Relaxed Garden Wedding in Sweden With Traditional Vibes

The beautiful relaxed garden wedding of Sophia and Sipke on today’s blog, set in their hometown in Sweden they opted for a marquee wedding in Sophia’s family home. Here we catch up with Sophia, who tells us all about how they met, the super casual (not to plan) proposal, and how they created a relaxed garden wedding perfect for the two of them…

How Did You and Sipke Meet?

“We met at a party during our first week of uni through mutual friends, however we didn’t start dating until about a year and a half later.”

The Proposal

“Sipke had been away for fieldwork in Kenya for a few months. On the day he came back, I helped him unpack as he had a long flight home and had little sleep. I found a pretty maasai bead bracelet and asked him when he woke up if it was a gift for me. Little did I know he had planned to use it to propose to me and I had ruined the surprise – he sat me down on our sofa and proposed to me there and then in the most romantic and natural way (even if he was a bit nervous about having to do it so spontaneously and after having just woken up!).”

Planning The Wedding

“Both of us were very busy working on our PhDs in the run up to the wedding. Our general vibe was to make things as easy, simple, and relaxed as possible. For this reason, we did not feel like being strict with a colour theme or theme in general, but went with a mix of rustic and classic – the criteria was simply that it looked nice and reasonably coherent. The main goal with our wedding was ultimately to celebrate our marriage and to enjoy ourselves, and we didn’t want any over-the-top, pedantic, or stressful party planning to detract from that.”

The Location

“Our wedding was in my childhood home in Sweden, close to a town called Nyköping which is conveniently situated close to the Stockholm Ryanair airport. My parents bought a tent and we had a catering company provide the food.”

The Dress

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted a traditional wedding dress, mainly because it felt wrong to spend £1000 and more on a dress I’d only wear once. It was my sister Victoria who pressured me into booking an appointment at a bridal shop, the Tailor’s Cat in Cambridge. Incidentally, I booked the day they had a sample sale, so we ended up leaving with a bargain – a beautiful ivory Morilee dress, model Latina, for only £250 pounds. The dress did require some altering which was done by Elisa at the Bridal Pixie in Cambridge, who did an absolutely incredible job.”

The Suit

“My husband had a different attitude to clothing – he wanted a well-made, well-fitting suit he could wear for future occasions, such as job interviews. As a wedding gift, my father-in-law bought him a bespoke suit from Suitsupply, where Aaron in the London Vigo Street shop did a great job in helping us put together a beautiful blue suit.”

The Bridesmaids

“The bridesmaids were my youngest sister, who was maid of honour, and my two oldest friends. Here, I asked them to pick a dress they liked in a vaguely matching, blue colour scheme. Since I hadn’t budgeted to pay for their dresses, I felt it was important that they were given the freedom to choose something for themselves that they could then use for other occasions.”

The Details

“The cake was made an amateur baker who I had found through a local newspaper. She was terrific – she invited us over to her home for cake tasting and put together some fantastic flavours. The cake was sponge with layers of passionfruit mousse, raspberry mousse, and covered in a delicate meringue buttercream and white chocolate roses.”

“We bought the flowers from a local garden centre, which also sells cut flowers and does some arrangement. I loved peonies but August is the wrong season. I did not want the traditional, very formal rose. We ended up using garden/bush roses (I believe bridal piano rose) which has a similar volume to peonies and felt a lot more natural, as well as white hydrangeas. This created great volume and a rustic feel in the bouquets.”

The Best Part Of The Day

“Was during the ceremony and saying our vows. It was so exciting and comforting at the same time, I couldn’t stop smiling and Sipke struggled to hold back tears.”

Words of Wisdom

“Weddings are stressful, even for those couples who, like us, make an effort to be easy going. For us the most stressful element was family. Always remember to be a team when dealing with potential conflict and try to both mentally prepare for it but also ignore it as best as you can – negativity from those around you is ultimately irrelevant and should not affect your day. So, keep reminding yourselves the reason for your wedding, which is ultimately to celebrate your love and commitment to one another, and to have fun with your friends and family!”

The Suppliers- Relaxed Garden Wedding in Sweden With Traditional Vibes

Dress, shoes, accessories- Tailor’s Cat, Cambridge, Toms

Florist- Blomsterlandet

Make up/Hair – I did my own makeup, but had my hair done at Salong Beauty, Malmköping,

Grooms suit – suitsupply

Photographer – Lee Allison Photography

Caterers/Bars – Erik På Slottet (Nyköping)

Love this relaxed garden wedding and looking for more wedding inspiration? Check out our online magazine BOND BRIDE or our recent blogpost  HOW TO CREATE A RELAXED, RUSTIC BACK GARDEN WEDDING