It was the happiest of reasons for the family to gather – a “beautiful day” to celebrate a wedding.
But for Valentyna Poltavchenko and Michael Britvan, it was also a day of huge emotion without the physical presence of their beloved eldest daughter, Matilda.
But amid the family’s ongoing, unimaginable grief, the 10-year-old was very much a part of the special event that took place on a sunny day on Sydney Harbour.
SYMBOL OF A BEE
“We believe she was with us on that day,” Valentyna tells Woman’s Day just days after the ceremony. “I felt her with us. I wore a little gold bee on my veil as a symbol of Matilda to have her with me.”
The bee symbol referenced how Matilda and her little sister, Summer, share the same middle name – Bee. And, no doubt making her big sister very proud, Summer, who recently turned seven, was an important part of the wedding proceedings.
“Summer was holding the rings, and she was helping me with the flowers,” remembers Valentyna.
The couple decided to finally tie the knot after being engaged “for a lot of years, almost since we met”.
Despite their commitment and many years together, it never felt like the right time to get married. “Because we had little kids, or the war in Ukraine had broken out,” explains Valentyna. “But after what happened in December and losing Matilda, Michael said we should do it now because we know now how short life can be.”
LOVED ONES
The wedding was a small gathering of family and friends held at Admiralty House, with a livestream for their overseas loved ones to watch.
“We are very thankful to the governor-general for allowing us to have a ceremony at Admiralty House, and thank her assistants for organising everything,” says Valentyna. “We really felt honoured and welcomed.”
Summer matched Valentyna and Michael’s outfits in a sky-blue dress while the family added yellow shoes and buds to the floral bouquet to represent the Ukrainian national colours.
“It was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect, the place was excellent.”
The date of the wedding – March 6 – was also significant as it was also the date Michael’s parents got married and not only his mother’s birthday but Valentyna’s too. The couple plan to celebrate with a bigger event at some point in the future, with more friends and family.
“But not this year,” says Valentyna. It has been just 12 weeks since Matilda lost her life as the youngest victim of the Bondi massacre, which took the lives of 14 others next to the iconic Sydney beach.
Share this post