[ Saaristo ]Laura + Andrew //International Wedding in Helsinki

Helsinki Wedding Photographer. Ravintola Saaristo Wedding. Klippan Wedding. Wedding Photographer Finland

I am truly blessed to do what I love, and double blessed to be present at such a heart-warming event as Laura and Andrew’s wedding. I appreciated how well planned the day was, with plenty of time to be spent in the morning with the family, and honoring the guests with enough moments to be shared with them.

As most of Laura and Andrew’s guests flew in from UK, the couple wanted to make sure their friends experience Helsinki during their brief stay. The ceremony took place in the elegant Temppeliaukio Church, a building carved in rock with an impressive copper dome. A tram ride waited outside the church, taking the guests on a tour around Helsinki, before arriving at Klippan. And of course, Laura and Andrew joined the tram ride.

Here is how Laura and Andrew described their day:
“We were looking to have essentially a British wedding in Finland. With many of our guests travelling from the UK, we wanted to show off Helsinki at its best and make the most of the Scandinavian autumn and seasonal food, while having British joviality and traditions. We weren’t keen on gimmicks, we just wanted an intimate ceremony and then a reception with good food, good wine to be shared with our closest family and friends. Fortunately for us, everything went to plan and we were delighted with everything on the day!

We found all at A&S ravintolat, Linda Herranen and her Bile Bandi, Sanna and her team at Form & Flora, Helsinki Hairdressers and Aino-Sofia Kojonen (make up artist) all incredibly professional and a pleasure to work with, in the lead up to, and on the actual wedding day.

Our wedding day was completely perfect for us! We have too many ‘best experiences’ to list in their entirety but they included our ceremony, the tram ride to the venue, the speeches and the live band. Ultimately it was having so many special people in the same room celebrating with us.”

One of the most touching moments for me was the beginning of the ceremony starting with all guests singing the Finlandia Hymn – This is My Song.

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

Music by Jean Sibelius (1899), lyrics by Lloyd Stone (1934).

My friend Ovidiu Mocan helped me document this day, following the groom and grooms men during the morning preparations and joining me for the rest of the day. You can view his story on his blog.

Helsinki Wedding Photographer

Church: Temppeliaukio Church
Reception: Ravintola Saaristo

Makeup: Aino-Sofia Kojonen
Hair Stylist: Linnea Johansson at Helsinki Hairdressers
Wedding dress: Suzanne Neville, London
Shoes: Noe
Jewellery/rings: Engagement Ring: Prins & Prins, Cape Town, South Africa. Wedding Bands: Alan Gard, Hatton Garden, London
Bridesmaids dresses: Pied a Terre, London.
Groom’s suit: Moss Bros, London
Groom’s shoes: Russell & Bromley, London.
Flowers: Sanna at Form & Flora, Bulevardi, Helsinki
Catering: Ravintola Saaristo
Cake: Kakkugalleria
Band: Ruby Bilebandi
Stationary: Self made
Wedding design and concept: Self made
All images © Helsinki Wedding Photographer Maria Hedengren