Wedding Story of Avraam Russo and Morella Ferdman
This wedding was covered in many different newspapers and magazines, and not just in Russia. Avraam is one of the most popular singers today, and the wedding was attended by stars like Cristina Orbakaite (who sang several songs together with Avraam) and showman Valdis Pelsh. The wedding itself was a magnificent show - the bride wore a stunning dress adorned by 10,000 Swarovski crystals and New York based musicians Douglas & Eddy traveled across the ocean just to play for this wedding. Avraam lives in Moscow, but he was born in Syria and has lived in many countries - from France to Cypress. Morella grew up in New York (her family immigrated to the U.S. from the former Soviet Union). She has worked as an administrator for many famous artists and now is going to work alongside her husband. Avraam and Morella gave our magazine an exclusive interview. Russian Bride: Where are you planning to live after the wedding? Avraam: We are planning to live in two cities: Moscow and New York. New York is a beautiful city, but it is not my native city. Right now I can't just think about where I would want to live - now it is important where we want to live. That is why now we have an apartment in New York and an apartment in Moscow, so we will spend time here and there. RB: Was it easy to make this choice or did your opinions contradict at first? Avraam: We did not spend a single minute discussing this issue. It was all decided by itself - life led us through this choice. We are now like one person, and one person won't argue with himself for a long time! RB: How do you see your future home? Is it going to be open to friends and filled with guests or the opposite - a “fortress” where you can take a break from the outside world and spend some time together? Morella (laughing): Why, of course not a fortress! Our home will remain open to our friends. We are used to having guests in Moscow and New York - a full house all the time! Avraam (adds): When a person wants to live just for himself, being a recluse away from other people, such a person shouldn't live in a big city, but rather at the top of the highest mountain to be alone with his thoughts with only the wild beasts around. RB: Did you discuss your plans for the future with your bride? How many children are you going to have? When are you going to have the first one - right after the wedding or a few years later? Avraam: It is hard to predict. Things don't always happen the way people want them to be. A captain, for example, would always like to have a good wind at sea to fill the sails, but is it going to happen? Who knows? It might blow in the opposite direction. I would like to have two kids - like everybody - a boy and a girl. Morella: Yes, a boy and a girl! The boy should be the firstborn and then the girl! Well, of course it can't be planned, so whatever happens… RB: There is a common opinion that an artist should entertain the public with scandalous affairs every now and then. It attracts attention and does not hurt the family. What do you think about that? Avraam: I understand that the more popularity the artist gains, the more rumors surround him. No rumors circulate around “nobodies” - who would care about that? Still, I prefer the truth and don't like convoluted stories. Certainly we are not planning to intentionally “create scandals”! Recently Morella found some article on the net about me - complete nonsense. Some fortuneteller told us our future. I am a religious man - I would never go see a fortuneteller. I realize, however, that fighting this is like trying to fight fire with gasoline. We know that this is inevitable, but giving fuel to gossip on purpose is just silly and it is not going to promote success. Alla Pugachova and Phillip Kirkorov had a steamy romance and then they got married - everybody was humming about that, but only because Pugachova is a first-rate star. Eventually the gossip subsided - the public got bored. How many times can you repeat the same old thing? What kind of scandal can we generate? Well, all is possible, so they can entertain themselves, but it is not the personal scandalous affairs that make an artist famous, but his performances. RB: Usually newlyweds are happy to give us an interview - they are pleased to know that their love story and wedding pictures will adorn the pages of a luxurious, glossy magazine. Famous people (artists, politicians, etc.), on the other hand, prefer to keep their privacy and hate the paparazzi. How do you feel about this interview in a magazine with Russo the groom, rather than Russo the artist? Avraam: An artist is an artist on stage - he is a human being in regular life. If I fall in love and get married, it is my life and my joy. I realize, though, that I am a public person and my occupation brings my life under public scrutiny, so I can't be “greedy” and hide from my fans. I am happy to share my happiness with people who come to my concerts and listen to my records. This is the second part of an answer to the previous question - I don't want rumors and gossip circulating around me, but why shouldn't I tell the world that I am married and happy? RB: At times, it happens that marriages resulting from a passionate romance break apart and sometimes people that have been together for a long time and seemingly have their feelings tested finally get married and then split… Avraam: Different things happen. You often hear - they were together for eight years, ten years, then decided to get married, and then things went sour. The wedding is not to blame - people can't safeguard their feelings. I believe that people - when they know each other and realize that they love each other - shouldn't wait. Proper timing is everything - a wedding must bring all the joy that it can. Only God knows what might happen in five years, but I think that a lot depends on the people themselves. I meet seniors past 80 who have been married for 50-60 years - so it is possible to maintain love and sincerity, despite different life situations. It doesn't matter how much time passed between the first date and the wedding - it all depends on how people feel. Sincerity and patience are the most important factors in preserving the family. RB: Our magazine is called Russian Bride. Young ladies seek specific advice here: how to set up a wedding, where to find a dress, etc. That is why I would like to ask Morella a couple of questions. For example, where did you get this magnificent dress that you wore on the first wedding day? Morella: It was made in New York by designer Marie Shall - I found her thanks to Russian Bride. I went to a few other salons before that one, but couldn't find “my” master and I loved Marie Shall's style from the start. She gave me a lot of attention and discussed every little detail so that everything came out perfect. Marie Shall put her soul into this dress and made a masterpiece. She came to Moscow for our wedding - not just as a guest, but to help me put this dress on. I am very grateful to her! RB: Did you have a wedding coordinator to put together this fabulous show? Avraam: I would like to say, first of all, that when we were getting ready for a wedding, I truly realized what it means to be popular - people called from different companies and offered help for free. All the music was a gift, as well as the special effects by Aelita Show - amazing. The wedding limousines were also a gift from my friend - Hammer called and offered himself. Our wedding show I coordinated myself. I am a professional, so why would I delegate this task to somebody else? I realized one thing - what people did for our friendship, I could never buy with any money. The richest millionaire in the world paying twice as much money wouldn't get what I got from my friends, and I am very grateful for that. Morella: This is Moscow! A talented florist did a great job decorating the hall. Everything was beautiful, but we paid twice the New York price! Avraam: It was nice to know that I earned such treatment - that everybody that I met in my professional life helped me with such sincerity on my big day. For example, the “Patrick Hellmann” company - I've worn their costumes from the beginning of my career. I was the “face” of their company and I wore their costume on the first day of the wedding - a beautiful costume. Cinaman made me a suit for the second day - it's a Greek company - my friends as well. RB: You celebrated the first day in the “Napoleon” restaurant? Avraam: Yes, and the second day in the “Kristall” casino. I want to give them special thanks - they helped me not as a client but as a friend. I have no words to express my gratitude. They provided security for both evenings. RB: Would you like to give special thanks to any other people who worked on your wedding from the pages of our magazine and recommend them to our readers? Avraam: Yes, I am very grateful to everyone. I mentioned Douglas & Eddy. They flew from New York to play at our wedding. Morella: Yes, we would like to thank everybody, but if someone deserves special thanks, it is Marie Shall, my dress designer, and Valeriy, the photographer who took the fabulous pictures. I created a photo exhibition of our engagement with Avraam - people were stealing pictures. I couldn't keep track of them! RB: One last question: how are you planning to spend your honeymoon? Avraam: I am afraid it is going to be a “businessmoon” rather than a honeymoon. I have a tour planned in Russia, Ukraine and CIS countries. February and March I will spend touring the U.S. and Israel - at least 60 performances. Morella: We are still going for a vacation somewhere, but every day we have is a honeymoon! Organizers Bride and Groom: Hall Day 1 Napoleon Restaurant, Day 2 Kristall Casino Bridal Gown Marie Shall Couture Groom's Tuxedo Day 1 Patrick Halmann, Day 2 Cinaman Music Douglas and Eddy Photo and Video VideoMax Bridal Hairstyle and Makeup Adam's Beauty Salon More photos: