Two Sisters Sharing A Wedding Day – An Italian Garden Inspired Double Wedding!

The idea of a double wedding initially came up as a joke.

Sisters Ylyana and Lina were both head over heels for their partners. Ylyana had just gotten engaged to Stan on a family trip to Hawai’i. Lina + Vitali weren’t yet engaged, but the sisters and their soulmate laughed together when Ylyana + Stan started considering wedding venues and Vitali joked that they should all tie the knot all at the same time. 

It wasn’t much longer until Vitali got down on one knee and proposed to and Lina. The freshly engaged sisters and their fiancés had already gotten excited about exquisite + stately venue Lairmont Manor in Bellingham, Washington, and the idea of a double wedding quickly started sounding more and more realistic. And just like that Ylyana + Stan and Lina + Vitali found themselves planning one big wedding together!

“Ylyana happily accepted responsibility for the theme and style of their big day,” the sisters say. “She found inspiration in the venue’s beautiful grounds, proposing an ‘Italian Garden’ theme that won everyone over.”

With the help of coordinators from Jubilee Weddings and Events the team of four planned a romantic Italy-inspired wedding that filled Lairmont Manor with fresh + breezy color. “A color palette of lemon yellow and dusty blue reflected the vibrant hues of a Mediterranean summer with elements like olive tree greenery and garden roses bringing the beauty of the Italian countryside to their celebration.”

One of the best parts? “Early on, we discovered the beauty of a double wedding,” the sisters + their now-husbands say. “More people to split the many planning tasks!”

We are so delighted to be able to share Ylyana and Lina’s dreamy double wedding with you thanks to these gorgeous shots from Lena Plotnikova.

This one’s dedicated to sisterly love! Let’s take a look.

We love the simplicity of the couples’ script invitations. Check out our list of the best minimal wedding invitations if you’re digging these tasteful + elegant paper goods as much as we are.

The sisters each went for wedding gowns that felt representative of their personalities and personal style. Lina snagged her etheral yet elegant flower strap dress (left) from Anthropologie Weddings, and Ylyana embraced bridal elegance with her timeless structured bodice off the shoulder look (right) from David’s Bridal.

Very into Lina’s pearly white wedding nails!

Also, how delicate + sophisticated are Ylyana’s pearly wedding earrings??

We know these stunning sisters might be easy to confuse at first glance, but that’s Ylyana on the left in the classic high slit gown and Lina on the right in the dress with the tulle skirt.

Hair-wise, Lina went for a romantic half up half down wedding look and Ylyana opted for a sophisticated bridal updo.

We love the flowy and airy vibe of Lina’s dress which she says perfectly matched her personality. “My favorite feature of the dress was the dress straps, which were floral in the back.”

“For my wedding dress, I wanted something that exuded timeless elegance,” Ylyana says, “and I found the perfect gown at David’s Bridal. Customizing some details turned out to be a great decision, as it perfectly complemented my vision of elegance”

Look through our list of all the best elegant wedding dresses if you’re loving Ylyana’s bridal vibe as much as we are.

First Look(s)!

Everybody, meet Vitali! Lina’s other half!

And here’s Stan! Ylyana’s forever person.

The Ceremony

Lillers outfitted the ceremony with lush, mostly white floral arrangements that gave the celebration an air of airy, Italian abundance.

LOVE this shot of the sisters getting ready to walk down the aisle!

Lina ordered that gorgeous custom wedding veil from Etsy. “It had the same floral pattern on the train of the veil as my dress straps,” Lina remembers. “The veil was cathedral length, which also highlighted my personality.”

So exciting to see not just one happy groom waiting at the altar…

…but two!!

Our Favorite Memory
From Ylyana + Stan: "Some of our favorite wedding day memories include having Ylyana's and Lina's younger brother, David Shershunov, officiate our ceremony, which felt truly special to us. It was a heartfelt and unforgettable moment that added a unique touch to our day."
From Lina + Vitali: "Vitali and Lina's favorite wedding day memories were the first look because of how emotional and touching it was, and our first dance. We secretly took private dance lessons (and forgot that we wanted to do this, so this all happened in the two weeks leading up to the big day,) but we both picked up the steps super well, and the dance turned out amazing! We surprised ourselves and our family."

Our Musical Choices
Processional
"Perfect Symphony" by Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli (grooms) + Pachelbel's “Canon” by Johann Pachelbel (Lina) + "Somewhere in Time" by Roger Williams (Ylyana)
Recessional
"Marry You" by Bruno Mars
First Dance
"L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole

The grooms’ matching light neutral three-piece wedding suits came from Men’s Warehouse.

Every bride deserves a super-cool bridal sunglasses moment!

How beautiful are these blue botanical bridesmaid looks! Check out our fave floral bridesmaid dresses for even more flower print bridal party ideas.

Are you ready for Lina + Vitali’s super cute “how they found each other” story? “Vitali and Lina met on a dark and peaceful Wednesday evening at Saint Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral. Lina spotted a tall and handsome gentleman in a suit, someone she had never seen before, and she wondered where he came from.”

“Later that evening, Lina and Ylyana happen to stand in line next to a lady who they have also never met before, and it turned out to be Vitali’s mom. They all quickly became friends while standing in line, and she happened to tell us that they recently started going to this church, and she wanted to introduce us to her son. Later that evening, Vitali and Lina ran into each other on their way out of church and quickly exchanged names. They would not see each other for another month because Ylyana and Lina went to Europe. When they returned, Lina saw Vitali again at church and was so excited to get a chance to talk to him again. They later exchanged phone numbers and went on their first date that week. Vitali cooked Lina dinner on their first date, and the rest is history.”

As for Ylyana + Stan? “The story unfolds with the enchanting ambiance of St.Patrick’s Day in Kirkland, WA,” remembers the couple. “We first encountered each other over a coffee date and scenic stroll along the shores of Lake Washington. What could have been an ordinary coffee date sparked our love for each other and molded our hearts together. Our time together has been filled with precious moments that created a lifetime of memories and support for one another when life got in the way, pandemic be damned! Our countless travel adventures helped us realize that home is wherever we are together.”

Our Advice
From Ylyana: "Our wedding was a double ceremony, a unique choice that added an extra layer of magic to our special day. It felt like we were pioneers, navigating the logistics of this uncommon but incredibly rewarding experience. Despite the challenges, we highly recommend it to couples considering this unique celebration but be prepared to invest time and patience. Approaching it with an open mind was key for us. Despite the challenges, our journey taught us a lot about the importance of communication, compromise, and resilience, resulting in a truly unforgettable day that we will cherish for the rest of our lives."
From Lina: "Start planning as soon as possible! Once we settled on the venue, we started looking at the next big vendors such as catering and photography, but we put everything else off for another few months. I feel that we got lucky because there were four of us instead of two, so we managed to split up tasks and get everything done in time. I wish we did not take any time off from ANY of the planning and did one thing every day because that last month was extremely stressful.

Enjoy the day as much as possible. Get up early, get a coffee and breakfast to go while you get your make-up and hair done with your ladies, and take photos and videos for memories!

Try to mentally prepare yourself. There will always be something stressful that happens the day of the wedding (two of our guests and their plus-ones canceled day-of, so the seating chart was messed up and two of the vendors arrived late) - I wish I did not give any thought or care to those tiny inconveniences. That's why you hire a day-of-coordinator, so they can move the seating chart around and get started on some of the tasks that need to be done!

Enjoy every moment of the big day!! Everything always works out the way it should."

The Reception

Totally charmed by this flower-themed reception seating chart!

Rentals from Cranberry Sky outfitted the reception tent with details like vintage gold and blue goblets and the vintage brass candlesticks. Those were paired with gauzy dusty blue table runners and crisp white linens that embraced the Italian Garden theme.

La Creme catered the evening’s meal, and My Perfect Bartender was on hand pouring drinks for Lina + Vitali, Ylyana + Stan, and their guests.

Look at those adorable custom lemon escort cards!

Is there anything more precious than a flower girl dress with a giant bow?

The couples went with fragrant lemon soap favors as a memento to show their appreciation for their guests.

Check out our collection of creative wedding guest favor ideas to start putting together the perfect guest gift for your own “I do’s”

Glorious pale yellow and ivory flower arrangements surrounded the double sweetheart table.

Both brides swapped into stunning reception dresses for the rest of the celebration. Lina went with this silver sequin body con dress from Lulus…

…and Ylyana chose the V. Chapman Jolie Corset Ruffle Lace Maxi Gown from Anthropologie in white. “This dress was feminine and suited the romantic tone of our dance perfectly,” Ylyana says.

“Inspired by Italian wedding traditions, we decided to add a special touch by decorating our cake in front of all our guests, just like in Italy,” say the sisters and their husbands of slicing into the homemade cake that Ylyana and the brides’ mom (aka Natalka’s Cakery) created together.

“It was such a fun and memorable moment for us, and our guests absolutely loved it! We made the traditional Italian Millefoglie wedding cake and added fresh fruits during the cake-cutting event.”

Congratulations to all four of you on this delightful double wedding! To Ylyana + Stan and Lina + Vitali: all of us at GWS are sending TWICE the well wishes!