Ina & David

Ina and David met in a very modern way. Online. But from the beginning, it was clear there was nothing casual about the connection. One detail on David’s profile caught Ina’s attention straight away. Five museum memberships. It was enough to spark curiosity.

Their first date lasted for hours. They talked and talked, completely absorbed, only realising the time when the French wine bar around them began to close. It didn’t feel like a first meeting. It felt easy. Familiar. Like two people discovering they spoke the same language. A shared love of culture, books, art, and beauty sat quietly at the centre of it all.

David’s proposal followed that same rhythm. Thoughtful, unforced, and perfectly timed. There were attempts and near moments in Sofia, Italy, and Barcelona, but life kept nudging them to wait. In the end, it happened on an ordinary Saturday afternoon. At home. After the gym. Before the opera. Sitting together on the sofa. No big gesture. No audience. Just certainty. It was exactly right because it reflected who they are.

Their wedding in Bulgaria felt like a continuation of that same story.

When I first imagined the ceremony, I kept coming back to the idea of a forest as it exists in stories. Not wild or dark, but quietly enchanted. The kind of place where time slows, where light flickers, and where something important is about to happen.

The ceremony took place in a forest clearing near Hotel Yastrebets, slightly hidden, as if you had to find it rather than arrive at it. The trees stood close, creating a natural sense of shelter, like a room shaped by nature itself. As daylight began to fade, the space transformed. Thousands of candles and fairy lights appeared between the branches, soft points of light glowing all around, as if the forest itself had been lit from within.

I wanted the setting to feel like a moment borrowed from an opera or a favourite book. A place where love feels timeless and slightly unreal, yet completely believable while you are inside it. Candles lined the aisle, light shimmered above, and the air felt hushed, expectant. It was not dramatic in a loud way. It was magical in a quiet one.

Standing there, it felt less like a ceremony space and more like stepping into another world. One where everything else fell away, and only this moment mattered.

The ceremony space was filled with abundant florals in dusty pink, light blue, warm white, and soft sage greenery. Nothing felt placed for effect. The flowers felt as though they belonged there, growing naturally among the trees rather than decorating them.

When the cello began to play, everything slowed. The sound carried gently through the forest, rich and emotional. Ina walked down the aisle through a path of rose petals, the moment tender and deeply felt. There were quiet glances, held hands, and a sense of connection that didn’t need words. It was intimate, emotional, and entirely sincere.

One of the most personal moments came with the rings. Because books and literature are so central to their lives, the rings were hidden inside a handmade secret box from a Shakespeare book. Its pages had been carefully crafted to hold small wooden heart boxes. It was simple, symbolic, and unmistakably theirs.

After the ceremony, guests gathered for welcome drinks overlooking the mountain views. Glasses of Italian prosecco were poured, brought from a small winery that Ina and David had discovered together while travelling in Italy. It was one of those details that felt natural rather than planned, turning a pause into a memory. Conversation flowed easily. Laughter carried across the terrace. There was no rush.

As evening arrived, guests stepped into the reception space and found themselves surrounded by soft light. Sheer fabrics, thousands of tiny lights overhead, and elegant floral arrangements echoed the ceremony’s mood. Each place setting held a name card attached to a miniature Greek god or goddess, sculptural and playful, a quiet nod to their love of museums and classical art.

Dinner unfolded like a long, beautiful evening among friends. Carefully paired wines were served, including bottles brought from Portugal in honour of David’s heritage. It felt indulgent but relaxed. Refined, yet warm. The kind of celebration where everyone feels they belong.

Ina and David’s wedding was never about spectacle. It was about meaning. About taking the things they love, art, books, travel, wine, music and letting them shape a day that feels intimate, romantic, and deeply personal.

A modern fairy tale, told softly. One you don’t just see. You feel.

Created with for Ina & Dave