The days are at their longest when it’s midsummer in Sweden.  Midsummer’s Eve is a huge holiday in the country, marked by maypoles, revelry, frog dancing (more on that later) and feasting on traditional foods like red herring with potatoes.  It also happens to be a great time for love—perfect for Talia and Olof’s Stockholm wedding in an old cabin on a lake!

From Talia:

How did your sweetie propose?  

“He surprised me the day before we were leaving for a five-week trip to Asia and I had been home cleaning and packing and had just sat down to watch a movie.  Initially I was very annoyed because he said he wanted to talk to me and I was very into my movie, A Few Good Men, so I told him it would have to wait because I was exhausted.  After the movie, he said he had to talk to me and I was to hide in the bathroom.  When it was time to come out there were two glasses of bubbles and out of the corner of my eye I saw a box. He got down on one knee and proposed!”

wedding dress: Lea-Ann Belter Cali | photographer: Matilda Soderstrom | scroll down for full vendor list

How did you choose your gown?

“I chose my gown the day I decided to pop into a bridal shop alone without all of my friends, who had been previously going with me.  I got lucky that the bridal shop, Belltown Bridal, allowed me to just drop in.  I told the woman, Scarlet, what I was looking for and she helped me find a few dresses and then she picked out a few for me saying that maybe I should try on a few dresses I had never thought about trying before because styles are so different.  It was she who found my dress and told me to try it on and then clipped it together so I could see what it would be!  I loved it immediately and told her I would take it as soon as I had it on me.”

Tell us about your day! Did you have a theme or style in mind?

“Yes, we had two themes, travel and the color blue.  Blue is both of our favorite colors and travel is our biggest passion so it felt natural to somehow combine and incorporate the two.  Our day was perfect!  It was just how I imagined it would be.  It was very important for us for everyone to have fun and enjoy themselves and thankfully every did! We had our reception and dinner in an old Swedish cabin that was on a lake and had our ceremony on the dock.  It was warm and the sun was shining well into the night, thanks to the long summer nights here in Sweden.  We were surrounded by our family and closest friends who helped make our day what it was.  We did all of the decorating ourselves along with the help of some of our friends and family.  Without them it would not have looked as beautiful as it did!”

What’s your funniest wedding day memory?

“When our toastmaster gave us little ‘assignments’ to do and one of them was that my husband had to do the traditional frog dance from Swedish Midsummer.  He danced around and sang while everyone clapped and cheered.”

What was your favorite wedding day moment?

“Sitting at our table enjoying dinner together and watching all of our guests laughing and having a great time.”

Describe your wedding day in 5 words or less:

“Exciting, laugher, joy, perfect, love.”

What was your something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue? 

“My something old was my mom’s pearl ring that she gave me, my something new was my blue shoes, I had nothing borrowed, my something blue was the ribbon and button I had custom done to the dress.  I found the ribbon and button at a sewing shop and asked the woman who was altering my dress if she could do something with it.  She said leave it to her and she would make it work and she did, I loved it!  I was obsessed with getting a blue wedding gown but never found one due to lack of time so this was the next best thing!”

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

“Maldives for 12 days and then one week in Sicily.”

Talia + Olof’s Stockholm Wedding Vendors

wedding dress: Lea-Ann Belter Cali | photographer: Matilda Soderstrom | venue:  Hällberga | hair: Salon Tid, Beatrice | jewelry: O’Dwyer |  shoes: Badgley Mischka | suit: Calvin Klein  

Were you a Lea-Ann Belter bride? We’d love to see your pictures and share your story! Email [email protected].