Vladimir Putin: "The Wedding Festival holds a special place in the celebration of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity"
On the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, 8 July, the III All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts" opened at the National Centre RUSSIA. Participants can look forward to two unforgettable days filled with love, unity and vibrant events. The celebration will bring together 186 couples in love. The main event — the simultaneous marriage registration ceremony in Moscow — will involve 150 couples from across the country and neighbouring countries. This year's key theme of the festival is "United in Love".
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, congratulated the participants of the III All-Russian Wedding Festival on the beginning of a new stage in their lives and wished them happiness. The head of state also emphasised that family relationships hold special value for Russians.
"Dear friends, I sincerely congratulate you on a major and significant event — the birth of a new family. I wish you happiness and well-being. Take care of each other. May your dreams come true. For each of us, family is a reliable source of support and the main value in life. It is largely at home, within the family circle, that a person's character and worldview are shaped, cultural traditions are established, along with such unshakable moral principles as caring for loved ones, love for the Motherland and a sense of involvement in its destiny. May you live in love and harmony!" Vladimir Putin emphasised.
The First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, Sergei Kiriyenko, spoke at the opening ceremony.
"Thank you for deciding to start your family on the day of a national, uniquely Russian holiday — the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity. More and more weddings in Russia are taking place on 8 July. This shows that our deeply historical, traditional, warm and sincere holiday brings together more and more people every year. There is a special belief: those who marry on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity are certain to be happy. And their children will be happy too. I am confident that this tradition will be passed down from generation to generation. Today, the festive atmosphere of love reigns not only at the National Centre RUSSIA, but across the country — in the Primorye Territory, Krasnoyarsk, Khanty-Mansiysk and many other regions. We wish you happiness, love and mutual understanding. And, as the President said: 'May there be more of us.' May there be more of you!" said the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia and Chair of the Organising Committee of the National Centre RUSSIA, Sergei Kiriyenko.
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Tatyana Golikova, noted that the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity is inseparably linked with the memory of the Right-Believing Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom. Their story became a symbol of marital devotion, mutual love and family happiness. They lived a long life together and left future generations an example of a strong and faithful union.
"The III All-Russian Wedding Festival is taking place in the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. You represent your regions — be proud of your traditions, preserve them and pass them on to future generations. The President, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, congratulates you, the National Centre congratulates you, and all of Russia sees and honours you. Today, more than 150 new families will be created — those being born here at the festival in Moscow. And I hope that many more families will be created across the country today. Russia has always been a stronghold of family and traditional values. Respect for the older generation and love for children are in our DNA. As you start your families today, carry these values with you throughout your lives. Of course, there will be quarrels, joys and sorrows. But that is what family means: being together in happy moments and difficult times alike. And the greatest happiness is the birth of children. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a happy, long life and a large multigenerational family, which is so important for our country," the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Tatyana Golikova, emphasised.
The main event of the Wedding Festival will be the simultaneous marriage registration of couples in love, including international and foreign couples from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. The ceremony will be marked by the passing on of the flame of the All-Russian Family Hearth "Heart of Russia". The newlyweds will receive from couples who married at previous festivals a flame from Murom, where the patron saints of marriage, Peter and Fevronia, lived.
New traditions are emerging at the festival. For the first time, the festival anthem was performed, written by Valentin Kucherenko, a groom from the Tyumen Region. The author is a veteran of the special military operation, awarded the Medal "For Courage", and currently serves as Chair of the city branch of the Tyumen Regional Public Organisation of Veterans of the special military operation "Derzhava" and a member of the fifth convocation of the Civic Chamber of the Tyumen Region.
"I was inspired to create the anthem by my muse — my bride, Alyona. She suggested that I try writing an anthem, as I already have some experience. I wrote the lyrics in two days, then returned to them a month later and spent a week making revisions — professionals gave me recommendations and also helped with recording the anthem itself. While working on the anthem, I wanted to emphasise the importance of the unity of the people, the strength of Russia, the greatness of the Motherland and pride in it. I also wanted to show that family and the purest feelings — love, devotion and tenderness — are the most important things in every person's life," Valentin Kucherenko shared.
Alongside the festival's opening ceremony, hosted by the married couple Regina Todorenko and Vlad Topalov, the first day will feature many romantic events for the future newlyweds. These include a yacht trip along the Moskva River and a festive procession along Vystavochny Lane, where the couples will see eight installation platforms dedicated to the cultural diversity of all the country's federal districts.
A concert featuring Russian artists will be held at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the festival. Another gift awaits the participants — the interactive exposition "Three Houses of a Russian Wedding". The exposition is dedicated to traditional weddings in peasant, merchant and noble families.
The second day of the festival, 9 July, will feature a cultural and educational programme. It will include lectures, open dialogues and meetings with well-known people.
One of the key events will be the musical and choreographic parable "Khorovod. Wedding" — a symbol of unity, strong bonds and the willingness to extend a hand to others. The khorovod will bring together all festival participants and, through traditional values that have always been based on love between a man and a woman, will showcase the diversity of the wedding traditions of the peoples of Russia.
The newlyweds will also be able to take part in a floristry workshop to create wreaths from fresh daisies. Everyone will have the opportunity to be creative and learn about the symbolism of the daisy wreath — flowers that represent love, romance and motherhood. Another vibrant event will be a culinary tournament for newlyweds. Six young families taking part in the festival will compete in preparing delicious appetisers, hot dishes and desserts.
The simultaneous marriage registration ceremony, the passing on of the flame of the All-Russian Family Hearth and the diverse cultural and educational programme will also take place at the regional branches of the National Centre RUSSIA in Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk and Khanty-Mansiysk.
The full festival programme is available on the Russia.ru website in the "Events" section. The National Centre RUSSIA is organising the festival jointly with the Moscow Government and the Moscow Civil Registry Office.
The I All-Russian Wedding Festival was held in 2024 as part of the International RUSSIA EXPO. A total of 221 couples married there. In 2025, the event was held at the National Centre RUSSIA, where another 206 families were created. The event has become annual and will be held on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.
Event photobank
The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, congratulated couples getting married at the III All-Russian Wedding Festival.
On this day, ceremonial and festive events are held across the country, bringing together families of different generations.
On 8 July, Russia celebrates the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, a holiday timed to coincide with the feast day of the Russian Orthodox saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom.
