Dennis and Johanna’s Simple and Rustic Grey and White Swedish Barn Wedding by Karolina Ehrenpil Photography

Today we are heading across to Sweden for the gorgeous wedding of Johanna and Dennis. The couple wanted something simple, rustic and beautiful and this they found in this stunning barn in Köping. With a colour scheme of white, grey and a splattering of light blue, mixed with the wonderful greenery of the eucalyptus, the whole wedding looks stylish, modern yet rustic with the use of the wood in the barn itself. With some equally gorgeous added decor and details, I just love the way this whole wedding looks. However the stars of the wedding really have to be Dennis and Johanna’s children, how cute are they in their wedding outfits? You can just tell that they were up to mischief all day! Big thanks to Karolina Ehrenpil Photography for the lovely images.

It was a day full of laughter and love, just as we had planned and hoped for. It was a more emotional day than we could ever had imagine!

Johanna and Dennis were married on 19th August 2017 at Odensvi church and Tängsta gård for the reception, dinner and party. Both places located in Köping, Sweden. ‘We wanted a simple yet beautiful wedding at the countryside. The party was held in a barn for the rustic feel we were looking for and it was surrounded by big fields. The gorgeous stone church Odensvi, from the 1700 century, is at a walking distance from the barn at Tängsta Gård. Since Dennis is from Västerås and I am from Stockholm, we felt like this was the perfect spot in between our home cities. We had 80 guests, we started planning as soon as Dennis proposed in September 2015 but most of it was planned in the 8 month prior to the wedding.’

How they met 
We met in Visby on the island Gotland in the summer of 2011.

The proposal
Dennis proposed in a hotel room in Uppsala. We had travel there to have a night for ourselves without kids. I was pregnant and lying in the bed, eating crisps, when Dennis started to read a letter for me. After that he went down on his knee. I was really surprised but so happy since I had longed for this moment.

How did you allocate your budget?
Dennis was in control of the budget and I was the one shopping. Dennis kept all the expenses in a template he found online.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
I did a lot by myself. I started to collect porcelain and decorations. I painted signs and did all the prints. My mother did all the flower decorations. It was important for us to have a day without limitations. We wanted to have lots of delicious food and drinks and that the party could go on all night long. An experienced photographer was also a top priority for me.

How did you choose your photographer?
A photographer we knew recommended Karolina. We looked at her pictures from previous weddings and liked the feeling – natural, spontaneous and emotional. Her pictures also reflected her as a person and after our first meeting we felt that she was the perfect fit for us.

The dress 
I had a dress all in lace from Enzoani Blue. I had a bracelet made out of a pearl bracelet from my grand mother. In my hair I had pearls and small white roses.

The suit and bridesmaids
Dennis had a grey suit from the Swedish brand Tiger. The bridesmaids were a bit difficult. I bought several dresses but none of them felt right. The hardest part was not to find the right color but to find dresses they felt comfortable in.  So they bought their own dresses.

Theme or colour scheme
Grey, white and a bit of light blue.

Flowers 
We had white roses, thistles and eucalyptus.

Decoration 
Flowers, balloons and candles.

Food
To start with we had an Italian antipasti. The main course was fish with potatoes served with broccoli and sugarsnaps. For desert we had a pannacotta with dark chocolate mousse and raspberries.

Wedding cake
Our photographer Karolina gave us the brilliant idea of having the cake right after the ceremony. Some of our guests could unfortunately not stay for the dinner so it felt good to have a toast with the wedding cake with them. We liked that everyone could enjoy the cake and see how beautiful it was. It was delicious too! I ordered a plain white cake and my friend decorated it with lavender. We also had lavender in the champagne!

Entertainment
Without me knowing, Dennis had planned to sing “All of me” to me but ended up with an emotional speech instead. Other than that we didn’t have any live performance. At the party we had a DJ playing all night long. My sister played “You raise me up” when we entered the church.

Who supplied the stationery?
We did them our self.

Personal touches
We had a kettlebell at the wedding that we also had during our engagement photo shoot. When we met we used to exercise together and often with this kettlebell. We had signs with our favourite words “laugh and love”. We had table names with places we have been to. Our guests got small gifts.

Special moments 
All of our guests knew that I hate to dance so I don’t think that they expected a first dance. So it was a big surprise for everyone that we in secret had practiced a waltz and the performance went very well. The most powerful and hardest moment was when we said our vows during the ceremony. And also of course the Dennis speech for me during the dinner and all of the speeches the guests held. We will also always remember the magical sunset photo shoot.

Advice for other couples 
Schedule time for planning the wedding together and drink some wine and eat chocolate. Tyr to split the tasks between the two of you and family and friends.
Check in to a SPA hotel some days before the wedding day to enjoy this time and try to relax and sleep.

What was your biggest surprise of the day?
For me it was Dennis speech.

 Supplier Shout Outs

• Wedding location: Tängsta gård 
• Wedding flowers: Fridhs blommor
• Wedding cake: Anettes söta bak
• Nails, hair and make up: Nails and beauty by J
• Porcelain, prints and decorations: Complement design

For more information on Karolina Ehrenpil Photography go to

www.karolinaehrenpil.se / www.karolinaehrenpil.se/blogg-2 / [email protected] / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM

I‘m a wedding photographer based in Stockholm, Sweden but travel all over the world to document weddings. I live in a house close to the sea, next to a forest. I use the surroundings as my outdoor  studio as often as I can. A good day for me is spent with family and friends or all by myself in an old forest. A good picture for me is a picture that makes you feel something. I use primarily natural lights and I want my photos to be emotional, natural and timeless. I always try to make real connections with my couples to be able to bring out their personalities in the portraits.