From the proposal in the Basque Country to the wedding at Bjärsjölagård Castle

The Meeting

Sebastian was living in Copenhagen and Sophia in Malmö when they met on the dating app Tinder. They spent a winter and a spring of exciting dates before moving in together the following summer. It all felt so natural – they didn’t want to wait! Sebastian proposed on a surfboard in the Basque Country in the summer of 2017, but as their baby was on the way, the wedding didn’t take place until the spring of 2019.

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The planning

The wedding planning began when Sophia visited a wedding fair at Bjärsjölagård Castle with two friends. She fell in love straight away with both the castle and Birgitta, who runs the place. So, on the quiet, Sophia provisionally booked two potential dates.

“The following weekend, I said to Sebastian that the fair had been so lovely – shouldn’t we pop round together and see what they have to offer? When Sebastian got there, he was, thankfully, just as smitten as I was!” says Sophia with a laugh. They received fantastic help from Birgitta, Tina and Anna at the castle. Whether it was dancing for an extra hour on Saturday night, setting off a fireworks display or helping out during the photo shoot by holding the veil and train. During the planning, the staff helped with lists and suggestions for entertainment, transport, the photographer, and hair and make-up. It was possible to have a bespoke wedding, but there was also plenty of scope to organise things ourselves.

Sophia continues:

– You simply had the choice! The staff were a huge support and were almost as involved in our wedding as we were ourselves! As the castle took care of the food and drink, Sophia and Sebastian focused on what they do best – entertainment and décor. They wanted live music and for the party to start straight after the first dance. So they had live music playing during the reception after the ceremony, whilst the guests were served sparkling wine and cake. Then their DJ quickly got things going after the fireworks and the first dance.

“It was the perfect set-up! Apart from that, we chose to do a lot ourselves. We bought a print on Etsy and made the ‘save the date’ cards and invitations ourselves, bought all the flowers from florists in Malmö, and one of the bridesmaids arranged the bouquets.” We made little goodie bags for the guests, which were left in their rooms, containing everything from sweets to a ‘hangover kit’ with Resorb and headache tablets for the morning after,” says Sophia. The groom bought his outfit at the last minute. He wanted a jacket, which was a bit difficult to get hold of. In the end, he found Suitopia.se, which tailors suits. It turned out perfectly! The bride bought her wedding dress at Ivory & Grace in Mölndal. She chose the style via their Instagram, then it was just a matter of going along and trying it on!

– Every bit of the wedding planning was fun! Even the seating plan was fun – something you might otherwise dread a bit. We delegated a lot to our toastmaster, who was in touch with the castle ahead of the wedding. The more time passed, the less we had to organise ourselves – it was absolutely lovely!

What was the best thing about the wedding?

– That all our loved ones celebrated with us from Friday evening until Sunday morning. Having our closest friends and family all together to celebrate something as big as love was a fantastic feeling! The fact that everyone celebrated just as much as we’d hoped and planned for, with dancing into the small hours, was also one of the best bits!

Tell us about something special about your wedding

– Everything felt special, of course! If we had to pick one thing, it would probably be that the groom’s cousin sang beautifully in the church, including a song that is very dear to the hearts of more members of the family than just the bride and groom.

What are your wedding tips?

Only do things yourselves if you really want to, or if you’re on a very tight budget. It’s so easy to think you can save a lot of money, but what you don’t realise is that it costs time, patience and can lead to tension between you and your partner when you bicker over little things. Forget about ‘rules’ and how things ‘should’ be done. We didn’t have a traditional head table with our parents sitting next to us; instead, we sat with the bridal party and our siblings. Our parents sat with close relatives on both sides of the table closest to us. It worked out really well and everyone seemed happy! It’s your day, do exactly

as you like! DELEGATE! You want to be able to enjoy yourselves to the full and not have to worry about or sort out any last-minute issues on your wedding day. If you have people close to you whom you trust and know are capable of taking charge, ask them for help! A wedding is often a major undertaking and a lot has to go right, so any help you can get is welcome. Allow plenty of time whilst you’re getting ready so you can spend time with your bridal party and parents, or take photos whilst you’re at it and avoid feeling stressed.

Where can you find tips and advice?

– Through blogs, social media, friends and acquaintances who’ve got married, and the staff at the wedding venue.

How can you use social media and new technology at your wedding?

– The bride looked for lots of inspiration on Pinterest, but also by searching for hashtags on Instagram, where she found her wedding dress.

Wedding facts

Bride: Sophia Djerf

Groom: Sebastian Djerf

Ceremony: Öved Church

Invitation cards: Printed at www.etsy.com, the cards were designed at www.canva.com, all printed by www.all-media.se

Wedding dress & shoes: Dress from Ivory & Grace in Mölndal. Shoes (with something blue!) from K.Cobler, purchased at Scorett.

Groom’s suit & shoes: The groom’s jacket was made by Suitopia.se. Shoes from Rizzo, Hansa Companiet in Malmö.

Rings & jewellery: The bride’s earrings were a morning gift from the groom, from Lily and Rose Jewellery. Bracelet from

MK Silver in Malmö. Wedding rings from Hallbergs Guld, Hansa Companiet in Malmö.

Hair & make-up: Elin Hang www.elinhang.com

Flowers: The bride’s bridesmaid made the bridal bouquet using flowers bought from the bride’s favourite shops in Malmö: Bara

Blommor and Mobilia Blommor.

Reception venue & dinner: Bjärsjölagård Castle, Sjöbo.

Wedding cake: Cia Wahlgren at Sockerdrömmar, Sjöbo.

Music/DJ: Fredrik Baigi, Lund.

Wedding singers: The groom’s cousin during the ceremony, followed by RM Duo at the reception.

Transport: A beautiful old classic car

Honeymoon: Set off for Paris

Photographer: Lina Johansson, www.fotograflinajohansson.se

Budget: 300,000 SEK for 3 days.

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