On one knee in Karaganda
Faina and Maxim got engaged on 9 February 2025 in Karaganda, Faina’s hometown in Kazakhstan. Faina says: “We were visiting for my aunt’s birthday. In the morning at the hotel, just before we left for the restaurant for the party, Maxim got down on one knee and proposed to me. It was an intimate moment between the two of us, and of course I said a very enthusiastic ‘Yes!’”
The first “I do” in keeping with Kazakh tradition
Faina and Maxim celebrated their wedding on no fewer than three occasions, the first celebration taking place on 27 July 2025 in Kazakhstan—in the form of a traditional Qyz Uzatu, a ‘bridal farewell’. Faina shares more about the Kazakh tradition: “It’s a tradition in which the bride leaves her family and joins her husband’s new family. The wedding was styled in olive-green tones and took place in a beautiful restaurant with around 120 guests. For every Kazakh wedding, it’s important to have a Tamada or ‘showman’ who leads the entire event from start to finish.”
Civil wedding in Ghent
As a second celebration, Faina and Maxim’s legal wedding took place at Ghent City Hall on 17 September 2025. “Since we both live in Ghent, we got officially married here under the law. Maxim’s family from Genk and my friends from Ghent attended this intimate ceremony,” Faina says.
Autumn wedding in Limburg
For their third and big wedding celebration on 25 October 2025, Faina and Maxim wanted to celebrate close to the groom’s family. Faina says: “Because Maxim is from Limburg, we looked for a wedding venue close to his family and friends. It was also important to us that we and our family could stay overnight here after the celebration. Hoeve Roosbeek was the ideal choice for that. Their team also supported us very well during our big day and made sure everything was set up, so we didn’t have to worry about anything.”
Faina herself carefully took care of the planning, styling and organisation of the three celebrations. Each moment had its own concept, with the last one being a true autumn wedding in shades of orange, yellow and red. She found their suppliers mainly via Instagram and House of Weddings, including hair & make-up artist Anna Maltseva. Faina: “My hair and make-up were beautifully done on 25 October by Anna Maltseva. I found Anna via House of Weddings and was really happy with our collaboration. We also had a genuinely great experience with all of our suppliers.”
Bilingual ceremony
What made Faina and Maxim’s wedding celebration especially special was that they brought two cultures – the Belgian and the Kazakh – together in one celebration. Faina: “Guests came from all over the world, speaking different languages, and for us it was important that everyone felt comfortable. That’s why we held our ceremony in two languages, led by our Maid of Honour and Best Man,” Faina shares.
Reception with bonding games
For the newlyweds, it was important that their guests would get to know one another and strike up conversations. Faina says: “We really wanted everyone to feel like one big group. That’s why we included a few games during the reception, to break the ice. We made newspapers with our love story, with a thank-you message for each guest, and with crossword puzzles. We divided people into teams with guests they didn’t know; they had to work together to decipher passwords.”
Faina continues: “Another game was Jenga with the names of all the guests on the blocks. Everyone had to take a block, find the guests whose names were on it, and take a Polaroid photo with them. They then put the printed photo back into the block.”
There was also a surprise for Faina during the reception: “Maxim plays the saxophone as a hobby in an orchestra. During the reception, he played a song together with his friends as a surprise for me and all the guests.”
Dinner full of atmosphere
During dinner, the newlyweds and their guests also continued to enjoy entertainment and atmosphere: “At each table, we randomly assigned a ‘table captain’ or table lead by hiding a piece of paper under one chair per table with the Captain’s tasks and responsibilities. We did this to make sure every table would definitely have fun and that everyone would chat with one another.”
Faina also enthusiastically shares that there was a disposable camera on every table: “The guests took photos all evening. We’ve since had these photos printed, and it really was the best idea ever — so many beautiful, perfectly imperfect photos!”
Out of all the wonderful moments, this might just have been Faina and Maxim’s favourite: “During dinner, our friends suddenly performed a song as a surprise act. It was so beautiful! We truly became one big group.”
Personalised video & custom first dance
After dinner, Faina and Maxim had another surprise in store, Faina shares: “Animators in Kazakhstan had made an animated video of our love story based on our photos. It was a beautiful video, after which we did our first dance. For this dance, we had hired a dance teacher. We combined two songs: a Kazakh and a French song, and that called for choreography. The dance was a great success!”
Heartfelt thank-yous
It was certainly an evening full of beautiful and surprising moments. To finish, each guest received a unique thank-you to take home. Faina: “As a gift, we gave our guests small wooden yurts (Kazakh tents) filled with Belgian chocolate – they symbolise home, a happy and sweet life.”
Faina & Maxim’s wedding tips
After organising their three celebrations, Faina is happy to share her top tips for engaged couples:
“Start planning as early as possible and first decide the concept, budget and number of guests together. From there, choose the venue and then build things up step by step with the other suppliers, using the venue’s advice as a guide.”
“Before you go to the bridal shop, have a look at their dresses online. With photos of your favourite dresses, the assistant will already have an idea of what you’re looking for. Also, take no more than two to three people with you to the bridal shop. Otherwise it gets too busy and it becomes harder to make a choice. The most important thing is that you like the dress and feel comfortable in it.”
“There can always be surprises at your wedding celebration, no matter how well you plan ahead. Something can always go differently, and that’s OK. Accept it and let it go.”
“The wedding day goes by so quickly. Enjoy every second!”
The entire House of Weddings team would like to warmly congratulate Faina and Maxim, and wish them lots of love and happiness in the future!
Would you also like support from reliable, high-quality wedding suppliers? Book them now via House of Weddings.
Location & catering: Hoeve Roosbeek / Photographer: Anastasia Shu / Videographer: Love Motion / Wedding dress & shoes: Rara Avis / Wedding suit: Top Suit / Flowers: Cindy Hoeven / Live music: Maxim & friends / DJ: DJ Burnd / Make-up & hair: Anna Maltseva / Wedding cake: Cake by Kudrishkaa
