Country-themed wedding

Who are you? 

Our names are Sanne and Isak Pantzare. Isak is a ice hockey player and I’m a self-employed photographer, digital designer and influencer on the @warginna channel. 

How did you meet? 

We met through mutual friends when we were still teenagers; we got together in 2012 and have been through thick and thin together ever since! 

The proposal

How and where did the proposal take place? 

Isak proposed to me when we were up in the mountains, out of mobile range, camping and fishing. One day we climbed to the top of a peak and were admiring the view of the mountain streams, and then he got down on one knee and said, “We’ve never got engaged here before.” Haha, it was touchingly lovely and so “us”!

How long did you spend planning your wedding? 

Just over half a year.

What were your thoughts on the wedding budget?

We roughly estimated it would be between 100,000 and 200,000.

The wedding day

Where did the wedding ceremony take place?

On Aavasaksanvaara hill on the Finnish side of Övertorneå. A beautiful spot surrounded by incredible views of the forest, mountains, the River Torne, Sweden and Finland.

Where did you hold the reception? 

The community centre in the little village of Kuivakangas. 

What was your favourite memory of the day/weekend? 

After the wedding, when Isak and I just got into the car, on our way to the forest for our photoshoot, and were able to relax after all the wedding stress. But also the dance floor with all our friends, late into the early hours! And the early morning hours when a few of my girlfriends and I sat in the hot tub whilst the midnight sun shone brightly through the fir trees.

Outfits

What did you wear? 

My dress is deadstock vintage – that is, vintage but never worn or bought by anyone before me. We went for second-hand and small-scale as much as possible, and Isak wore a suit he already had in his wardrobe. We also wore small-batch hats from SoonNoon and Studio Bondett, genuine cowboy boots from Ariat, and my wedding earrings with turquoise stones were crafted by silversmith Matildha Cedborger at Electric Ladyland Silver.

Was there a dress code for the guests?

Country meets the ’70s, which was absolutely marvellous! There was denim, cowboy hats, fringed shirts, retro dresses and ’70s-style shirts, boots and lovely colours – it was absolutely marvellous to see!

Anything else you’d like to share with us? 

You can go so far with upcycling! All the decorations were upcycled, found at car boot sales and in second-hand shops. 

Tips

Top tip for a wedding?

Start with yourselves and ask: how do WE want it to be? Ignore all the unwritten rules or expectations – you can do it exactly as you’ve always dreamed and wished.

Best tip during the planning stage? 

Create a Miro board (miro.com) where you can plan, save inspiration and so on. It gave us a great overview of the planning.

Best tip for the day itself? 

Not everything has to be ‘perfect’ – it’ll turn out fine anyway. And the things that don’t go to plan are rarely noticed by anyone else anyway.

Is there anything you wish you’d done differently? 

Nah, actually don’t have time for regrets, haha!

Any ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ you’d like to share?

Do’s

01. There are so many unwritten rules about weddings – ignore them and do your own thing. You can make your day exactly what you want it to be, and however you want it to be! 

02. Only invite people you actually want to invite.

03. Invest in things that’ll last beyond the wedding! Like a good wedding photographer who’ll deliver photos from your big day, a guest book with a Polaroid camera so guests can take photos of themselves and write messages, a box where guests can write letters, and so on. These are worth their weight in gold afterwards, once you’ve had a chance to settle down a bit.

04. Make it personal! Everything’s more fun if the day feels like YOU!
Don’ts

01. Don’t worry too much about other people’s expectations – just be yourselves!

The best tip for life as a married couple after the wedding? 

Make time for each other! Go away together or just take some time off together; it was invaluable for us to be able to settle into everything.

Venue

Reception venue: Folkets hus in Kuivakangas.

Catering: Huuvagården

Flowers: Isak’s uncle’s wife, Åsa, and his grandmother, Kristina, grew and arranged all the flowers themselves – both for the bridal bouquet and the table decorations.

Rings: Rebecca Bonaparte

Clothing: Vintage and second-hand.

Photographer: Rebecca Lundh from Kiruna, whom I’ve known I wanted to book for several years now!

Printed materials: I designed and printed everything myself using my Epson photo printer.

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