Featured Image Credit: SWNS
Topics: Wedding
Callum Jones
A couple from Ukraine who recently got married in the UK were surrounded by pictures of their family who couldn't make it.
Since getting together in 2019, Maria Bilyk, 23, and Vitalij Melynik, 27, maintained a long-distance relationship.
Vitalij has lived in the UK for the past decade, but Maria only moved recently.
Vitalij proposed to his now wife while visiting Ukraine in December 2021, with the couple planning to tie the knot in the following June.
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But after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, the wedding was postponed, and Maria was forced to flee.
After leaving behind her mum and sister, Maria crossed the Polish border to Warsaw and waited three weeks to get a visa so she could move to the UK to be with her husband.
Now, the couple are settled in West London, and their postponed wedding took place on 14 November.
Maria said: ""Before the war, we just wanted to have a nice big wedding in Ukraine with all of our family and friends.
"We also wanted to have a ceremony in the church and then have a lot of flowers. It would be magical.
"It was still really special even though we couldn't have most of our relatives there.
"Now, the only thing we really want is for the war to finish - and for us to celebrate a big wedding where we could invite as many people as possible!"
Despite missing a lot of people at the wedding - Maria still said it was a special day - with her mum in attendance.
She said: "The wedding has overcome my expectations! The Bridebook and Hedsor team did an amazing job with everything!
"My favourite part of a wedding was an actual ceremony. It was a really special moment.
"We were just holding our hands and looking in each other's eyes and had to make our vows. The things that the Registrar was saying were really touching!"
Maria has recalled the 'horrifying' time she had trying to escape her own country after Russia had invaded.
She said: "It was horrifying as I didn't know what was going to happen in Ukraine - there were explosions near my home.
"But I have decided to leave because of Vitalij.
"My mum and my sister chose not to flee Ukraine. They simply didn't want to leave their husbands behind.
"I felt alone in that way - I just couldn't stay in Ukraine not knowing if I was ever going to see Vitalij again."