In the picturesque setting of Southern Estonia, at the cozy Mäeotsa Holiday Farm, Mihkel and Nayana celebrated their love, bringing together loved ones from Estonia, India, and various countries around the world. The two-day wedding, set amidst stunning nature, reflected the couple’s desire to create a relaxed and natural atmosphere. To add vibrancy and color, the couple chose bright, colorful decorations, making the setting even more lively.

The second day brought a lively celebration, where guests gathered for a wedding party. The evening featured an exciting surprise performance by Lenna, adding a special touch to the festivities. Later in the evening, the band Traffic set the mood with their energetic performance.

Both days carried a uniquely warm and genuine ambiance, beautifully highlighting the essence of both cultures and creating unforgettable memories.

We asked the bride and groom to share their thoughts by answering some questions about the planning process and their special day.

Why and how did you decide to get married?
We always intended to get married. We got engaged in 2018 and initially planned to get married and celebrate our wedding in 2020 but our plans were derailed by COVID-19 crisis. Thus in 2020 we just registered our marriage in a civil court with the celebrations to follow later.

How long was your wedding planning process?
The planning process for our wedding was 2 years.

What was your wedding vision/theme? How did you implement the idea?
To bring our world’s together.

• Not as orchestrated/no strict timetable as with “normal” Estonian wedding.
• Chill, easy going atmosphere, everybody mingling and getting to know eachother.
• Celebrations spread over two days to avoid party fatigue.
• Bit of india, bit of estonian country vibe.

Did you also have to make significant changes in your plans?

Yes, the initial plan was to get married in India. With the Estonian wedding planning, there were no big changes, but we significantly exceeded our initial budget, because we wanted top of the line options for catering, bar service and entertainment. We had a lot of guests coming from abroad and we wanted to make the journey to the far corner of the world memorable.

What was your wish for gifts and flowers from your guests? Why did you solve the question that way?
We told the guests that we didn’t need gifts but if they wanted to give us something, cash would do just fine. We asked for no flower to reduce unnecessary waste.

Talk about choosing your wedding venue. What was the main criteria in making the choice?
Open area with both outdoor and indoor options (so we would have back-up incase of Estonian summer gives us any surprises – rain). Countryside feeling, lots of greenery. And since we are both in Tartu we wanted the venue to be in the South of Estonia. 

What would you do differently when planning your wedding today?
Our suggestion – if you’re organizing and international event, everything would go 100 times smoother if you do it in Tallinn or near Tallinn (in terms of transportation, accessibility and accommodation and selection of service providers).

Most touching moment at the wedding?
Our ceremony and vows to each other.

What moments did you and your guests remember the most?
The games hosted by magnificent Koit; regilaul; BBQ Pork, the band (Traffic), saunas.

What were you willing to spend the most on at the wedding, and what were you willing to save on if necessary?
We decided not to save on food, alcohol and entertainment – meaning we got the best service providers we could find without considering “wallet-friendly” alternatives. We were willing to save a bit on decor but without compromising the overall aesthetic. 

What were the surprises on your wedding day? Did everything go exactly as planned?
Transportation broke down on the first day  – so everything got delayed by one hour.

What do you recommend to future brides and grooms to keep in mind when planning their wedding?
Start early – minimum 12 months, because good caterers and entertainers tend to get booked 1 year in advance. If the wedding is in summer make use of beautiful Estonian nature; don’t have the whole event indoors, but have backup in case of bad weather. If you have a budget in mind try to leave a buffer so you have more options to choose from.

Why hire a wedding planner?
We recommend getting a wedding planner so that you don’t spend your wedding day and the days leading to it coordinating between a million different people and service providers – this way you can fully enjoy your day and leave the worrying and problem solving to someone else.

In Southern Estonia, we have organized many different weddings over the years. We also recommend checking out a winter wedding held at Kivitalu!