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Published: March 3rd 2011
Our fairytale white wedding in Swedish Lapland.
The morning of our wedding I awoke early in a warm bed, in a cosy chalet. A welcome contrast to the previous night spent in the “ice fishing” ice room in the ice hotel.
I gave a kiss to my husband “to be” who immediately said, “happy wedding day” with his eyes still closed. He does make me smile. We had to go into Kiruna to sort the papers to get married. I wondered what else there was to do. We had already spent an hour before the registrar in London, declared we are not brother and sister (despite the assumptions of a few people we have met on our travels) and had the notice of marriage posted in the registry. After a further half an hour waiting in Kiruna we were told officially we could “tie the knot”.
I went back to the room to put my make up on. I am sure Christopher will tell you he felt rushed getting ready but he actually spent this hour lying on the bed. We then went for lunch.
When we returned to the room
I attempted to get into my dress. I went in under the skirt and just aimed for the bright light at the top. However my shoulders kept getting wedged. Christopher thankfully saved the day and patiently unlaced and re-laced me into the dress. When we were eventually ready we popped open the champagne.
We met the photographer before the ceremony for photographs in the ice rooms. Many of the guests took pictures and congratulated us. I felt like an ice princess.
The ice hotel is spectacular. The grandeur of the rooms, along with the temperature takes your breath away. The water from the river Torne, which creates the enormous blocks of ice, is so pure and clear it looks like blocks of crystal. In fact the water you drink in the ice hotel is from the same river. The artists sculpt each room individually each year and each April the hotel melts back into the river.
After the photographs we had a short time to warm up back in our chalet. The sled pulled by a reindeer then arrived to take us to the chapel. Christopher went into the chapel before
me to wait at the altar.
I stepped out of the sled and into the chapel. A local Swedish song was playing and inside the ice chapel was so serene. Compact snow of the purest white and a pale blueness of the ice were the building blocks. The crisp snow glistened like diamond on the walls. The chapel however did not feel cold and harsh. It seemed symbolic of pureness and the earth’s elements of ice and fire. The sun poured in the ice window above the altar and candles burned brightly lining the pews to the altar.
I saw Christopher stood beside the priest in front of a line of flickering candles. I felt tears begin to roll down my face. The ceremony was short and the words were beautiful. The priest blessed our rings and we exchanged our vows. We walked up the aisle alone but we walked back down together, as husband and wife.
I could not have wished for a better day however that night the northern lights came out to dance amongst us. They hovered above our heads and the sky was filled with various shades
of green and a hint of red. I lay like a star in the snow watching the natural phenomenon which lasted for nearly an hour. The perfect end to our perfect day.
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liliram
liliram
Lovely wedding.
There is always a first time. This is the first time I've "heard", read and "seen" a wedding of this kind. Lovely. Congratulations, you two. May you both stay happy forever. God bless you!