This summer has been very hot here in Finland, and the wedding weekend for Heidi and Jouni wasn’t an exception. The preparations for their big day had been very careful, as all the little details had been thought of. Heidi and Jouni had the ceremony at Johanneksenkirkko, which in my opinion is one of the nicest churches in Helsinki. The venue was Kulosaaren Casino, which is a very lovely venue by the sea. The last photo was taken just before midnight at the dock at Kulosaaren Casino.
Riina and Juha had the Agroksenmäen holvikellari as their wedding venue. It is an old storage facility built entirely out of stone! The venue was beautifully decorated and the colored lights were carefully chosen to make the mood of the place just the way they wanted it to be: intimate and romantic. Below are a few photos chosen by me to show you some of the great moments from their wedding.
This posts introduces great wedding venues that are located in Helsinki and one in Espoo. All of them are excellent for having an amazing wedding! The priority when choosing the venues to my list has been that every one of these venues have a good athmosphere for a wedding. The wedding venue is always big part of the wedding day, and it plays a crucial part on the success of the wedding day. The wedding venues listed are in no particular order.
Tenalji von Fersen, Suomenlinna
Tenalji von Fersen is one of the best places in Finland to hold a big wedding! You can fit almost 200 guests there, as it is a really flexible venue. The athmosphere has been amazing every time I’ve been shooting a wedding in Tenalji. The dance floor is really nice and big, and the whole wedding party (all the guests) can fit on it at the same time. Tenalji von Fersen seems to be one of the most favorite places for foreing couples – it’s not a suprise, since Suomenlinna is an exotic place for the guests from other countries.
G18
Located in the center of Helsinki, G18 is a classical and traditional looking wedding venue. If you’re looking for a classy venue with very little decoration needed to have a wedding, look no further. High ceilings and big white pillars omake this a god-looking place for a city wedding. The lounge next to the main room is a good place to hang out when there is a little time to just chat with your friends and relatives. Most of the wedding couples that choose G18 as their wedding venue choose the Helsinki Vanha Kirkko as their chuch, because it is just a small walk from there to the G18.
HSS Boathouse
Located on a small island, just a few minutes on a ferry, the HSS Boathouse is one of the most unique wedding venues in Helsinki. It’s round main room is really nice, as it provides a panoramic view on the sea. The staff is very helpful and professional. I really recommend this place for a wedding venue, because all the weddings held here have had an amazing athmosphere. I think this alone is an important reason when choosing a wedding venue.
Agroksenmäen holvikellari
During the last few years the Agroksenmäen Holvikellari has risen to a huge fame. One of the most important reasons for this is that the venue is underground, cut in stone. It is a fairly dark and athmospheric wedding venue, and candles are often almost the only source of light. The venue can’t hold a big wedding, maybe 120 guests at maximum. For a winter wedding the Agroksenmäen Holvikellari is a really good choice.
Kulosaaren Casino
At Kulosaaren Casino there are two different venues: Merisali and Sun Marine. Both of them are good places for a wedding, but only the Merisali can be used in the winter. You should visit the Casino to see how they differ from each other. But here is a short description anyway: Merisali is “grander” with a big dance floor and a bar. Sun Marine in on its part a bit smaller and more “cosy”, with more white surfaces. The staff is friendly and professional. The first two pictures are from Sun Marine and the last two from Merisali.
Mirror Room, Hotelli Kämp
The most famous and glamorous Finnish hotel, the Hotel Kämp, sports a great wedding venue called the Mirror Room. It is almost ready for a wedding, as little or no additional decorations are needed for it to function as a wedding venue. It’s an old and glamorous room, with gold paint all over the place and hundreds of small details in the walls and ceilings. A huge mirror in the back of the room lends itself to the name of the venue. The food is top notch and the service is excellent, as should be expected from a high-class hotel. There is a round lounge in front of the Mirror Room, that is featured in the first picture below. The only downside is the size of the Mirror Room, as you can’t hold a really big wedding there.
Salmi Sali
Only a few years old, but fairly popular already. Salmi Sali is located in Salmisaari, Helsinki. It’s a big and modern wedding venue consisting of one big room and a big balcony. It holds up to 200 guests if needed, so it’s suited for medium to big sized weddings. If you’re not on a hunt for an old and overly romantic wedding venue, then this is a good alternative.
Espoonkartano
The best wedding venue in Espoo by far. Espoonkartano is an old mansion built in the 18th century. It has lots of green fields and trees in it’s perimeter. The inside of the Espoonkartano consist of many medium sized rooms, each with it’s unique color theme in the walls. The patio is a good place for a number of different activities, like tossing of the bouquet or cutting of the cake, if the weather is permitting. The donwstairs is also available, and it has often been a place for the smaller children to play at. The athmospehre is great and you can get really good wedding portraits in the vincinity of Espoonkartano.
Some other wedding venues with a good athmospere:
– Restaurant Pääkonttori
– Grand Casino Helsinki
– Katajanokan Casino
– Rake-hall
– Restaurant Ilmatar (KlausK)
hello, I’m looking for wedding decorators in Helsinki, can you help?
Many people ask this question from me: “Who should we choose as our wedding photographer, if you’re already taken/booked on our wedding day?” My schedule for shooting weddings is often very full, so I have to turn away quite a lot of clients, and that is usually when I hear the question.
My answer to this very important question is always the same: “Choose the photographer whose wedding photos you like the most.”
Sure, wedding photographers vary in many ways (price, how many photos you get, internet galleries included in the package, reputation, awards won by a photographer…), but in the end this is what matters most: the wedding photos. There is just no way to get around it. :)
Ask yourself this very important question: “Do I want 200 really incredible and beautiful photos, that help me remember all the details of my wedding day, and I want to look at them years after my wedding day? Or do I want 400 average quality photos, that I don’t really want to look at too much after a few months after receiving them?”
Once again: pick the photographer whose pictures you really like! After the wedding the photos are the only thing that you have left of your beautiful wedding day. Ok, there’s also the spouse and the ring, but you get the point… ;) Wedding photos will be looked at for years to come, and even passed down to your children. I know hiring a wedding photographer isn’t always cheap, but having heard this from a lot of people who have had a good photographers at their weddings, it has always been worth the money.
So this is how to choose your wedding photographer:
1) Browse the websites of at least 15-20 different wedding photographers in your area. Don’t look at their prices at this point.
2) Narrow it down to about 3 photographers whose photos you like the most. Now you can check their prices. Also remember to check their reputation from forums (in Finland, Naimisiin.info has the largest amount of feedback from brides) and other things that are important to you.
3) You now have your TOP-3 photographers. If your wedding budget can afford the first one on your list, then contact that photographer. If you can’t afford the first one on your list (or he/she is already booked), then just go down your list. You will find a suitable photographer pretty soon. :)
Thank you for this! This is very helpful.
Btw, all the pictures in this blog are just so lovely! :)
Here are some of my recent favorite pics (mostly from 2010) in a slideshow. Enjoy. :)
Wow, looks great!!
Hei!
Olemme menossa naimisiin 20.8.2011 Turussa ja olisin tiedustellut oletko tuolloin vapaana? Miten paljon veloitat yhden päivän kuvauksista?
Ystävällisin terveisin,
Ella Santala & Kaj-Erik Paimander
Tracy and Victor came to Finland for a week, and wanted their pre-wedding photos to be taken outside in the snow. They came from Hong Kong, where it is typical to take a lot of pre-wedding photos that you can use on your wedding day. Most couples here in Finland take the wedding photos on the wedding day in about 1 hour, but for pre-wedding photos you can easily spend 3 hours in different locations. I recommend all wedding couples to consider this option, because it really takes some stress off from the real wedding day, as it tends to be “quite” a busy day. ;)
As it turned out, I received a 1st and 5th place in the worlds largest wedding photographers associations (WPJA.com) last competition of 2010. Hundreds of the worlds leading wedding photographers from all around the world participate in these competitions, so I’m truly humbled by this achievement. And because no other Finnish photographer has been awarded first place in WPJA and this is my second time, I really feel like I’m doing something right. :) Here is a list of my accomplishments with the WPJA so far.
Congratulations Janne!
Love your style.
If you ever want to collaborate I’d love to work in Finland!
Nick
x
Riitta & Tuomas had their wedding at HSS Boathouse. If you have followed my blog before, you know it’s one of my favorite places here in Finland to shoot a wedding. :) All the weddings held there have been a great success. The athmosphere and the round figure of the venue make this a great place for weddings. Highly recommended!
Truly amazing photos! I love the summer feeling in these and the bride looks soooo happy. :)
Excellent images.