Costumed PROMENADE
Gastronomic THEATRE
Immersive BALL
Wedding SOIREE
We invite you to the ambiance of balls of different epochs. This is an atmosphere of exalted feelings, pleasent words, music and waltz.
P.S. Dear guests, if you have any specific eating habits (vegetarian/allergies, etc.), please let us know: info@tobelove.ru
I
Peter the First (1682-1725)
This was a time of large-scale transformations in the way the people lived. Peter the First, by cutting a window to Europe, founded the Russian Empire. Fashion was all about foreign trends.Although Peter was always a more applied person, far from the entertainment of the refined world, he actively sought to make the social life of Russia in a Western manner.He was an ardent admirer of shipbuilding, who had studied this craft in the Netherlands and was more sympathetic to the Germans. But then the tone for Europe was set by France, and to be precise, by Versailles. Therefore, magnificent outfits were in fashion, and the baroque style under the authorship of Rastrelli prevailed in the architecture of educated St. Petersburg.
Peter did not hesitate to have fun. The Most Joking Cathedral is known, where the imperator himself took part in the completely unprecedented Sabantuy, at which some literally drank themselves to death. Dwarfs, jesters and unlimited amounts of vodka - that's fun according to Peter’s point of view.
Portrait of Peter the First
Assemblies
Assemblies are the prototype of a noble ball, a celebration introduced by Peter the First into the cultural life of Russian society in December 1718. The idea of assemblies was borrowed by Peter from the forms of leisure he saw in Europe. They were held in all seasons, in the summer - in the open air.
Peter and Paul Cathedral
The Bronze Horseman
The Bronze Horseman is a monument to Peter the First on Senate Square in St. Petersburg by the sculptor Falcone. Its opening took place on August 7 (18), 1782. The monument is made of bronze. The name "bronze" was assigned to him thanks to the poem by A. S. Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman"
This is what fun looked like in the most jesting, most drunken and most mad cathedral.
At that time, pompous outfits for both women and men came into fashion
II
Catherine the Great (1762-1796)
We are making a big leap towards the reign of Catherine the Great. She was German by origin, but the moment she arrived in Russia, it was a love at first sight.
She overthrew her husband, Peter the Third, thanks to her closest associate, Count Orlov, who later became her favorite for quite a time. One of many. Catherine had a number of them. She saw the special talents of people, so many of the chosen ones could have been called outstanding people.
For example, Prince Potemkin — a former governor in the conquered Crimea. From there, the famous Potemkin villages appeared. There was a funny incident when Orlov and Potemkin met on the stairs leading to the chambers of the Empress.
Potemkin demanded : "What do they say in the world? "
Orlov replied: “They say that I am going down, and you are going up ...”
Although Catherine used to change her favorites, before becoming ones they all had to go through a very strict selection. They had to not only have impeccable manners, be skilled in intimate matters, but also understand art. There was a reason for this as Catherine was a great fan of the greatest enlighteners, she even had a long correspondence with Voltaire.T
his is the time of the heyday of Russia, conquests, where a person with intelligence and talent could have achieved everything he wanted.
Portrait of Catherine the Great
Portrait of Count Orlov
Portrait of General Potemkin
Empress Catherine the Great was especially fond of masquerades. In addition to big balls and receptions, in the Hermitage masquerades were given at the court every Friday in special halls for the nobility (in the gallery) and for the merchants. These balls often gathered about five hundred masks.
Imperial Hermitage
Imperial Hermitage
The style of Catherine the Great implied the use of the so-called "blonde" lace - the thinnest delicate fabric of light colors. The most popular were gold, silver and white laces; often lace was decorated with glass beads or white silk
III
Alexander the First (1801-1825)
We know about this time from Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace. That was a time of the Napoleonic wars. The Russians changed the course of politics by winning the war over the greatest political leaders of the Western World of that time. Russia became a full-fledged European power.
The brilliant officers became frequent visitors of the defeated Paris, which could not have led to no circumstances, so it was a step to a further stagnation of Nicholas.
At that time the educated members of the society in Russia spoke French better than Russian and furthermore, some might not have spoken Russian at all. It was not about fashion but the fact that the whole world admired a self-made man - Napoleon.
A man who achieved exceptional success and absolute power not by birthright, but thanks to his talents. Therefore, they were often compared with Alexander, and as it could be understood not in the favor of the latter.
Still there was something spectacular created by the Russians not connected to politics but to art as one of the masterpieces was created at that time, War and Peace as stated before.
Portrait of Alexander the First
“Decembrists on the Senate Square”, V.F. Timm
“Natasha Rostova's Ball” - a scene from the novel by L.V. Tolstoy "War and Peace". Artist L. Pasternak
Portrait of L. N. Tolstoy, one of the most famous Russian writers and author of the novel "War and Peace"
Portrait of Alexander the First
Portrait of L. N. tolstoy
Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte
IV
Nicholas the First (1825-1855)
Niсholas the first. Nicholas was overshadowed by the uprising of the Decembrists, who demanded the overthrow of the autocracy. As expected, it led to a rather tough policy towards freethinkers.Nicholas prepared for military service, and until the end of his life called himself simply "grenadier colonel."
The political situation had a great effect on the way of life of the whole society. . Signs of that time: censorship, the estrangement of Russia from the European world. The dominance of the bureaucracy, which russian writers as Gogol brought up in their works.
Still that time was very romantic as such restrictions inspired the greatest poets and writers. Pushkin and Lermontov were among those known till nowadays.
As for the trends among the society, the Byronic fashion was the one spread. A perfect prototype of a man of that time was Evgenii Onegin from Pushkin’s novel, a melancholic, gloomy type, bored and tired of life, even from pleasures, the one looking for a storm.
In general, the Russian high society of that time was completely fascinated by Anglomania. British influence could have been seen and felt everywhere from fashion to literature and magazines. A sad and at the same time ironic fact is that Nicholas died soon after his crushing defeat by the British during the Crimean War.
Portrait of Nicholas the First
“Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog”
“Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog” is a painting by the German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. This picture best represents the mood of the Byronic hero
Costume ball in the Winter Palace
Crimean War
Portrait of Alexander Pushkin, the great Russian poet and playwright
Nicholas 1 and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna
Portrait of Nikolai Gogol, Russian prose writer and playwright, author of the world-famous novel "The Inspector General"
V
Alexander the Second (1855-1881)
Also known as the Liberator King. Alexander the Second carried out large-scale reforms, the most significant of which was the abolition of serfdom.
Alexander carried out a judicial reform, established a magistrate's court, making justice accessible to ordinary people.
He led a progressive economic policy, the reverse side of which turned into social inequality. The population of cities was dramatically growing. The liberated peasants rushed to the cities, which led to a huge difference in the standard of living of the urban population.
Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" best illustrates this period of time. Petersburg appeared, albeit majestic, but dark, painfully uncomfortable, an oppressive city, where there was practically nothing for the poor.
All this gave rise to discontent, which eventually led to repeated attempts on the king. Unfortunately, one of the attempts led to And, unfortunately, one of the attempts reached its goal.
Portrait of Alexander the Second
Assassination of Alexander the Second on March 1, 1881. Artist M.P. Silaev
Ball in the Concert Hall of the Winter Palace during the official visit of the Shah in May 1873. Artist M. Zichy
Portrait of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian writer, who most know from the novel "Crime and Punishment"
Portrait of Alexander with his family
Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander 2
The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on Blood, or the Church of the Savior on Blood, is an Orthodox memorial single-altar church in the name of the Resurrection of Christ; built in memory of the fact that on this site on March 1 (13), 1881, as a result of an assassination attempt, Emperor Alexander the Second was mortally wounded
VI
Alexander the Third (1881-1894)
Many people associate the reign of Alexander 3 with conservatism, which can be explained: his father was killed during an attempt.
Alexander the Third canceled many of his father's transformations, proclaiming the epoch of traditional values. The neo-Russian style was in everything. The time when Russia was actively getting back to the pre-Peter times.
Beards were back in fashion, Russian cuisine was evolving to the Western European level, and Russian merchants were turning from orthodox beards behind samovars into elegant businessmen-philanthropists, turning over millions of capital.
Ostrovsky's characters are a depository of heroes from the epoch of Alexander the Third, and its apotheosis is the famous Nizhny Novgorod Fair.
The tsar was also called a peacemaker, as during his reign Russia did not take part in any war. He was an exemplary homish man, who loved fishing and spending time with his family so much that, when he was interrupted by urgent reports from Europe, he grumbled with displeasure: “Let Europe wait until the Russian Tsar catches crucians for himself!”
Portrait of Alexander the Third
Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander 3
Alexander the Third with Empress Maria Feodorovna and her sister Alexandra, Princess of Wales
Alexander the Third fishing at the pond in Tsarskoye Selo
Portrait of A.N. Ostrovsky - Russian playwright, whose work became the most important stage in the development of the Russian national theater
Anichkov's ball, to which a little over a hundred people were invited. Being invited was considered a special privilege
The largest fair of the Russian Empire - Nizhny Novgorod Fair
VII
Nicholas the Second (1894-1917)
The infamous Nicholas the Second was the last of the Russian tsars. One may get an idea about that epoch from the works of Chekhov and Gorky.
Some connect this time with the period of the highest prosperity of Russia. Some with the beginning of the inevitable collapse of the autocracy.It is difficult to say what tragic chain of accidents have led to such deplorable events. But that time was one of the leading world powers, when the Russian seasons in Paris were fully booked, when we were pioneers of cinema (the first shooting took place at the coronation of Nicholas the Second). The time when many foreigners traveled to Russia.
Time, which, certainly, has gone forever, but has not lost its alluring charm.
Portrait of Nicholas the Second
Imperial family
Ball in the St. Petersburg Nobility Assembly in 1913 in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty
Alexandra Romanova, wife of Nicholas 2
Nicholas 2 with Alexandra Fedorovna
Coronation of Nicholas the Second. The first cinematic shooting in Russia
Artists of "Russian Seasons". Tour performances of Russian ballet and opera dancers (1908-29), organized by the famous cultural figure and entrepreneur Diaghilev abroad (since 1908 in Paris, since 1912 in London, since 1915 in other countries)
Several epochs will converge in one place and at one time.
Which epoch are you from?
Несколько эпох сойдутся
в одном месте и в одно время.
Из какой эпохи будете вы?
ladies
For the ladies, ball gowns below the knee of white
and beige palette
with a touch of gold are acceptable
gentlemen
For gentlemen - uniforms, tuxedos, tailcoats, frock-coat
or suits the same color as ladies or black
You can ask our wardrobe master for a look.
Вы можете обратиться
к нашей модистке за образом
Renting an outfit will cost you around 15 000 rubles /
Sewing will cost 20 000-30 000 rubles
Ksenia
Sewing according to individual sketches is also possible in the following studios:
You can rent a suit here:
We advise you to get to St. Petersburg by choosing one of the two ways:
by plane
by train
If you are visiting us from abroad,
please look through all of the rules to enter Russia from your county
You can come to St. Petersburg either on the eve of the wedding, or a few days earlier
We have selected several hotels for you to stay:
If you decide to arrive in St. Petersburg a few days earlier,
we recommend using our route cards for 1 day or 3 days
for 1 day
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for 3 days
for 1 day
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for 3 days
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for 1 day
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for 3 days
for 1 day
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Friends, as a honeymoon trip, we want to go to Latin America (Peru and Argentina).
You can give us some of the impressions on our future trip:
Master of the ceremony:
Alexander Belov
Majordomo:
