Northern Winter Wedding

This wedding took place in the north of Russia, in the Arkhangelsk region, in the middle of a real northern winter.

It was around -20°C (-4°F) - and it didn’t stop anyone from celebrating, laughing, going outside and fully living the day.

The bride got ready at home in the morning. Simple, elegant details, a minimal dress, white down mittens - and her cat quietly watching everything unfold. A very intimate, calm beginning of the day.

The ceremony itself was a civil registration, followed by a short stop at a cafe where we warmed up with champagne, joked around and took a breath before continuing.

After that, the whole group went to Malye Korely, an open-air museum of traditional northern wooden architecture. Historic houses built entirely without nails, surrounded by snow and winter light. This is where the day truly opened up.

The couple walked between old wooden houses, laughed, played in the snow, and took part in traditional northern wedding rituals. At one point, they were even placed on a horse-drawn sleigh - a moment that felt straight out of another century. Later, they were welcomed into a wooden house for more traditional ceremonies.

The light was bright and cold, the snow endless, the atmosphere warm and joyful.

This wedding is an archive story from 2013, but it still lives very close to my heart - not only because of its beauty, but because it shows how deeply meaningful and alive a wedding can be, even (and especially) in the harsh northern winter.