while working in the ICU. The night of their first date, Razvan knew Milena was THE person when he saw her getting out of the cab in her yellow Converse, black jeans, and black shirt.

Meanwhile, Milena’s moment was more of a slow burn. “For me, it was a natural thing after dating for some time and loving each other. And after COVID hit and we were guaranteed to be together for 5 weeks at home and had the best time, I knew then I wanted to get married!”

Fast forward to three years later when they were laying in bed talking and decided to go ring shopping together. “He then bought the ring alone and handed it to me as a surprise one date night. I asked him if there was something he wanted to ask me? And he said: yes – do you like it? That was it!”

wedding dress: Lea-Ann Belter Astrid via the flagship Lea-Ann Belter Toronto bridal boutique | photographer: Nikola Radulovic | scroll down for full vendor list

Their Serbian winery wedding was actually a part two. Explains Milena, “We’d already gotten married on paper in Vienna (where we live) in November 2021. Then we had a very intimate celebration of closest family and friends. Unfortunately, my mom got COVID 3 days before, and so my parents couldn’t make it.

Our church wedding and celebration in Serbia was mainly for my parents, as Razvan’s parents couldn’t make it to this one (they live in a very small city northeast of Romania, and his dad was too sick to travel, and his mom wouldn’t leave him). So, my parents invited all the friends and family, and we had a big wedding of 180 guests.”

When it came to planning their wedding, it was done all from afar, as Razvan was in Toronto for his fellowship. Milena moved there during her maternity leave, and that’s when she found her Lea-Ann Belter gown.

“During my first wedding dress shopping trip at Kleinfeld’s, I realized I wanted an A-line gown, with no V-neck, glitter, and maybe not even lace. I wanted something minimalist and elegant made from natural, high-quality fabric. However, at the end of the appointment, they told me I wouldn’t be able to have any of the dresses I liked ready by June 2023.

Naturally, I panicked and immediately started looking for other wedding dress boutiques—that’s when I ran into Lea-Ann Belter. I immediately found five dresses I loved, saw that they can be custom altered and made from 100% silk. At the time my husband was working, and I had a small baby I had to take with me to appointments. Coming in the store I knew that I would find my wedding dress there and the Astrid gown was definitely my favorite. Even though I couldn’t try Astrid on in the store, Vanessa showed me the silk skirt from another dress that would be the same fit as the Astrid gown. I knew it was the one, so after 30 minutes I decided and ordered it on the spot! Also, as I already had a civil wedding where I had a very basic white pencil-type dress, I knew I wanted to have a big, A-gown for this celebration!”

Like her dress, the winery in Serbia was booked without seeing it in person—Milena and Razvan were still in Toronto, so her parents found them the perfect spot.

“We knew we wanted it to be in Serbia where I come from, since the best parties we’ve ever had are there, we love going there, and it was the most convenient for my big family. The venue was chosen because it is such a beautiful winery, in the north of Serbia. There, we could have an outside wedding with Tuscan feeling. We both love Italy and our first holiday together was at an amazing spa/winery hotel in Tuscany. Plus, the winery in Serbia could accommodate 180 people and not feel stuffed. Since Razvan and I were both in Toronto, neither of us actually visited the venue. So my parents chose it and we were absolutely blown away on the day of our wedding how beautiful it was!”

Read on for more about their fabulous day and some really great planning advice from Milena!

Tell us about your day!

“After all the stress of organizing the wedding from afar with an 11-month-old baby, the day itself was actually so amazing and stress-free! After a month of rain and a couple of super-hot days we had the best possible weather. It was sunny, a bit cloudy, no rain, and a maximum of 26 degrees so we were actually the first outdoor event/wedding the winery hosted this year!

We had good wedding planners, two of them who made the day absolutely amazing and stress-free, and our favorite best nanny came from Vienna to look after our baby boy for the whole day!

Our favorite part was just celebrating with our friends! So, after getting all the wedding “duties” over—all the wedding guest photos (it’s a must in Serbian weddings), our photo shoot and putting our son to sleep, as it was pretty stressful for him at the end with so many new people. We just had the best time dancing, singing, talking and drinking with all our friends and family. That is also the best reflection of us as a couple, natural, spontaneous with absolutely no planning of anything in advance. We loved our first dance, as we didn’t prepare for it at all, and all our guests joined us after a minute, and it was the most romantic thing.”

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?

“Just that both of us enjoy it, have an amazing time, and look back on it as one of our favorite days!”

Any tips for couples getting married?

“Even if you sometimes can’t make/organize the day only about you two, and sometimes have to respect other people’s wishes (your parents), it is ultimately a celebration of your love and nothing else. When that day comes, the only thing that matters is that all these people came to witness your love and celebrate you two, so have fun and enjoy it!”