We will try to give you some glimpses from our wonderful wedding weekend, August 27-29.
It began already in October last year when the Church of Sweden opened up for same-sex marriages. Actually it began much earlier than this since we have been engaged since December 31, 1999. Or to go back all the way in history until January 21, 1999 when we met.
We have spent some time planning - church, music, dinner, reception, invitations, rings, flowers, clothes etc. It has been fun since everyone has been really helpful. The most important things were done quite early so there were just some practical things to take care of during the last weeks. (We never got into wedding planning panic.)
But back to our wedding weekend.
After taking care of some final arrangements we packed our things and headed for Såstaholm on Friday. It was great just to relax and wind down before things started. In the evening we had an informal barbeque with the guests arriving already on Friday. It was great to sit down in the Orangery overlooking the lake and enjoying good company and good food (and wine).
Saturday morning started with the great Såstaholm breakfast before we got dressed for the occasion. It was great to put on the stylish clothes from Uppklädd, it’s not often that you feel that sharp. Then it was time to head for the lunch reception in Vallentuna. It was almost overwhelming to see all the people that have gathered at the Ekeby Föreningsgård to meet us. We will never forget the warmth that met us when we came walking hand in hand. It was one of the greatest moments that day!
It was a superb lunch with delicious Italian food prepared by Maria Abelli Persson. We had picked a few of our pelargoniums for decorations. The rather Spartan locality looked really nice! It was wonderful to mingle and chat with all the happy people. And everyone participated in creating a painting for us!
We had to sneak away for the photo session already after an hour. (We had decided to have the photo session before the wedding ceremony so that we would look as “fresh” as possible.) The photo session was fun! Dan Mårtensson knew what he did and it was a very relaxed hour and a half. On any other day it would have been difficult to smile for all that time, but not on this day.
A few minutes before 3 pm we stood in the Vallentuna church porch with our two priests Eva Cronsioe and Lisa Åslund and collected ourselves before the start of the wedding ceremony. At 3 PM the bells started calling and our eminent organist Leif Johansson let the entry music (Clarke: The Prince of Denmark March) fill the church. We started walking up the aisle, the same aisle where thousands of couples have walked before us for more than 800 years. It’s almost impossible to describe that feeling…
The wedding ceremony was very special for us. Texts, music and ceremonies created something that was traditional, personal, deep, warm and very full of love. One of the strongest moments was when we said our vows; in that moment it was just us.
When we walked down the aisle (as married) we could see all the smiling faces almost as through a haze. And we could definitely feel the warmth.
We waited in the church until the last note of Widor’s Toccata in F. That music expressed perfectly our feelings of joy and love.
Then our priests swung the doors open and we went out to all friends and relatives waiting. We got bombarded with rice as the tradition bids. Then there was hugging time. So much happiness!
Everyone accompanied us down to the Vallentuna lake where the Viking ship Freja with crew waited for us. We went on board and with everyone waiving and cheering we set out in direction south. The wind came in from north so after a few minutes we set sail and we could just relax to the sound of rippling water and the smell of tar. It was the relaxing break that we so much needed.
Soon we could see Såstaholm where the dinner guests were down at the shore to meet us. After some champagne and mingling we went inside for the dinner. Our dinner room “Höstsol” was beautifully decorated with flower arrangements made by Irene and her staff at Blomsterinspiratören i Waxholm. We even got a Mickey Mouse silhouette at our table. (The same team was responsible for our beautiful boutonnières.)
The Såstaholm staff lived up to any expectation - in food, wine and service. We really felt that they took care of us with genuine warmth. They delivered a total experience that every guest will remember. (For example, I bet that nobody had eaten asparagus ice-cream before.)
The speeches during the dinner were short, warm and not too many. Our toast-couple Fredrik and Karolina gave us many opportunities to laugh, and they were in high degree responsible for the warm and informal atmosphere around the table.
The dinner was in three acts with an epilogue. The epilogue with cake, coffee, mingle and dance were held in a lounge upstairs. We managed to start the dancing with an acceptable performance of Wiener waltz to "An der schönen blauen Donau". Everyone was in a good mood and soon people found crazy hats. The rest of the evening went in the same key of happy craziness.
Everyone was a bit tired on Sunday morning, but still able to enjoy the superb breakfast. Then it was time to pack things and head back home.
It was a wonderful weekend. We surfed on a wave of love, warmth and happiness. Everyone involved has helped making this to something magical. We have happy memories that we will carry for the rest of our lives.
There are so many people that we want to thank:
- Eva and Lisa for leading our beautiful wedding ceremony with dignity, warmth and a personal touch
- Leif for giving the wedding ceremony a very special dimension through first class organ playing
- Marianne at Såstaholm for coordinating the dinner and the party - our producer!
- Karl at Såstaholm for creating a delicious menu
- Adam at Såstaholm for an engaged and excellent choice of wine
- Malin at Såstaholm for the cake of our dreams
- Ulf and Mauro at Såstaholm for taking care of us with warmth and personal engagement both at the barbeque and at the dinner
- Katarina at Såstaholm for opening champagne bottles just by passing by them
- All the rest of the staff at Såstaholm for making us feeling welcome and special
- Maria at Nonnas Catering for a most superb Italian lunch buffet
- Irene (and her team) at Blomsterinspiratören i Waxholm for beautiful flower decorations
- Anna and Martin at Uppklädd for the sharpest clothes we have ever worn
- Lennart and his crew at the viking ship Freia for giving us a sailing trip that we will never forget
- Dan for a fun photo session and great pictures capturing the essence of the day
- Karolina and Fredrik for practical coordination and toasting in a way that will never be surpassed
- Mikael and Anders for taking care of our rings and helping us with the practical stuff
- Arne, Jan, Anders, Philip and Roger for great speeches
- All our family, friends and colleagues that shared this day with us on location or in your thoughts - you made it special
Here are some pictures, taken by Dan Mårtensson:
These two last pictures are taken by Jan Rudberg:
