Nicole and Elias built their life together in sunny Los Angeles. After a relationship that began in Barcelona and was shaped by distance – and a wedding delayed by the pandemic – they finally gathered the people they love to celebrate at Katarina Church and the idyllic waters of Ekensdal, Stockholm.
From Katarina Church to Ekensdal
The day began with preparations at the Sheraton, before the group made their way to Katarina Church for the ceremony in the heart of Stockholm.
From the church, guests travelled to the harbour and took a boat out to Ekensdal, with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres served along the way – a beautiful start to the evening ahead.
The drone came along for the boat ride. I launched it from my hand and landed it in my hand, on a moving boat, and it very nearly ended up in the water off Stockholm instead. Never again.
An Evening by the Water
Dinner began around six and ran late into the night. The speeches told the story of how these two ended up here.
It started in Barcelona, where Nicole was studying abroad for a semester. Her best friend remembered the phone call: Nicole never walked up to boys, but this time she took a shot. Her father remembered something else, a piece of advice that came a little too late:
“I told her, you’re not going to meet a Spaniard, because you’re not moving to Spain. But I didn’t tell her don’t meet a European. I needed to be more specific.”
— Nicole’s father
What followed were four years of long distance, held together by hours of video calls. Elias travelled to the US sixteen times, Nicole came to Sweden four. A friend told how Elias had planned the engagement with Nicole’s friends in Los Angeles: every morning and evening Nicole called him to say hello, never knowing he was napping on a friend’s couch in California.
Nicole’s father also played a recording she had made at 21, predicting that she would graduate and be engaged by 27. She was engaged at 27.
Two Cultures, One Word
Elias’s brother gave the speech I think a lot of American–Swedish couples would recognise. Americans, he said, use the word “love” generously. His own partner tells him she loves him about once a month, “and that is a good month,” and his children say it mostly about pasta and Spider-Man. His point was that words matter less than what you do:
“Love is just a word, and it does not mean anything if your actions toward your partner aren’t out of love.”
— Elias’s brother
Later, when Nicole had spoken, Elias kept his own answer short: “Actions speak louder than words… I would do anything that I’ve been doing towards you every single day.”
One Big Family
Nicole closed the evening by thanking everyone who had come, “whether you drove 20 minutes or flew 10 hours.” What I remember most is watching two worlds meet. The American guests took the Swedish traditions in stride, and everyone found it easy to have a good time together. By the end it felt like one big family. The dancing lasted until 2am.
”Couldn't have asked for a better wedding videographer! Joseph is truly a professional, highly skilled, and was responsive from the very beginning of our communication. He really listened to all the details that were important to us and did fantastic job capturing all the beautiful moments on our special day. We were blown away by how incredible our wedding video was, and are so grateful to have such a beautiful memory captured so perfectly to look back on.”
— Nicole
- CeremonyKatarina Church
- Getting readySheraton
- VenueEkensdal
- PhotoSorya Pedoussaut
Planning a wedding in Sweden from abroad?
I film around five weddings a year, many of them for international and multicultural couples, and I’m used to working with planners, venues and families across time zones. Everything runs in English, from first email to finished film. Get in touch to check availability for your date.
