Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship … Pontus and I first met in Thailand on my very first day of a solo backpacking adventure back in 2007, when I spotted some strapping Swedish men playing volleyball on the beach.
Following our first meeting, we didn’t see each other for 5 years before reuniting when I found myself living in Oslo, Norway. We fell quickly in love, and when I was ready to move home to Melbourne after a year of long-distance between Stockholm and Oslo, thankfully, Pontus was quick to follow.
11 years since the first meeting, 6 after reuniting, Pontus popped the question (much to my surprise) on the beach during a holiday to Thailand – back where it all began. A year and a half later, we were married in front of family and friends from various corners of the world, in Port Douglas, Queensland.
These days, we call Melbourne home, where Pontus works as a Project Manager in Industrial Rope Access, and I work for a production company as a TV Producer.
We love to walk, we love to wander markets, second-hand stores, and record shops. We love music, as love dancing, we love to and eat good food, and eat out way more often than we probably should (even though Pontus is a wonderful chef!) We always make time to plan outings and adventures. I think one of our greatest strengths as a couple is that we always make an effort to spend quality time, doing fun things together, instead of just going through the motions of life. We are both quite laid back, don’t take ourselves too seriously. We are at ease together. We tease each other. We are affectionate and love to cuddle. We are always trying to think of ways to make the other laugh and smile, and to do the small every day things for each other. We encourage each other to be ourselves, but the very best versions of ourselves.
Together, we look forward to a life full of adventure and laughter. Enjoying the little things. Always being grateful for each other, for our wonderful families and friends, and for the life that we feel very fortunate to share.
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details … I am the kind of girl who had never really thought much about having a wedding, so when Pontus proposed it was a complete shock and (although very exciting) I was finding the prospect of planning a wedding a little daunting, to say the least. As a girl who never ‘dreamed of her big day’ it really felt like starting from scratch. We wouldn’t have had a big wedding – but the opportunity to have all of our loved ones and favourite people in the same place (same country!) at the same time was just too special to pass up, as we are well aware that it may never really happen again.
Winter was the most convenient time for us to get married, but as we had lots of guests coming from Scandanavia, we knew they’d never forgive us for dragging them out of their fleeting Summer, all the way to Australia for a Melbourne Winter. So we decided if we were going to have a Winter wedding, it had to be somewhere warm.
People suggested we get married in Thailand since that was where we met – but we weren’t keen on a true ‘destination wedding’ forcing people to take their annual leave and spend a small fortune in order to attend. Port Douglas became the perfect compromise. Warm, and with the drawcard of the Great Barrier Reef and Rainforest for the international guests – but close enough that friends and family from Melbourne could take a long weekend if they couldn’t get time off.
It was also important to us to spend as much time with everyone as possible, particularly the ones who had travelled from afar – and this seemed like the best way to do it. Spending a week with many of our guests in the lead up to the wedding really took the pressure off having to get around to everybody on the day. Looking back – we really can’t imagine having done it in Melbourne.
I have family in Port Douglas, and have often seen weddings at Sugar Wharf and thought that it would be a beautiful spot to get married – so once we had decided on Port Douglas, choosing the venue was easy. The other thing that ‘sealed the deal’ in terms of Port Douglas, was when we found the house at 15 Wharf Street. It was the perfect base for us for the week. It is such a spectacular property with breathtaking views and provided the perfect place to get ready, as I could walk straight down the garden path and into the park to get married.
When it came to planning, the only real things that were important to us (other than our favourite people) were good food, plentiful drinks, and a heaving dancefloor!
In terms of styling, the decision to get married in the tropics threw me a little – as I had always found myself drawn towards ‘cosier’ more Wintery styling and tones. I love deep tones, a touch of gold, and a bit of sparkle. I was a little concerned about how this would work in the tropics without clashing with the backdrop – and even though it was a ‘beach wedding’ I still wanted the party side of things to feel a little glam and special.
I gave our wonderful florist Gab, so many mixed ‘inspiration’ pictures for our florals and wasn’t really sure how it would all come together, as I hadn’t really seen anything that was exactly what we were after. What she came up with on the day completely blew my mind! Talk about nailing the brief – more perfect and more than I could have ever imagined.
Other than the florals, we really figured the location and venue would speak for themselves. Reliable, balmy weather, views up to Cape Tribulation, palm trees and everyone in ‘holiday mode.’ We didn’t want anything too fussy in terms of styling. I’ve long had a love affair with festoon lighting for the atmosphere they create, so that was a given – and the decision to have dine and dance under the stars made a special evening into something even more magical (something you rarely get to do in Stockholm or Melbourne!)
Tell us about your main outfits: I could never picture myself in a wedding dress but always leaned towards something long-sleeved, slinky and sparkly. When we decided on the tropics, I had to ditch the long-sleeved idea, but managed to retain the slinky and sparkly part! I felt comfortable in this dress the moment I put it on and more like myself than I thought possible in a wedding dress.
In terms of bridesmaids dresses – I’ve never been all that comfortable with the idea of 5 grown women dressed the same, so wanted them to look and feel like the beautiful, individual women that they are. I have to admit, choosing 5 different dresses which all worked together aesthetically took many hours of online scrolling (not to mention the number of dresses ordered and returned) but it was all worth it in the end – I was thrilled with the way they came together on the day. They were absolute knockouts!
Pontus’ suit came from P. Johnson – a tailor just around the corner from home. They have a beautiful showroom, and Pontus had spent years looking longingly in the window the many times we have walked by (typical, stylish Swede!) He was thrilled to finally have a reason to go in.
Pontus’ Mum came up with the great idea of having his late Grandfathers gold cufflinks melted down to make our wedding rings. This makes them even more precious to us – and his Mum presented them to us during the ceremony.
What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day? Really, the week was the most memorable thing. Being able to spend such wonderful, relaxing, quality time with all of our loved ones was something so special that we will never forget. The Wharf Street house was always full of friends laughing and lounging in the pool, against the most spectacular backdrop. Our friends and family from all around the world hanging out and forging new friendships was the most special thing to us. The bonding between our families and friends from opposite sides of the globe was priceless to us.
Pontus and I had initially been nervous about the potential awkwardness of the formal ‘photo’ part of the day – but it turned out to be one of the most fun parts from the get-go. We forgot to tell the boys when Miranda was due to arrive to photograph them getting ready – so they were still doing bombs in the pool when she got there! Great result! The formal photos felt anything but formal. Music and laughter and being silly, with our best mates. Miranda was everywhere, and nowhere. She managed to capture everything so comprehensively without ever getting in the way or drawing attention to herself. Every time I saw her she was smiling from ear to ear. As we had decided against a videographer, it was really important to us to have the feel and emotion of the day captured – and with Miranda’s background in festival photography, I knew the was the woman for the job. Every laugh, every hug, every wild dance floor moment, she was there to capture it.
We were also hugely chuffed to have my 99-year-old grandfather present. We incorporated him into our ceremony by having him be our witness. A signature I know will forever be very special to us. Watching him have the time of his life on the dancefloor (and outdance people a quarter of his age) is a memory we will cherish forever. King of the Dancefloor!
There are too many memorable moments to name, from the ceremony through to the speeches, but finishing the night on our friends’ shoulders, belting out John Farnham’s ‘You’re the Voice’ with a heaving dancefloor around us – we knew we had achieved just what we set out to!
Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together? In this age with Instagram and Pinterest, the amount of options are completely overwhelming and it’s easy to be lead by what you think you need to have, and lose sight of the things which actually matter to you and your partner.
Don’t get too caught up in doing what you feel like you ‘should’ do and what you think being a bride and having a wedding is meant to be, or the expectations of others. It’s a celebration of love, so whatever that means for you – that’s how you should do it. Spend time on the things that are important to you, don’t stress about the things which aren’t.
Make sure you feel like yourselves, and on the day, roll with the punches – nobody notices the small details anyway! As long as your partner and your favourite people are there, how could you possibly have anything but an amazing day?!
In terms of the forever part, who really has the answers there?! But I think if you remember to laugh often, to never stop making time for each other, or thinking about ways to make each other smile, and to always remember to feel grateful for one another – that’s a pretty good place to start!
Ceremony location: Rex Smeal Park | Reception location: Sugar Wharf | Photographer: Miranda Stokkel | Celebrant: Anna Soltwedel | Ceremony Entertainment: Waking Ugly Band | Reception Entertainment: Tony George Entertainment | Hire & Lighting: Eventcore | Flora: Nine Blooms | Reception Catering: Chriso The Personal Chef | Ceremony Grazing Table: The Collection Co. | Stationery: Polka Dot Paper | Agate Coasters & Wishing Well: Bobby and Co Design | Accommodation: 15 Wharf Street, Port Douglas | Bride’s Dress: Erin Clare Bridal via Designer Bridal House | Groom’s Suit: P. Johnson | Ring/s: Balthasar Jewellery | Shoes: Bianca Buccheri via Dolci Firme | Bride’s Earrings: Lele Sadoughi | Bride’s Clutch: Gucci | Makeup & Hair: DS Hair & Makeup | Fragrance: Amyris (Femme & Homme) – Maison Francis Kurkdjian | Bridesmaids Dresses: Alex Perry, Shona Joy, Mossman, Ruby & ASOS Design | Bridesmaids earrings: Christie Nicolaides
