Katarina and I met in Singapore three years ago when we were both in our final year at the National University. She'd always been very close to her family back in Moscow and over the years she had always wanted me to visit her hometown, but we never had the time for such a distant trip. So when I proposed to her, I knew there would be no better place to have our wedding than in Moscow.
At the advice of my best man, I signed up for the American Express Cathay Pacific Elite Credit Card to save costs on our flights. And just by signing up, we were well on our way to Moscow for free already – 1,000 Asia Miles for signing up online, 500 Asia Miles for a Supplementary Card and 8,000 Asia Miles for simply spending HK$8,000. And although we weren't on the ground in Moscow planning the wedding, thankfully her parents took care of that, we paid for it all with our Card and earned a lot of miles.
I knew the best way to introduce myself to her extended family was to arrive bearing gifts. Unfortunately one was damaged in my suitcase, but luckily I used my Card to make the purchase and its No Worries Guarantee shopping protection gave me 45 days of coverage so I was able to get my money back when I returned to Hong Kong. Despite this setback, the introductions still went great.
Moscow was stunning and I couldn't believe I hadn't visited with Katarina earlier. The sightseeing was great, the food was good, but the best part was the traditional Russian wedding we had. Russian weddings are famous for its duration – ours lasted for three days, but I've been told some can last as long as a week. The atmosphere was so lively with traditional Russian music and dancing and of course the vodka. I could barely believe it was my own wedding!
The wedding in Moscow had everything we both dreamed of and Katarina's family was so happy that we had flown out to celebrate in Moscow with them. With all the Asia Miles™ we're earning with our Cards now, I can't wait to head back soon to spend more time with my new family.
Travel Tips:
Cathay Pacific Airways operates direct flights to Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport three times a week. Flight time is around 10 hours.
