Elevate October 2017 | Air Serbia

Zaljubljena sam u Srbiju, u njene ljude i tradiciju, kaže Nadija I am in love with Serbia, with its people and tradition, says Nadia

- I’d only been in Serbia for a few weeks when my colleague offered me a ticket for a concert of the National“Kolo”Ensemble and the“Branko Krsmanović”Academic Cultural and Artistic Soci- ety. I accepted, even though I didn’t even know what it was actually about. We went to that un- forgettable concert, which changed my life. When it started, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. So many colours, costumes, live music, powerful vo- cals, so many different instruments and the kind of choreography I’d never seen before! I clapped like a child at the circus! She decided that she had to learn folklore dance. She applied for an audition and became a member of the famous “Krsmanac” Society. - I danced Mexican folklore earlier, so it was easy for me to learn the steps quickly. And after each lesson I felt like a Serbian girl. I felt a con- nection with the Serbian people. In Belgrade Nadia became another person. - When I close my eyes and think of this city, I see green trees, smell coffee and taste excel- lent dishes. A lot has changed in the city since 2002. There are new roads, buildings, restau- rants, clubs and shopping centres, but the es- sence has stayed the same: incredible people with open hearts. After her Belgrade adventure, Nadia moved to Sydney, where she met her current husband. They were wed in 2006. - The wedding was like the two of us, featur- ing things that we both love. It was on a beach, with dancers performing Mexican folklore danc- es, and there was lots of tequila - reveals Nadia. And she tormented herself organising her own wedding. - I couldn’t find everything I needed in the same place. I had to hire numerous suppliers, and that’s how I realised that I could bring everything together as one and make the job of brides-to- be much easier.

She founded the company “Events by Na- dia”and organised her first wedding, which was held in a park. - The bride-to-be called me and asked for things that I didn’t have, but I told her“Yes, I have all of that”. It cost me 2,500 Australian dollars to acquire everything, even though I charged the couple much less. It was my first investment and it paid off. The bride recommended me to her friends... She initially did the majority of the work herself. For the first three years she slept just four hours a day, but today she has a team of 30 people with whom she plans around 400 weddings annually. Most of her work is related to Australia, but she also organises weddings in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, Serbia has been, and remains, her favourite destination. It was here in 2016 that she planned a perfect wedding to the minutest detail, and then she received a call ten months ago from a couple who have lived in Australia for years but are originally from Serbia. - It was an honour for me to organise a wed- ding in a country that I love so much. After Nikoli- na and Mladen called me, I spent sleepless nights thinking about what a wonderful experience this would be. I invested all of my energy and passion into creating the perfect combination of Serbian tradition and modern style. This world expert in weddings, a woman with detailed knowledge of the wedding cus- toms of almost every country in the world, who has discovered how people are wed in Ocean- ia, Indonesia etc., adores the traditional Serbi- an wedding. - I am in love with Serbia, with its peo- ple and tradition. I hope to be able to bring as many couples as possible, not only from Australia but from other countries, to marry in wonderful Serbia.

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