January 17, 2019

Intimate Helsinki Wedding at Valkosaaren Telakka

Polly & Jacopo invited me to Finland to document their Helsinki wedding in an old boathouse on an island just off the city. It was a beautiful day, filled with delicious food and friends from all over the world!

What was most important to you when planning your wedding?

Our idea was to host a gathering that would reflect who we are and what we love the most: being with our friends, eating simple and good food and have a laugh together. To mention a few more things which were important to us:
– the setting: it had to be somewhere close to city as Helsinki has become our hometown and we wanted it to reflect on this day as well, but also close to nature and the sea
– the music: we love music and we wanted something special for the evening that everyone could enjoy, we were very happy that our dear friends Hermanni Turkki and Helsinki Syndrome could be part of the celebrations

How did you chose your venue

Our requirement were simple but yet very hard to meet. We wanted something with character that would be close to the city but yet with a countryside vibe and a lot of charm. We ended up finding Valkosaaren Telakka almost by chance, we couldn’t turn down such a lovely boathouse overlooking the Helsinki harbour with a spectacular view of the skyline of the city: a postcard perfect location. We had to book it!

How did you chose your wedding photographer?

Being photographers ourselves we really wanted someone with similar aesthetics. Jess’s work caught our attention particularly because of her unique style that ties together every image into wholesome poetic stories. We love the way she includes the details but also is able to capture the big picture like the majestic landscapes in some of the work we have seen on her website and Instagram. We were lucky she could make the trip all the way to Helsinki, Finland and we really appreciated that. Nothing felt awkward not even the most intimate shots. Our guests felt exactly the same: everyone said that Jess was subtle and very professional and no one felt overwhelmed by her presence. This is exactly what we hoped for! Everyone loved the pictures as well!

Did you DIY anything for your Helsinki wedding?

We DIY pretty much everything, we both have somehow stressful daily jobs and this was one of the things we did together during the weekends and it really helped us taking our minds off other things. One thing we really wanted to arrange was and instant camera guest book, that worked really well we collected hundreds of lovely pictures and messages through the evening!

Valkosaaren Telakka in Helsinki
Islands off the coast of Helsinki
red boathouse Valkosaaren Telakka in Helsinki
Valkosaaren Telakka in Helsinki
bride and groom getting dressed in old boathouse in Helsinki
Groom standing in front of old sails in a boathouse Valkosaaren Telakka Helsinki
Bride and groom walking towards boathouse for portraits, Valkosaaren Telakka wedding
Groom removing hair from brides face in front of red barn wall
groom kissing brides cheek in the sunlight, Valkosaaren Telakka wedding
Bride and groom standing in light for portraits
passionate kiss between bride and groom in front of red barn
bride walking towards Valkosaaren Telakka wedding venue in Helsinki
Wedding portrait in front of Valkosaaren Telakka
groom adjusting brides dress that is blowing in wind as they stand among trees in the sunlight
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding
bride and groom in Adidas shoes
bride and groom standing on hill surrounded by trees on island near Helsinki
groom gently touching brides shoulder
bride and groom standing in sunlight. Finland wedding in Helsinki
Wedding portraits at Valkosaaren Telakka
bride and groom standing by water, Helsinki wedding portraits
bride and groom standing by water, Helsinki wedding portraits
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding portraits
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding portraits
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding portraits
Bride and groom standing in front of wedding arch facing water, Helsinki wedding portraits
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding portraits
Bride standing in sunlight coming through windows of old boathouse surrounded by old sails
groom kissing bride in sunlight coming through windows of old boathouse surrounded by old sails
groom kissing bride in sunlight coming through windows of old boathouse surrounded by old sails
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding ceremony
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding
Guests watching during wedding ceremony at Valkosaaren Telakka
Black and white images of bride putting on grooms ring during wedding ceremony
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding
Guests cheering and clapping during outdoor wedding ceremony at Valkosaaren Telakka
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception details
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception details
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception details
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception details
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception details
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception details
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception details
Bride and groom getting food, Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception food table
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception food table
Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception
Guests listening and smiling during speeches at Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception
Guests drinking wine during speeches at Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception
Guests listening and smiling during speeches at Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception
Guests listening and smiling during speeches at Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception
Guests during speeches at Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception
Guests listening during speeches at Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception
Guests listening during speeches at Valkosaaren Telakka wedding reception
empty dinner plates after eating during wedding reception at Valkosaaren Telakka, Helsinki
Wedding portraits overlooking Helsinki from Valkosaari at sunset
Wedding portraits overlooking Helsinki from Valkosaari at sunset
Wedding portraits overlooking Helsinki from Valkosaari at sunset
Wedding portraits overlooking Helsinki from Valkosaari at sunset
black and white images of couple holding hands and kissing
Wedding portraits overlooking Helsinki from Valkosaari at sunset
Wedding portraits overlooking Helsinki from Valkosaari at sunset
black and white images of couple kissing during wedding reception
Hermanni Turkki band performing during wedding reception at Valkosaaren Telakka
Hermanni Turkki band performing during wedding reception at Valkosaaren Telakka
Hermanni Turkki band performing during wedding reception at Valkosaaren Telakka
bride and gromo dancing during wedding reception at Valkosaaren Telakka
bride and gromo dancing during wedding reception at Valkosaaren Telakka
guests drinking during reception
bride and gromo dancing during wedding reception at Valkosaaren Telakka
guests drinking during reception
guests with baby dancing during wedding reception
guests with baby dancing during wedding reception
bride dancing with sister and mother during wedding reception

bride and groom dancing during wedding reception
bride and groom kissing in old boathouse with stringlights at night
bride and groom kissing in old boathouse with stringlights at night

Vendors

DRESS: BLUSHFASHION, Tel Aviv
SUIT: Tiger of Sweden
SHOES: Adidas Stan Smith Custom Shop
INVITATIONS: DIY
FLORALS: Kaivokukka, Helsinki
CATERER: Delicatessen Caterers, Espoo
VENUE: Valkosaaren Telakka, Helsinki
MUSIC: Hermanni Turkki
MUSIC: Helsinki Syndrome
OFFICIANT: Katja Peura, Uudenmaan maistraatti
FIRST SONG DANCE: Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer

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