From the school bench in Vietnam to the wedding altar: the National Centre RUSSIA will unite the hearts of Artyom and Elizaveta

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We keep sharing the love stories of the attendees of the 2nd All-Russian Wedding festival "Russia. Connecting Hearts", which will be held at the National Centre RUSSIA on July 8-10.  Artyom Kireev and Elizaveta Gimbut grew up together in an exotic country, but they always knew that their real home was Russia.

The young people's acquaintance began very far away — thousands of kilometers from their homeland. They went to school of the Russian Embassy in Vietnam, and sat at the same desk since the first grade. Under the hot Asian sun, their friendship grew stronger, and then warm feelings were born, which eventually turned into deep affection.

"We grew up together under the warm Vietnamese sun, and our friendship grew stronger year after year. Over time, it imperceptibly grew into something more, and together we decided to enroll in universities in Moscow. It was in Russia that we felt truly at home for the first time — it was calm, reliable and warm there. This is where we decided to build our family, because it was Russia that really united our hearts," Artyom said.

It is symbolic that the marriage proposal was made where it all began, in Vietnam. Artyom prepared a touching surprise for Lisa, repeating the scene of their first date.

"We deliberately chose this place to connect one of the most important moments of our lives with our childhood, with our youth. Artyom handed me an envelope, the same as the one which he had first used to ask me for a date in 2018. I opened it, and I found in my hands a new letter — with declaration of love, and a question, to which there could be no other answer than "Yes." This letter has pulled a touching thread from the very beginning of our story to its new, important turn," Elizabeth shared her memories of the landmark event.

The 2nd All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Connecting Hearts" will be held at the National Centre RUSSIA on July 8-10. On the Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness on July 8, an unprecedented number of couples will get married at the same time at the event site. The festival is organized in continuation of tradition of the First All-Russian Wedding Festival, which took place in 2024 at the International RUSSIA EXPO.