Valeria Saber-Zaidelson and Ilja Zaidelson's second wedding turned heads with a fairytale procession through the Estonian capital's medieval Old Town, with the bride on horseback and the groom waving from a carriage to cheering onlookers.

"It felt like a rockstar or some sort of duke had arrived in town," Zaidelson said, admitting he ended up feeling a little embarrassed. "You had to pay attention to everyone — show them you saw them."

Their daughter, Aleksandra, was just a toddler at their first wedding, but this time she rode alongside her mother on horseback, as her father rode in a carriage for health reasons.

"My mother was beautiful, my father was beautiful, and I was little and beautiful too," she said, describing the first wedding in 2000. "It's better now that I can understand that my parents are together and they love each other."

Shock at first sight

Horses have been central to the couple's story from the start.

"He sometimes came to ride," Saber-Zaidelson recalled. "That's how we met — at the stables." She admitted it wasn't love at first sight for her husband, who had shown up with a group to ride.

"None of us had ever ridden horseback before," Zaidelson said. "Then they said, 'This is Valerka, she'll be your trainer.' I thought she was some nasty snob — had no idea how she was coming across. And then, around six months later, we were living together."

Saber-Zaidelson believes it was her charisma that stole his heart — along with their shared love of horses.

"He was also in love with horses, and always looked great on horseback," she said. "I remember Ilja even gave me a horse — he took that step — to win me over."

Zaidelson said it was Valeria who didn't want to get married. "She said it was just some official piece of paper and formalities," he recalled, adding that he had even given her a ring already.

"Then one morning — what a wonderful morning — we were having breakfast, and she took a long look at me and said, 'Alright, let's do it,'" he continued. "No, no — she asked, 'But who would we invite to the wedding?'"

'The whole world stopped spinning'

The horseback wedding was Saber-Zaidelson's idea, and they were reportedly the first to organize such a ceremony since Estonia had regained its independence in 1991 — with public event permits and all.

Just as earlier this week, their first wedding procession took them through Tallinn's Old Town.

"The moment we reached Town Hall Square — it was like the whole world stopped spinning for a second," Saber-Zaidelson recalled. "And then the applause we were met with — and the horses were used to the clapping by then already — the wave of applause that accompanied us from Town Hall Square all the way to the last gate at Viru Square, it was incredible."

While the groom rode in a horse-drawn carriage this time, the bride was once again on horseback, although this time not riding sidesaddle.

Saber-Zaidelson's steed this week was also a special one — a spirited Ukrainian Saddle Horse named Tudor.

Three years ago, Tudor was awaiting his new owner in Dnipro when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. In mid-March, she decided to go pick him up anyway.

"He's so striking and beautiful — and was maybe even a little jealous yesterday," Saber-Zaidelson admitted, adding that she is the only person allowed to ride him.

Righting earlier wrongs

Over the past two and a half decades, the couple has weathered plenty of challenges, including a divorce.

"When we were a bit younger, we couldn't fully accept everything," Zaidelson acknowledged. "I couldn't, and Valeria probably couldn't either."

"I'm an Old Believer, so sometimes I can stay balanced — but young people are young," Saber-Zaidelson continued. "We made our mistakes, and now yesterday, that was rectified. We divorced in 2000-something, but we've always remained friends."

She noted that having a child together certainly played a part in their ongoing relationship, but that wasn't the only thing.

"I always felt that we were really twin souls that were made for each other," she added. "Soulmates."

"Just passionate feelings," Zaidelson admitted. "With time, you realize the most important thing isn't how hard it can be to live together, but how impossible it is to live without the other person. That's what matters most."

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