STINA + DANIEL

Nagu bröllop. Nauvo häät. Parainen. Pargas bröllop. Nauvo kirkko häät. Nagu kyrka bröllop.

This is the story of smart and well mannered a boy who fell in love with a quirky, wonderful girl.

I know Stina from Unga Teatre where I’ve seen her on stage many times. Stina is a wonderful and wonderfully talented girl. She likes all things green and growing and loves all sorts of handicrafts. Stina describes Daniel as “life-curious, reliable and goofy“.

They met at a wedding. Stina with her “flowing red hair” sat in front of Daniel being “very talkative, in a good way“, as Daniel describes her. They danced and sang and had good times and ended the evening picking raspberries as the sun rose.

“I love how Stina dares to dream, when I haven’t got the courage to do it. I love the way she looks at me when we are driving and I start to dance for myself in the driver’s seat. Also, I love how me, Stina and Linus (the cat) snuggle together in bed in the morning.” says Daniel.

There’s so may cool details about this wedding, I don’t know where to start.

Nagu bröllop

Firstly, Nagu island in Parainen.
That place is absolutely fabulous. A wonderfully cozy island in the Finnish Archipelago, a small get-away to sail to in the summer, but just as gorgeous in the winter. And speaking of winter, this day was just perfect: snowy and glittery and I could not have asked for more amazing weather.

Then, all the little details:
Stina’s self hand knitted dress. Daniel’s perfectly tailored Recency era suit. And the top hat. Their winter boots. Stina’s hairdo (!!!). The flowers. The decorations. And the book quotes. Also, the little book that held the rings.

And, what touched me the most, Stina “singing” Kärleksvisan in sign language during the ceremony in Nagu kyrka. (!!!) Daniel’s brother is hard of hearing, so Daniel’s family all speak sign language.

Jag ska älska dig så som du är
och jag vill ge dig allting jag har.
Så låt mig få bära dig när hoppet sviker.
Du betyder allt för mig.
Var inte rädd, jag står bredvid dig
för du betyder allt för mig.

Here is Stina rehersing the song. ” Both of us just love books. Reading books, buying books. Too many books. We should need a separate house for all our books. :)” Says Stina. “I have, aside from novels and plays, a lot of handicraft books. And I buy way more cook books than I care to admit.“

“Even if we both love the world of books, I think we have a slightly different relationship to them. As Daniel wants to learn as much as possible about the world we live in, I think I want the opposite. To flee from it, for a while at least.

I love the feeling of getting totally sucked in to a world that is as far from the harsh, cold reality as possible.I have a childish love for all things Shakespeare, and I often recite Emily Dickinson in my mind, when days feel gloomy.”

So naturally, together with the Jane Austen inspiration, books became a key part of their wedding.

Nagu bröllop. Nauvo. Parainen häät. Pargas bröllop. Houtskarin kirkko häät. Houtskär kyrka bröllop

Jane Austen inspired winter wedding in the Finnish Archipelago.
Ceremony: Nagu bröllop, Nagu Kyrka
Celebrations: Majatalo Martta, Nauvo