Love Letters
Let our Malina brides inspire you through Love Letters, an article series that takes you inside the weddings of our beautiful real-life couples dressed in Malina from all around the world, sharing their best tips and experiences from their biggest day in life
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wedding at villa Gimo
Get inspired by the beautiful couple Sanna and Jonathan and the beautiful villa Gimo outside Stockholm. Photographer: Jackie Dahl and Elin Nylund
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where did the wedding preparations take room?
The wedding morning started with an early breakfast where many of the guests joined gradually. Then, I and my three bridesmaids took over the suite to get ready together. I also had the best Matilda by my side, taking care of hair and makeup. I have never felt as beautiful as I did then and there.
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how did you choose your wedding gown?
Oh, I actually landed on my first "vision". A dress that I imagined from day one. I pictured a classic dress, with an open back and it being figure-hugging. However, the hunt for 'the one' wasn't straightforward. I started trying on different dresses 10 months before the wedding and I actually doubted and hesitated numerous times before I finally landed on my dress. I'm incredibly happy that I finally landed on Elize from By Malina. Then I wanted to make it more "mine", so I chose to have it tailored by a seamstress and adjusted, among other things, the neckline.
Bridal dress: Elize wedding dress
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how did you choose bridesmaids dresses and bridal bouquet?
I wanted my bridesmaids to feel comfortable in their dresses. My only real wish was to decide on the color/shade of the dresses, otherwise I thought I was very chill haha. We ended up with the champagne-colored dresses, which also matched the rest of the color scheme for the wedding. For the bridal bouquet, I wanted it to be white/beige, in a more scattered shape, with different kinds of flowers. The one and only - Liza Langen Flowers understood exactly what I wanted to achieve and she actually created magic.
Bridal dress: Elize wedding dress
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what was your wedding location?
We celebrated the biggest weekend of our lives at Gimo Manor, which we are so happy we did. My husband is from the west coast and I'm from the east coast, which led to our first priority regarding our location being able to gather everyone in one place throughout the entire weekend. Gimo Manor became the perfect place for that, and we had a magical Friday with a welcome mingle in the beautiful lounges, team competitions, and dinner which ended down by the lake where we drank beer in jacuzzis and swam. On Saturday, there was a communal breakfast, followed by an outdoor ceremony in the garden, mingling on the terrace, a lively dinner in the party tent, and then a party in the orangery.
Bridal dress: Elize wedding dress
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was there a specific moment that was extra meaningful to you?
Loads! I have some specific moments from all parts of the day that I remember especially vividly. But to choose one specific part, I have to say our ceremony. It really turned out exactly as my husband and I wished for. We truly made it our own. It became so incredibly personal. It sounds strange to say it myself - but it had everything. There was humor, seriousness, lots of love, shared vows, friends performing, and I also got to honor both my mom and dad in different ways which meant a lot to me.
Bridal dress: Elize wedding dress
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did you have a special theme for the dinner/table decorations?
Honestly, table decorations and food weren't high on our priority list (our focus was instead on personalization and festivity). Decoration, in general, wasn't something we felt was worth investing a lot of effort into. We wanted it clean, stylish, and to follow a theme in terms of fonts and colors. However, the food and drinks at Gimo were incredible, and we chose them after tasting through the menu a few months before.
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tell us about the wedding dinner
We had dinner in the tent in the garden. Here the focus was solely on creating a relaxed and festive atmosphere - which it certainly became! First and foremost, we selected our liveliest couple to be the toastmaster and toastmistress, and they were incredible. We then had fantastic speakers, each delivering such unique and fun performances on stage. I get goosebumps when I think back to the dinner and the atmosphere that was created. There's just so much love for all our closest people in life. My husband and I also surprised everyone by bringing in our saxophonist and DJ, Tom, on several occasions throughout the evening - to further elevate the mood.
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how did you celebrate after the dinner?
After dinner, we had our first dance (of course, with a twist) on the terrace. Then we proceeded in a torchlight procession, with light rockets following the saxophonist - into the orangery, which was prepped for an after-party with a really good club vibe.