a sweet summer wedding

It’s been a while! Both in terms of this blog, and in terms of the theme of today’s post. This summer I spent two months in Finland – a period of at times being very busy, at times lying around on a newly built pier with a book and a thermos of tea, and sometimes even floating on top of the sea in a kayak and good company.

A few months earlier, I was contacted by an old student of mine and a fellow biologist, who was getting married in June and had heard that I was going to be in the country at that time. I was happy to be invited to be their wedding photographer, and even more so after I heard about the venue: Nuuksio National Park. What a brilliant idea! The national park is not far from the capital, Helsinki, and it’s a beautiful area covered in lakes and forests (and one of my favourite places in Finland).

Surrounded by beauty.

We met up in the morning and headed to the national park. The weather was perfect – sunny but not too hot. There was still a couple of hours before the guests would arrive, so we took our time finding the perfect spots for a few portraits.

With a day of wonder, laughter and tears still ahead.

After we had enjoyed the weather, forest and lake for a while, the guests started arriving, and the couple hid until the ceremony begun.

Anticipation.

The ceremony took place on a small island, with singing, vows and sunshine.

What followed was a unique and charming afternoon and evening. The couple, being biologists, tasked their guests with finding and naming as many species as possible – a fun game which guaranteed that no one ever got bored during those periods of less activity that always occur.