The Wedding Guys Social Media Manager, Madison is traveling across Europe. Read about her latest adventures of bridal inspiration exploration in Saint Petersburg, Russia!
Greetings from Saint Petersburg, Russia! I have been having a fabulous time exploring and experiencing the different culture here in Saint Petersburg. For those of you who don’t know, Saint Petersburg is the second-largest city in Russia (behind Moscow). This city has a rich culture and beautiful scenery, as it is located on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. Picturesque canals lined with ornate architecture wind through the busy streets of the city. Saint Petersburg is noted for their fashion culture and many people consider it the cultural capital of Russia.
As I walked through the streets I was captivated by the beautiful canals, massive cathedrals and hundreds of busy Russian citizens, I stumbled upon the Sennaya Ploshchad or the Sennaya Square as we would say in English. This particular area is amazingly beautiful, lined with never-ending shops and cafes. The square is not just a meeting place for fashion and social lovers but it has been a landmark in the city for hundreds of years. The square was established in 1737 and served as a large marketplace where all kinds of goods were sold and traded. Saint Petersburg quickly became known for their large market in Sennaya Sqaure and it was known as being the most active market in town. Today, many of the buildings and shopping centers in the square still stand in original form from the 18th century.
As I browsed from shop to shop I knew I was bound to find some beautiful Russian Bridal fashion in the square, and sure enough I did! The beautiful building on the corner of Moskovsky Prospekt and Grivsova Lane was almost glimmering as the beautiful white gowns I had been searching for shone through the windows. The stunning building of IRINA-LUX captures the history of the square with its original 18th century architecture and detail, standing 3 stories tall it houses hundreds of the most beautiful and luxury Russian bridal gowns.
Unfortunately, due to store policies I was not able to photograph any of the amazing Russian designs, but I was able to soak in all the bridal beauty I could get and walked away with much more knowledge and a bag full of Russian bridal catalogs, (which I later had to translate of course!). IRINA-LUX is the leading Russian manufacturer of wedding and evening gowns; they carry the Russian designer exclusively in their shop and pride themselves on catering to both the traditional and modern Russian Bride, alike. The Saint Petersburg local who so graciously helped me communicate with the store attendants told me that many girls dream of finding their gown at this beautiful luxury salon. I think its safe to say that if ‘Say Yes To The Dress’ launched in Russia, this would be the venue!
As I entered the shop my eyes lit up, the detailed wallpaper, racks of glimmering lace veils and beaded hair pieces filled the walls of the entry way. A winding staircase leads you to multiple levels of bridal gown eye candy. As I browsed the fashions I was on visual overload. Traditionally, Russian bridal fashion follows the mindset of “the bigger the better” and that definitely held true at IRINA-LUX. Massive detailed ball-gowns designed for royalty filled the racks while even the simplest silhouettes featured hundreds if not thousands of Swarovski crystals and impeccable lace detailing. The Russian gowns speak for themselves, and the accessories are not lacking either, fur shawls added even more Russian culture to these amazing gowns.
Although I did see some of our favorite trending American bridal fashions within these gowns, the Russian bridal market definitely has a signature look. From the larger-than-life ball gowns to the Russian fur shawls, visiting this Saint Petersburg salon was surely a treat!
