On a warm Saturday in August, the new journey of Kaisa and Markus as a married couple began. We created a modern city wedding with tropical elements for the bride and groom. The whole evening was spent in a really amazing environment, in the company of amazing people. We asked our lovely bride and groom to answer wedding-related questions.

How long was your wedding planning process?

The short answer is that we got engaged on 09.01.2022 and the wedding took place on 08.12.2023, so a little less than a year.

The longer answer is that we got engaged on 09/01/2022 and we took a little moment to decide if we should do the wedding right away next summer or give ourselves a little more time to think and plan. The decision that the wedding will take place in the summer of 2023 was finally confirmed at the end of October, when the right place fell into our hands. As a precaution, we had already thought of the date and, just in case, together with the initial budget planning, we asked our favorite photographer and videographer about the suitability of the date at the beginning of October. So by the beginning of November, the venue, the band, the photographer, the videographer and the master of ceremony were booked. For a while we toyed with the idea of organizing the wedding ourselves and not hiring an organizer, but at the beginning of November we still thought of meeting some organizers and seeing how it feels. We didn’t go further than the first meeting, because Merily and I got on so well that we didn’t really want to organize it ourselves. We also canceled other planned meetings.

What was your wedding vision/theme? How did you implement the idea?

We knew from the beginning that we wanted to do a city wedding with the keywords: urban, funky, chic, chill, fun. We didn’t want anything too romantic, but we wanted stylish and simple solutions, clean tones, and a modern approach.

There were quite a lot of ideas and solutions that caught our eye from Instagram and Pinterest, which we wanted to adapt to our own wishes and somehow tie together into a whole. Together with the wedding planner and designer, we selected the right ones from the thoughts and ideas, and with their help they became a reality.

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

Since organizing the wedding happened at a time when prices could and did rise overnight, it brought some stress, but in the end, nothing big and important was given up. We abandoned our initial budget and then our interim budget as well.

What was your wish for gifts and flowers from your guests? Why did you solve the question that way?

We knew right away that the gift request was money and we asked the guests not to bring flowers, as we were leaving for the wedding trip the next morning and the wedding floristry is separate anyway. With the money we received as a gift, we had actually already taken into account a certain amount when preparing the wedding budget, that we would cover some of the wedding expenses from there. We considered the option of asking the guests to support the floristic fund for the wedding instead of bringing flowers, but since it didn’t look too nice for us at another wedding, we quickly gave up on this idea.

Talk about choosing your wedding venue. What was the main criteria when making the choice?

We knew we wanted to have an urban wedding and we were looking for a good balance between industrial and modern. We went to see the rooms at the Põhjala factory, we considered the rooms at Botik, but in the end we reached Fotografiskan through a recommendation, where the balance was right, just enough space, but not too much, and the on-site readiness for organizing such an event was better than average.

What would you do differently when planning your wedding today?

Our planning went quite well, there were practically no disagreements with each other and neither with the organizers. The biggest source of stress was, of course, the budget, but family support allowed us to plan the wedding of our dreams in the final stage. There were still minor hiccups in the planning process, with the invitations and the venue, but everything was resolved in the final stage. Today, I wouldn’t be able to say anything big that I would do differently.

Most touching moment at the wedding?

Markus: first look…and the ceremony too. :))

Kaisa: Arrival at the ceremony, everyone’s emotions and (unexpected) speeches!

What moments did you and your guests remember the most?

The ceremony was the one that was talked about the most and what we ourselves have thought back to. So personal and a great balance of humor and emotion, everyone was engrossed the entire time. Meelis, the host of the wedding, received wild compliments already that evening and the next day. And the limoncello/tequila bar was the third spotlight.

The biggest surprise for us were the speeches, which we didn’t expect, but which gave the wedding a whole new level and emotion.

What were you willing to spend the most on at the wedding and what were you willing to give up if necessary?

The photographer and the videographer were the ones for whom no compromises would have been made – the result of their work is what will be remembered for the rest of our lives (which passes sooooo quickly floating on emotion). We were ready to keep things together and look for simpler solutions rather from a deco point of view. The budget for the flowers was set in advance, which we did not want to exceed, but Ahti did a great job within the limits given to him!

What surprises hit you on your wedding day? Did everything go exactly as planned?

We had said before the wedding day that something was bound to go wrong and we just had to not let it affect us. So it was as if we had prepared…but to no avail, because everything went as planned. Surprisingly, it also seemed that nothing affected that day, even the photographer said at one point that the bride is such a chill bride. There were still minor quibbles, for example, the song for walking to the ceremony didn’t start at the right moment, the bus didn’t move to the right place at the right moment…but these were really details that no one else noticed anyway, and they didn’t sway us at that moment. 

Trust in our management team was 120% and justified itself 120%. At no point did I feel like I had to worry about any detail. We were able to be completely in the day and everything else went its own way. This is probably the sign of the best organization – you don’t even notice it at the moment, but everything is going smoothly.

What do you recommend future brides and grooms to keep in mind when planning their wedding?

It is worth considering that everything will be a little or a little more than a little more expensive than the initial budget implies. But we recommend that you think about exactly what you like and how the wedding would be for you. This way you will feel your best and so will your people.

Of course, the earlier you start, the easier the whole organizational process will be, because better services get booked quite quickly, the Estonian summer is short and all kinds of resources are limited. 

Why hire a wedding planner?

We thought for a long time that we would do it ourselves and not hire an organizer, because I have organized several events myself and I understand what goes into them. The original plan was to hire someone to help just for the wedding day. After meeting with Merily and co, the decision was clear that we would take the organizer and we were happy with this decision at every moment.

The organizer allows us to enjoy the process and not stress too much. This is someone to bounce your ideas and thoughts with, who helps you pick out the right ones, and who then works hard to make them a reality in the best possible way. Someone who stands up for you and holds your hand even when needed, brings you down to earth when your thoughts get too flighty. And at the same time works-works-works so that this day is what you hope and expect. Someone who keeps all those moving parts in synergy and the house of cards standing on the big day (and before). :))