Wanting to plan a wedding in lapland

Luvly.cuppa.T

Hi guys!

We are finally talking about this to make it happen in 2010/2011 winter period, December to April.

We have really fallen in love with the idea of getting hitched in Finland, igloo village (Klats.... place, can't spell it! yet) and would love to hear expereinces that people have had.

We would also like to hear about any advice that you have.

I have just started looking into it all and have contacted a couple of companies, although they keep sending the already seen internet stuff....

We have 3 children also, who will be then 16, 10 and 7, and hoping that the grandparents will come and relieve us of them for the big night at least!

We will offer people to come out and join us, but not many so it will be small, and they will need to pay their way out there also.... so a fair bit of money involved too.

Cheers guys!

Horace

Hi - I know its not quite Lapland but Sweden - so how about getting married in an Ice Church at the Ice Hotel?

http://www.icehotel.com/Winter/Icehotel/Ice_church/

Hope this gives you some ideas.

cuthbert_the_octopus

We are getting married in the Snowcastle in Kemi, Finland next MArch.

I chose it over the ice hotel in Sweden based on cost.

So far all we have done is book the wedding, the venue itself has been v helpful and we can book a meal. flowers etc etc.

We will need to do paperwork nearer the time.

Luvly.cuppa.T

Thanks guys.

Horace- I haven't seen that site so will investigate it further thanks. Although I must say that we like the igloo village in particular as it has a glass igloo that we want to stay in. aparantly it's also one of the best places to see the northern lights.

There is an ice chapel there too, which we are aiming for. Got to be done!

Cuthbert- would you mind telling me how much you are paying for it all? (PM if you prefer) One company are quoting £5045 at the mo- but that's everything in there inc flowers, wedding dinner, half board, photography, cake yada yada. To be honest that is well above my idea of what we want to pay, I really want to half that if I can.

The photography thing is about £400 for 20 pics in album and all negs on cd. Is that good at all?
I am wondering what we can do this end to cut costs, ie make a cake here (or buy tesco chocolate one or something!) take flowers out there, and maybe rely on friends and family to take good pics?? although that scares me. I wonder if I can shop around and get my own cheaper over there?

What are you wearing for you big day Cuthbert?

And are you asking people to join you out there?

cuthbert_the_octopus

We have only invited immediate family, and 2 friends each to keep the expense down.

There is a restaurant attached to the Snowcastle and so we will book a table for after the wedding, it has a set 3 course menu, and the highest price meal is 45 euro, but most of the options are 35 euro (so we may just offer these choices).

The Snowcastle has been quite helpful and offered various extras (flowers, hairdressing, make up , photos etc etc).

The ceremony itself is 350euros, unless you have it after 4, and then you have to pay extra to the registrar. It is in English, and you can choose which religion you would like (or not like in our case). To stay 1 night at the snow hotel is 310 euros (this is for a suite, so we will just get a room in the hotel!) All other nights will be spent in the hotel down the road at 50euro pppn. The photos are ludicrisly cheap (cant remember the exact cost) maybe £200, and that includes a CD, but they will only be with you for the ceremony, and you wont meet them before the day, the advantage is that they are used to working with the strange icey light. I plan to buy fake flowers and take them with me, but the prices they quoted and the look of the bouquet were a good price. Perhaps mentioning the W word in Finland doesnt mean adding a 0!
My bf has drawn up a spreadsheet for all the costs etc, but carries it around on a memory stick, so I cant share it with you!!

This compares very favourably to the Ice Hotel in Swedenm which for the wedding was £1148, not including food or anything else, so the cost for just the 2 of us would have been £4k, hence we abandoned that idea, it was also too expensive for guests.

Have just looked back at my research to see how everything compared!

Quebec Ice Hotel
$2000 for wedding and stay @ hotel, $475 for civil servce, flights £500/person

WE also looked at the Alta Igloo Hotel (which I thnk was the runner up!)
All prices are in Norwegian Krone
Ice chapel + fee 7500 + 2800
Photos 4000
accommodation for 2 4000
This is an approx total if £1800
Meal and apperitf worked out at £50 person

Flights were also quite reasonable at £350/person

Luvly.cuppa.T

Hi Cuthbert,

It certainly is cheaper and you have done your homework! I think I may look into it to see if I like it- but really I have my heart set on the igloo village. It doesn't look like we can get that any cheaper to be honest, even direct everything is adding up to be the same....

I may also look into the Quebec one, as dollars mean half price.... although it's not really where I wanted to go. But oh's dad and family are in the US, so that would make it cheaper for them too.

Have you offered to pay for your guests to go then? I would love to, but there is absolutely no way we could afford to do that.

We do plan to have a blessing and cheap reception after though back int he UK, so all can be involved then, and feel as though they have been a part of the marriage somewhere!

Yeah the 'fake' flowers sounds a great idea, I was looking at a web site last night that does them. I think I may go with this idea, as I can choose what I want then and they will last!

Did you book direct with the hotel/chapel then?

cuthbert_the_octopus

There are a variety of other ice hotels around the world, and i am sure i had quotes from them all, except the one in Romania.

type 'ice hotel' into wikipedia and it comes up with a list of different locations, most in Europe.

Exodus I think have a snow and ice brochure that also includes wedding.


We are not paying for anyone to come out with us - but the family have said agreed to come - although my mum thinks we are crazy (we thought it would be the cheap version!).

On returning home we are planning a garden party / BBq / evening reception kinda thing.

MARC

My wife and I got married at ROVANIEMI SNOWLAND in Dec 2001, may be worth a look as close to Rovaniemi city (we went from our hotel via a horse pulled sleigh)

Luvly.cuppa.T

Hi Marc,

I had a wee search for Rovaniemi, but through firstchoice and it looks nice. (many places don't so themselves justice with their photos which I find strange- you want to see it all before you choose to get married there!)

Did you book direct with the chapel and hotel? Or go through someone to ensure that you had everything in places?

MARC

We booked with a company called Norvista but they are no longer trading sorry.