Planning Your Wedding

Intro | Icehotel | Finnish Lapland | Iceland | Planning Your Wedding | Honeymoons

Common Wedding Planning FAQ's

How far in advance do I need to book?
10-12 weeks prior to your wedding date. You need to allow enough time to apply for your non-impediment to marriage certificate as this can take up to 22 days to be issued from the date of request from your local register office.

A guide to the required paperwork for each destination is available by contacting our team.

When can I get married in Lapland? 
Religious Ceremonies
Religious ceremonies at the ICEHOTEL in Sweden take place inside the Ice Chapel, from December – April, Mondays – Fridays excluding Wednesdays. The Alta Igloo hotel in Norway, offer religious ceremonies, Mondays - Saturdays from the end of January – end of March.

Civil Ceremonies
If you’re looking for a civil ceremony in a wooden chapel, or in another area of the hotel, these can take place anytime from December – April providing there is a judge available to perform the ceremony. Civil ceremonies at the ICEHOTEL Sweden take place Mondays – Fridays, whereas Civil ceremonies in Finnish resorts can also take place on Saturdays. Please note all ceremonies are subject to availability.

Can I book flowers, wedding cake and a hairdresser through you?
Yes, we will happily arrange hand-made bouquets, button holes and table arrangements for you. Please inform us at least 10 weeks prior to the wedding, of your preferred colour scheme and flower choice. Please note that roses last the longest in these Arctic temperatures, however even these wilt over a 24 hr period. You might like to bring your own silk flowers, so that you can keep this as a souvenir after the wedding.

How do I choose my wedding meal, and where will this be held?
Icehotel  Sweden
The majority of wedding parties choose to have their wedding breakfast in the ICEHOTEL restaurant, however if you’d prefer, there is also the Homestead restaurant which is located a 20 minute walk away from ICEHOTEL, offering a traditional Swedish buffet. There are 2 private function rooms inside the ICEHOTEL restaurant, which we advise you to book early with us.

For groups of 5 or more, you will be required to choose the menu for your wedding breakfast, at least 8 weeks prior to the wedding. Please note that it is required for everyone in your party to choose the same menu, (starter, main and dessert), please ask one of our wedding specialists for details regarding menus.

Lainio Snow Village, Finland
Lainio Snow village offers a unique, spectacular restaurant made completely of snow and ice, plus a traditional warm wooden ‘Krouvi’ restaurant giving you the choice of two restaurants to choose from fro your wedding breakfast. It will be required for groups of 5 or more to decide on your specific menu, and wine, at least 3 weeks prior to the wedding takes place. There is also an Ice bar where you and your guests can celebrate your reception, and a cosy piano bar inside the ‘Krouvi’ restaurant.

Kakslauttanen, Finland
We recommend the Main Restaurant in the main building, for your wedding breakfast, which offers local Lappish specialties, including reindeer, a variety of fresh fish and king crab from the Arctic Ocean. It is also required for you to select your wedding menu at least 8 weeks prior to your wedding, in order that the chef can prepare in good time for your wedding. If you would prefer to hire one of the private function rooms, please ask us at the time of booking, and we can put a request for in for you.

Alta Igloo, Norway
We would recommend you to dine in the ‘Laksestua’ restaurant, which is located inside the service building just beside the ice hotel, providing a pleasant setting for your wedding party. If you wish for a more intimate atmosphere you can use the smaller restaurant Gabo. It is also required for you to choose your wedding menu at least 8 weeks prior to your wedding, so that all the necessary ingredients can be arranged in good time for you.

What time will the ceremony be held?
Timings of ceremonies vary from destination to destination, however these are normally held between 14.00 – 18.00. Exact timings of ceremonies will be given nearer to the time of travel, once the priest/judge has agreed this with the supplier.

Can I have a civil ceremony inside the Ice Chapel?
No. Non-religious ceremonies are by no means permitted to take place inside the Ice Chapel. It is a requirement that at least either the bride or the groom has been christened, before they can be accepted for a religious ceremony inside the Ice Chapel, before the priest. This rule does not apply to those weddings taking place at Kaklslauttanen or Lainio Snow Village, as all ceremonies held here are civil ceremonies.

How many weddings will there be on the same day as mine?
Depending on the resort, there can a maximum of 3 weddings on the same day, or just the 1 wedding.

How long does the ceremony last?
Usually no longer than 20 minutes, depending on what hymns/readings you have chosen. Civil ceremonies tend to be shorter than religious ceremonies, taking no longer than 10 minutes.

Can I book a photographer for my wedding through you?
Yes – we recommend Steve Tarling, a world-renowned wedding photographer who is available for weddings at the ICEHOTEL. We can book photographers for all other destinations, as well as arranging for the in-house ICEHOTEL photographer if you do not choose Steve Tarling.

What shall I wear?
Wedding attire varies depending on personal taste, from snow suits and hats to full wedding gowns and furry shawls. We recommend you bring some kind of shawl if you are planning to wear a strapless dress, and to wear comfortable, warm footwear, for example ‘Ugg’ boots.

What paperwork do I need to organise in advance?
A list of documentation requirements for the individual wedding locations can be obtained by contacting our team.

Will the ceremony be conducted in English?
At the ICEHOTEL, the ceremony will be conducted in Swedish with an English translator on hand. At all other wedding destinations, the ceremony will be entirely English-speaking.

Can marriages of the same sex take place in Lapland?
Regrettably, civil ceremonies in these regions cannot take place unless at least one member of the couple has citizenship in the country in which the ceremony is taking place. However, we can offer civil blessings in all of our regions, including blessings in the Ice Chapel.

Who will I meet on the day to go through the wedding details?
All of our destinations have a wedding co-ordinator who can sort through all the last-minute arrangements.

Do I need to bring witnesses with me?
No – all of our wedding locations offer witness services if required.

I’ve been married before and am divorced, does this matter?
No – though you will have to produce a divorce certificate for all previous marriages, or if widowed, a death certificate for your previous spouse.

How can I arrange to take my wedding dress with me on the flight?
On the majority of flights it is possible to take your wedding gown as hand luggage, provided it follows the usual restrictions placed upon such luggage. Unfortunately none of our destinations have pressing facilities.

Call us today on 01737 214 250 to speak to our dedicated Weddings Team and discuss your requirements or request our weddings information pack. Alternatively email us at weddings@discover-the-world.co.uk