A bohemian DIY wedding in Karlskrona

Our story

Daniel and I met through work, as we both work for HärjedalsKök. At the time, Daniel was in charge of installations in Gothenburg, whilst I was a sales representative in Blekinge. As I already had two children, and a long-distance relationship wasn’t really something I wanted in the long run, he eventually had to move down to join me in Karlskrona. Next year, it will be 10 years since we started dating.

How did the proposal go?

I’d often jokingly told Daniel that if he didn’t propose before I turned 35, I’d find someone else! He took it seriously, so the evening before my 35th birthday he called me over to discuss something…

To give a bit of background: we have a house that’s a never-ending renovation project, and that particular evening we were working as usual. I was standing there heating up food for the children, whilst Daniel was laying new insulation in the floor of our new kitchen. When I walked over to him, he was kneeling between the floor joists and suddenly pulled a box out from among the insulation. “Will you marry me?” he asked. At the same time, the microwave beeped to signal that the food was ready. It was right in the middle of life – in the middle of cooking, in the middle of laying insulation – and that’s where he proposed to me, on 2 January 2023, the evening before my 35th birthday. It was absolutely perfect, so very ‘us’ in every way.

We’d always talked about getting married; it felt like a given from day one. Despite our little dreams and plans, we’ve had to wait, due to renovations and new additions to the family. One of my bridesmaids said something really lovely: “It’s more beautiful to get married after many tough years, with building work and life with young children. When you do finally get married, it means that your love is enduring, and despite everything, you still want to celebrate it with your loved ones.’ It was very special for us that even our younger children could be there to share the day and the excitement. 💕

Wedding planning

We wanted a wedding with a relaxed, bohemian feel – a ‘summer-soft party vibe’ – but still luxurious and personal!

Time and budget

We spent about a year planning the wedding and set aside one evening a month for it. The final few weeks before the wedding were more intense, though, and were mostly about building and sourcing everything we needed, as the planning itself was already done. Originally, we had a budget of 150,000 SEK, but we ended up spending just over 200,000 SEK.

Our list of priorities for the wedding included:

– A dreamy and relaxed atmosphere

– An open bar

– Really good food

– Great music!

Accommodation

As our families live 115 mil apart, the location was very important to us. We started looking at venues in both Karlskrona and Bygdeå/Umeå, and we even considered locations abroad. But we soon realised that the simplest option would be to hold it in Karlskrona, where we could organise a lot of things ourselves. My dad, who works in the navy, helped us borrow their waterside premises, just two minutes from our home. The navy gave us permission, and we were able to accommodate all our long-distance guests in their lovely accommodation, including cottages and barracks. We even had access to a sauna!

The party and the details

However, it wasn’t quite so straightforward deciding where to hold the party, as the venue’s capacity was a maximum of 60 people and we’d invited around 80 guests. We looked for outdoor options and settled on a Tentipi tent, which can accommodate between 72 and 130 people depending on how it’s set up. We also built a ‘naked tentipi’ – a tent without fabric – which became a lovely lounge area with rattan furniture and an old fringed lampshade. This created exactly the bohemian and cosy feel we were after.

Second-hand shopping

I spent a lot of time creating the right atmosphere. I hunted down furniture and décor from second-hand shops and sewed my own napkins. We also bought all the glasses, plates and cutlery ourselves. Our entire storage room was filled with wedding bits and bobs! For the decorations, we used simple candlesticks and test-tube vases with cut flowers along the tables, which was both practical and beautiful.

The wedding day

The ceremony

The area around the naval base is stunning, with views of the archipelago and extensive green spaces. We quickly decided that the wedding ceremony would be held up on a cliff – a simple civil ceremony with beautiful singing by Daniel’s sister Karolina and Karlskrona’s magical archipelago as a backdrop. Daniel built our wedding arch himself, decorated with oak and birch twigs – a symbol of our home regions, Umeå (the City of Birches) and Blekinge (where the oak is the provincial tree). Our children were given important roles during the ceremony; Viggo and Olle carried the rings, and Meja and Ellie scattered flower petals.

After the ceremony, we took a group photo with all the guests before Daniel and I slipped away to have our wedding photos taken. Meanwhile, the guests enjoyed mingling, jazz music and delicious canapés, including Serrano ham which was sliced up on the spot.

Dinner

The dinner was filled with wonderful speeches, laughter and tears of joy. After dessert, the party got into full swing with dancing, and Daniel’s best man, Jens, played our first dance song live: “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden. It was magical to dance together with all our loved ones around us.

Later, I threw the bridal bouquet to the tune of “All the Single Ladies” and my sister caught it! It made for a lovely memory that we still laugh about today. We’re so grateful that the day turned out exactly as we’d hoped – our dream wedding. The guests’ joy really made the party, and the sun shone all day long. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Best memory

My favourite memory from the wedding was the evening before, when we were sitting in the middle of the marquee. My sister Emmi was giving me a manicure whilst Daniel and I were trying to sort out the seating plan, and our guests travelling from afar were starting to arrive. Everything felt so intimate and bubbly!

Daniel’s favourite memory was when we were standing in the cigar corner that evening, watching our guests dancing and singing along to Snook’s ‘Mister Cool’. We ran in and danced with them – it was a brilliant moment!

Dress

I wore two dresses at the wedding. The first one, which I wore during the day, was a bohemian halter-neck dress from Bianco Evento, with an open back and a train that could be attached or removed. During the ceremony, I wore the train, and it looked lovely when the wind caught the skirt. I wore my hair in a loose bun and wore sparkling earrings as my only jewellery. The shoes – open-toed sandals with a wide heel in shimmering pink silk – were both comfortable and beautiful, so I wore them all day.

After the wedding dance, I changed into a shorter, long-sleeved dress in a bohemian style, with lace and embroidery. It was perfect for the dance floor and had a petticoat and a sheer overskirt with a slit, which gave it a more festive feel.

Bridal party

My bouquet was a colourful mix of apricot, peach, pink, white and yellow, with green stalks. Our bridesmaids wore long, shimmering silk dresses in apricot pink, and our four children were dressed in light beige outfits, with flowers in the girls’ hair. They looked absolutely lovely!

Dress code

The dress code for the guests was ‘jacket’ to create a relaxed summery atmosphere.

Tips

My best tip for the wedding: Start planning your budget early! Don’t just set a maximum amount – list all the potential costs for the wedding you want. Once you have the full picture, you can then prioritise and decide where you’re willing to compromise.

Tips during the planning stage: Write down the entire wedding, from when the guests arrive until the last dance is over. Then, imagine you’re guests at your own wedding. Is there anything you’d have liked to change or add?

Tips for the big day: On your wedding day, focus on each other. Try to spend as much time together as possible, even when you’re mingling or dancing. Despite all the guests, it’s important that you also share this special day with each other.

After the wedding: Plan a trip, even if it’s just for a weekend. It’ll give you time to reflect on all the memories and prolong that wonderful feeling before you return to everyday life.

Something we would have done differently: I wish we’d practised the wedding ceremony beforehand. There are lots of little details – such as where we and the children were to stand, and who was to walk first – that could have helped ease our nerves.

The only thing we would have changed on the day itself is that Daniel and I should have sat next to each other during dinner. Instead, we sat opposite each other, which, looking back, looks a bit funny in the photos – it almost looks as if we got married to our best friends instead! But despite everything, everyone knows that it was Daniel and I who got married. 

Vendors:

We organised most of it ourselves, apart from the barbecue buffet, the marquee and the photography. Family and friends helped out, and my bridesmaid Hanna baked some extra cakes when we were really busy at the wedding venue. We’re probably a bit optimistic when it comes to time, but we had so many lovely people around us who helped get everything ready on time.

We made the invitations ourselves and directed guests to our wedding website to RSVP and let us know about any allergies. It worked really well and I’d definitely recommend it!

The photography was handled by the fantastic Alice from Grevholm Photography – her photos are incredible and captured our day in a magical way. I’ve never enjoyed seeing myself in photos as much as I do in our wedding photos.

The barbecue buffet was provided by Grilltältet in Karlskrona, and both we and our guests can’t stop talking about how delicious the food was! A huge thank you to Magnus and his team.

We hired the marquee from Ravitut in Skåne, and they erected it well in advance so that we could decorate and set it up for the wedding. We’re so glad we chose their marquee, as it really added to the magical atmosphere.

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