Helene and Carl-Martin celebrated their Porvoo wedding by starting with a ceremony at his mum’s summer cottage over the water. Despite the persistent rain, it was a beautiful ceremony with their kids taking centre stage. The girls were grinning from ear to ear looking so proud and their brother was holding onto daddy the whole time! You could feel the love from all family members and friends who attended.
Helene found out about my photography when I was heading to Norway in 2011 to photograph a friend’s wedding. We have been Facebook friends ever since. I was so excited when she contacted me about their Porvoo Wedding. It was a truly international wedding with almost all the guests travelling from Norway. Carl-Martin’s background is Colombian and Helene found her wedding dress in Estonia! And of course, the photographer was from Australia :).
There are so many details that made this wedding extra special including the wedding rings. “We delivered Carl-Martin’s great grandfather’s wedding ring to a jeweller. The size of the ring was enough to make two new rings!” Helene also mentioned, “Our Minister is a family friend, baptized Carl-Martin as a child at Fagerudd (the same place as the ceremony)” Helene made a special pin for Carl-Martin as a reminder that his late father is with him always. When he received this surprise gift everyone was in tears, including myself, it was very thoughtful.
There were also other moments at this Porvoo wedding that made a huge impact. A family friend made a very emotional speech. All the guests were in tears as she explained (in Norwegian) how Carl-Martin’s son reminded her of him when he first arrived from Colombia as a friendly little toddler, engaging everyone he met. It was the perfect end to 14 speeches that night before everyone hit the dancefloor. The midnight sun allowed the wedding festivities to continue into the early hours of the morning with many taking a dip in the lake.
