A Ukrainian couple married atop a New York skyscraper and three hours later flew to Italy to marry war-fleeing family members.


  • Daria Sokol and Anton Topeka got married at Top of the Rock for a $40 admission ticket.

  • The Ukrainian couple flew to Italy for their second celebration with their families.

  • Sokol is wearing two gowns, one of which Sokol’s mother packed when she fled Ukraine in February.

A Ukrainian couple living in New York tied the knot at the top of Rockefeller Center in May. Three hours later, they boarded a plane to Italy for their second wedding with a family who had fled the recent invasion.

Daria Sokol, a 29-year-old travel blogger known by her social media handle @daria.newyorktold Insider he met his partner Anton Topikha, 34, when he moved to New York three years ago after moving to Washington, D.C. from Ukraine. I still have relatives in Europe.

Sokol shared a video of the ceremony with her 20,000 followers on Instagram She wrote in the caption that she chose Top of the Rock because it was “the best view in the world.” She was wearing a long-sleeve wrap dress by a Russian designer. vesna weddingand the groom wore a navy suit.

Sokol said when she started planning her wedding last year, she initially wanted to have the wedding in Italy because her parents couldn’t get visas for the US. According to the Weddings in Tuscany website, US Citizens Married in Italy An affidavit by the American Consulate in Italy and an affidavit from the Italian Consulate in America or an Italian court is required.

According to Sokol, the couple ultimately decided to hold their legal ceremony in New York before traveling to southern Italy on the same day. They had about 34 guests, Sokol told Insider.

The couple married one witness and photographer

Sokol said it was important not to have a court wedding, saying it would be “a tough image”.

“I love New York because I wanted something so pretty,” she said. “My husband is the same, so it was very special to get married in front of a beautiful building in the city.”

top of the rock wedding

Dalia Sokol and Anton Topeka got married at Top of the Rock with general admission tickets.@ivanshatokhin

Aside from the wedding officiant, the couple had one guest at the wedding, a close friend and photographer known by their Instagram handles. @ivanshatokhin.

The husband and wife, the officiant, and the witnesses, $40 general admission ticket to the observatory. Sokol told Insider that he didn’t have to pay extra to have the wedding there, nor did he have to notify the building in advance.

“I don’t think you could bring the whole party there, but it was just the two of us, a witness and a photographer,” she said. did not.”

Sokol said her daughter’s wedding dress was the first thing her mother packed after fleeing Ukraine.

On June 14, Sokol shared the following video on Instagram. her father took her down the aisle at the second wedding in Villa Zagara Sorrentohistoric villa in Sorrento, Italy.

She wrote in the caption that she doesn’t know when her parents, who are in their 60s, will be able to attend. Russia declares war on Ukraine February 24th.

She told Insider that when her parents decided to flee Ukraine on the fifth day of the invasion, she packed a bag of essentials, including a strapless A-line gown, Sokol’s second wedding dress. . Sokol said the dress was ordered online and delivered to her family’s home in Kharkiv before the war started.

wedding in italy

A couple at a wedding ceremony in Sorrento, Italy.Maria Mikhailuk

“They didn’t know whether to stay or leave, so the decision to go was made very quickly.

When it came to key items, Sokol’s mother thought of two dresses: Sokol’s wedding dress and her own wedding dress. Sokol said her mother exclaimed, “Your wedding dress was the first thing we packed to bring.”

Sokol’s parents currently live with her in the United States. While she’s grateful they’re safe, she said it’s hard to adjust because she doesn’t speak English, and they had to “start life from scratch.”

“I am very happy that everything is going well and that we are safe,” Sokol said. “That’s the most important thing.”

Read the original article at insider