So after weeks of recapping our wedding preparations, the day is finally here… wedding day! Looking back on it now, it was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I never knew how challenging it would be to plan a wedding in Sweden, but I’m happy with how everything turned out!
The week leading up to the wedding was full of activities. I had over 20 guests arriving from the US and one from Canada. I tried to do my best to greet them at the airport. I was there for 2 days straight being the welcome wagon. It was the least I could do since they had taken time out of their busy schedules to travel all the way to our wedding. I felt so blessed that so many people cared enough to come.
A group of my closest girlfriends came and stayed our our newly built house (recap on the house to come). So it was like a big fun slumber party! It was amazing to be able to spend some time with my girls and bond. They have been such a big part of my life, they are more like my sisters than friends.
I woke up on my wedding day very calm, I was just really happy and ready to marry the man of my dreams. The hair stylists and photographers came on time and the girls started to set up their hair and makeup stations. It was all very organized without me saying anything. I chose to do my own makeup for my wedding since the few makeup trials were terrible. I felt I could do my own makeup better than anyone could.
The morning went on smoothly all the girls had started getting ready occupying whatever space they could find in my house. My hair stylist, Caroline, is the hairstylist I’ve trusted after my move to Sweden. She’s fantastic and really understands what I want. Her shop is right by where I work so it’s perfect.
Putting on the dress for the first time was a surreal moment. It’s the moment I had always been waiting for and dreamt about.
I was happy by my friends’ reactions when I stepped out for the first time. I knew I had chosen the right dress for my big day. I felt beautiful and like a princess.
Complete bridal look: Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham, Wedding Veil: David’s Bridal, Tiara: Ivory & Co, Jewelry: Lily & Rose, Shoes: Manolo Blahnik Hangisi
My dad arrived with my wedding flower bouquets and we were off to the church. It was important for me that we selected the big church in our little city. I wanted something that would bond me to this new place I called home. We can always tell our future children that we were married in that church.
Luckily for us it also happens to be beautiful! I love the original tiling, the stained glass windows and chandeliers. It was perfect for my fairy tale themed wedding.
I remember being nervous while standing with my father and bridal party waiting to hear the sounds of my wedding procession song, “Turning Page” by Sleeping at Last. One by one my bridal party walked down the aisle and I got even more nervous.
The doors opened and I saw Daniel immediately. I remembered smiling, but still being really nervous. All eyes would be on me and my eyes would be on him.
A replay of our lives flashed before my eyes like a movie montage: our meeting at Bar Marmont 6 years ago, to our trips around the world, our fights, our laughter, our tears, the enormous chance I took following him back to Sweden… it all lead us to this moment. He was smiling, I could tell he was nervous…the crowd of people faded away as I walked past them down the aisle. Nobody was in the room, just us.
We wedding ceremony was conducted in the Macedonian tradition and part of the tradition was that the wedding couple got crowned! It was a real princess moment for me and I felt so blessed to have all my loved ones there to witness our union.
After the church ceremony it was time to take photos! When we came out of church we saw that the weather had turned and it was raining. It’s a sign of good luck right?
We had initially planned to take our photos in the nearby forest, but once there we found out it would be impossible. It was wet and all our dresses were getting dragged through the mud.
I had a moment of despair and that’s when Daniel swept me up into his arms and charges out of the forest. He wasn’t going to let the rain spoil the day.
That is also the moment our photographer, Alex, captured one of my favorite photos of the day. My hero of a husband.
We ended up going back to the house and took portrait photos in front of our large windows.
It turned out perfect and we were out of the rain. Our spirits were up and we were ready to party! Off to the reception!
It was even more beautiful than I had thought. Everyone was already there when we arrived and we were happy to kick up our heels and have a great evening.
The food was as delicious as I remembered. We hired a traditional Macedonian band and a DJ so we could have a mix of both cultures.
But we had a surprise for our guests.
We didn’t want to have a traditional first dance so we put in some effort months prior. We had a medley of 3 songs, starting with Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud, which we danced a waltz and chachacha. Then the music broke and we broke it down with R.Kelly’s The Vibe, then ended with Justin Timberlake’s, Can’t Fight the Feeling.
CLICK THE LINK TO SEE OUR FIRST DANCE
This created the mood for the rest of the night full of laughs, love and dancing. People were still partying on long after we had left after we’d left. We were so incredibly happy and ready to start our happily ever after.
Taking the lead in the traditional Macedonian ring dance! So much fun and laughter!
