THE WEDDING!
Evgeni weds Maria in St. Petersburg
 

photos from www.mk.ru

June 19, 2005

On Saturday June 18, 2005, the most eligible Russian bachelor Evgeni Plushenko was married to 20-year-old Maria Ermak in the most luxurious place to get married in St. Petersburg.

There was a lot of security around in case there were a lot of fans who might interrupt the ceremony. But there was no interruption, mainly because the time and the place of the wedding was kept secret.

The wedding was organized traditionally. Evgeni and Maria spent the last night before ceremony separately. In the morning, Evgeni "ransomed" his bride from her girlfriends.

At 2:20 p.m., the procession arrived at the Wedding Palace on English Embankment. Plushenko, wore an elegant dark-brown striped suit, with a white tie. Maria looked beautiful in a white wedding dress and carrying white roses. At 3:09 they were announced husband and wife. Maria took Evgeni’s last name. During the ceremony Zhenya was always with Maria, he didn't let her go for a minute.

The newlyweds received a gift from the Palace – a pair of skates, which were made from white flowers, and the topics were decorated with diamonds. Evgeni got a certificate of merit from the city, which says "Saint-Petersburg loves you and is proud of you!"

Then the procession had a trip around St. Petersburg, where they visited Vasil’yevsky Island, the Monument of Peter the Great, Summer Garden and Mars Field. After that there was a banquet at the hotel "Astoria".

On Sunday the celebrations were continued on a steamship. The newlyweds had a trip on the rivers and canals of Saint-Petersburg.

In few days Evgeni will be going to Japan to take part in a show called "Dreams on Ice", and after that he and his young wife are going to have a short honeymoon trip.

Plushenko's chosen bride, 20, is a 3rd-year student of sociology faculty at St. Petersburg University.

Plushenko and Maria met almost a year ago.

One day, when Plushenko was driving in St. Petersburg, he saw a pretty, dark-haired girl in an open Cabriolet. Not thinking for long, he drove after her. He drove to her, met her. and he won her.

They say that at first Maria didn't recognize Evgeni as the World champion. Maria learned that from her friends. Evgeni was seen a lot waiting for Maria after classes at the university. Her classmates say that she didn't brag about dating the famous skater.

Two months ago, Evgeni popped the question and asked Maria to marry him.

We asked Tatyana Vasilyevna, Evgeni's mother, how she felt.

"Oh, I'm worried, as any mother would be," she said.

Did Evgeni ask for your advice before the proposal to Maria?

"Of course. I asked him 'maybe it's better to wait,' but he had already made the decision. Then I met Maria and loved her.When I realized what kind of a person she is, I gave my blessing to my son."

Isn't it hard for you to give your son to another woman?

"Masha is a nice girl. She deserves to be his wife. I gave Zhenya to trustful hands."

What did you say to your son this morning? "I wished him love, happiness, patience."

Evgeni's coach, Alexei Mishin, arrived with a gorgeous bunch of flowers.

We asked Mishin: What did you say when Evgeni told you that he was going to be married?

"I told him: Congratulations, dear friend! The wish to marry isn't a mosquito's bite. It's an important step."

Is Evgeni's marriage going to affect his career?

"I think not."

Among the guests were Roman Kostomarov, Viktor Petrenko, Alexander Abt, and the hockey player Alexander Yudin. Ice acrobat Alexei Polishchuk was Evgeni’s "best man".

Viktor and Nina Petrenko were at the wedding too. Alexei Mishin gave a speech telling everyone that Viktor is Evgeni's skating idol, and Viktor was very honored. When Viktor responded to the compliment he said. "I hope you will follow in my footsteps not just in skating and get your Olympic Gold Medal but with your marriage and family, as Nina and I are celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary tomorrow (June 19) and our daughter will turn 8 years old next month. I wish you to have a happy marriage and be blessed with children."

Also, the mayor of Saint Petersburg Valentina Matviyenko visited the Palace to congratulate the newlyweds.

Ari Zakarian, and Michael Colllins, the president of "Champions On Ice" and Michael Collins Enterprises, also attended the ceremony.

"It is great to see Evgeni so happy. He hugged and kissed his bride every chance he got. I wish them a long and happy life together," Collins said.

Information from www.kingonice.com and www.mk.ru