Julia and Antti’s Open Air Chapel Winter Wedding in Finland

An Australian bride and a Finnish groom decided to have an open-air chapel Winter Wedding in Finland at the end of January. It was cold, especially for the bridesmaids in their strapless dresses. But it was not as cold as the minus 35 degrees they had the week before we all arrived at the wedding location. So we were lucky to get minus 5 – 0 degrees. Very lucky!   The day before the wedding it had snowed and the sun was out and there were clear blue skies. It was truly magical! I have included some photos of this day below so you can see what I mean by magical! Julia, contacted me almost 2 years ago for their amazing wedding and from her very first email I was excited beyond words!  She told me that from after looking at my photos and my blog that “I just feel like you really love Finland and the main ‘theme’ we want to shine through is that we love Finland too!”

The day of the wedding we experienced a beautiful sunrise and the sun shone on and off throughout the day. The trees had lost their snow because it had rained overnight but it was still as beautiful as ever. Finland really knows how to do winter! I believe the best part of the day (besides the fun at the party) was the first time Julia and Antti saw each other – their true emotions came out – happiness, tears of joy and true devotion to each other. It was a beautiful moment and I feel very privileged to have been there to experience it. I hope you can feel the moment in the photos I captured of them by the lake.

There are many logistics to think of when having a snow wedding outside – someone has to clear snow off the seating logs in the open-air chapel, you need good shoes for getting through the snow, you need to wear thermals under your dress/suit and you need to transport the less able guests around and make sure the roads are cleared of snow! It is all worth it, of course, to have such a beautiful celebration in a winter wonderland.  The day was also celebrated indoors with delicious reindeer and salmon and traditional berry sponge cake. There were fun games played and the bouquet and garter toss was done on an indoor basketball court!

The next day was spent playing games outdoors and on a scavenger hunt. The day was finished off with cooking sausages by the fire, having a sauna and an icy swim. It was a great weekend and Julia and Antti did well to bring all their Finnish and Australian friends and family together in one place! A Winter Wedding in Finland was the perfect choice!

Winter Wedding in Finland – All the Details

Dress: Maggie Sottero / Hair Artist: Tiina Pekkala (Groom’s sister) / Make-up Artist: Eeva Pekkala (Groom’s sister-in-law) / Venue: Partaharjun toimintakeskus / Suits: Dressmann / Bridal shoes: Nokian Hai / Bridesmaids dresses: Light in the Box / Invitations: Designed by the Bride / Cake: Partaharjun toimintakeskus / Snowflake necklace: Inarin Hopea / Flowers: Väisäsen Kukkakauppa ja Hautaustoimisto