A magical winter wedding in lovely Hälsingland

A wedding on a sparkling winter’s day

Could it get any more beautiful? No, thought Viktoria and Simon when it was time to plan their wedding.

“We both love winter, so a winter wedding was pretty much a given. And we already knew the perfect venue: Orbaden Spa & Resort with its incredible view over the Ljusnan valley,” says Viktoria.

“We’ve spent many warm summer days on the fantastic beach below the hotel; that’s how we found the venue. We thought it must be just as beautiful here in winter, if not more so. And guaranteed to have snow.”

The wedding dress

– Right from the start, I’d imagined a very simple dress, as I’m not at all a ‘girly girl’, but I ended up finding a magical dress on a second-hand site that was brand new. But I also decided to hire a seamstress to make a sort of cape with a train that went beautifully with the dress, to carry on with the winter theme. It looked just like little snowflakes! Lisa also sewed another dress which I wore during the reception itself. It was lovely to change into a completely different dress!

– The bridesmaids were allowed to choose their own dresses, with the request that they be grey, long and, ideally, with a bit of bling.

The groom’s outfit

– We’d looked at various styles at the wedding fairs, but Simon settled on a fairly simple grey suit, which he then had made to measure from an online supplier. He also bought a patterned burgundy tie for himself, as well as matching – though simpler – ties for the best man and the groomsmen, who were also wearing grey suits.

Wedding rings

– This turned out to be the hardest part for us. We knew who we wanted to work with, but there are so many lovely options. Jonas at Juvelia helped us with his expertise and listened carefully to what we were looking for. The result was magical. I chose a ring with seven small stones that looks like both a flower and a snowflake – it turned out to be both symbolic and personal!

The other ring ended up being a full wedding band that matched the larger ring perfectly. Simon chose a simpler ring with lines along the edges and a more matt section in the centre to add a bit of interest. It turned out absolutely lovely too. “The happiness Viktoria and Simon felt on that special day – you can sense it when they talk about it. It’s a feeling they hope every couple-to-be gets to experience.”

The bridal bouquet

– As a florist, I’m used to designing bouquets and finding inspiration – which, in my case, perhaps made it harder than it needed to be. I went for flowers that suited the theme and felt like us. I didn’t arrange the bridal bouquet myself; instead, one of my bridesmaids (who works as a florist) helped me with it. Besides, it’s said to be bad luck for a florist to make their own bridal bouquet, so we couldn’t risk that. The result was a modern, teardrop-shaped bouquet that complemented the dress and the other details.

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The flowers

– Anemones, ranunculus, lilac, roses, spray roses, prairie bell, Christmas roses, bouvardia, carnations, butterfly buttercups, Euphorbia ‘Spray Qicksilver’, snapdragons, veronica, gypsophila, wax flowers, silver grass, Italian ruscus, two varieties of eucalyptus and spruce.

The church

– Choosing the right church was important to us, so we looked at several different ones around Hälsingland before finding the beautiful Arbrå Church – which is also close to Orbaden. Perfect!

Dinner and reception

– We wanted to focus on the venue, the food and other aspects that were important to us. We had wedding coordinator Anki from Wedding by Moalee on site, as well as a full day with photographer Malin Norlén and videographers Alexandra and Ricardo from My Special Day Photography. We also hired Sandra, Choco Canel, as our DJ, who played from the pre-dinner drinks right through to the final dance.

The wedding menu

– We wanted something that we ourselves enjoyed but that would also suit most of our guests. We also wanted to incorporate a touch of Hälsingland into the menu, so we tailored both the food and drinks accordingly in consultation with the head chef.

An extra treat for the guests

– We added a little outdoor treat before the bridal toast, with hot drinks for the guests whilst we set off on a horse-and-carriage ride. We also hired a popcorn machine, which was used from the pre-dinner drinks right through to late at night. It was much appreciated by both us and all the guests. The photo booth was also a big hit.

The honeymoon

– After the wedding, we went on a short mini-moon for a few days to relax and spend some time together. But we’re planning the big trip for later on, hopefully to somewhere exotic and warm.

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