Captivating & Adventurous Northern Lights Elopement

Wow wee, what a treat we have in store today with Nicholas and Melissa’s breathtaking Northern Lights elopement. They headed to Alta, Norway for a ceremony overlooking a scenic fjord. They then sledged, visited an ice hotel and even went Northern Lights hunting… and succeeded!

There is so much to adore about their day, the snow, the gorgeous outfits (hello floral dress of dreams!), the paper blooms and of course, those spectacular aurora borealis portraits come evening. What a unique and special celebration indeed.

Thanks ever so much to TS Foto Design for sharing with us these incredible captures.

Northern Lights Elopement

The Proposal

Let us preface this story by saying that while we were on a trip through Europe we had picked out our wedding bands in Florence. There were many other moments when either Melissa or Nick thought of popping the question with their new bands, but there were too many tourists around.

So fast forward to Melissa’s birthday trip to Austin, Texas, May 28, 2023. Melissa noticed the giant box shape in Nick’s pants so knew the moment was going to come on this trip. On Melissa’s birthday we went kayaking under the bridge to see the bats take flight at dusk. It ended up taking much longer than usual for the bats to come out, the sun had already completely set and it was pretty hard to see.

Next thing you know it was past time for the tour and we had to hurry back. Next stop was a cider bar and arcade with a nice walkway out back showing the city skyline which seemed like a great place for a proposal. However, our friend happened to be in town and met us there right at the same time.

Nick also thought about proposing at a visual art installation, since Melissa has an appreciation for art and is a collector. However the installation turned out to be frantically overrun with kids, once again without a moment to ourselves.

After a fun and exciting day, we’ve made it back to the hotel parking lot. With all the build-up and interruptions, we couldn’t wait any longer and Nick finally just popped the question right then and there.

The Vision

We were already planning a trip to see the northern lights and tour Scandinavia, so Melissa jumped down a rabbit hole with the thought, “could we get married under the northern lights?” This is how she began to google elopement photographers and found Tanja.

We met with Tanja on Zoom where we discussed the possibility of the ceremony being in Alta, Norway as she lives there and the chances of seeing the northern lights were higher there too. And we agreed that Alta would our destination to have the ceremony and also go northern lights hunting in our wedding attire.

Budget

7,000-10,000 for the whole trip.

The Ceremony & Music

The ceremony began with Melissa releasing some of her mother’s ashes at the fjord. And then we exchanged our written vows along with rings. Our vows highlighted all our best parts and moments of our relationship, and our promise to continue showing our love, support, and honest authentic selves.

By coincidence, both of our vows ended with the phrase “forever and always”, something we say to each other almost every night.

The Venue

A Fjord in Norway, northern lights hunting at night, and Ice Hotel Sorrisniva.

Your Outfits

Nick’s suit was custom-made in New Orleans and was dark olive to match Melissa’s dress. His suit also had a passport stamp design silk lining to go along with our love of travel.

Melissa wore a floral gown because she envisioned being in a garden in the middle of the snow. She also wore a necklace that was her late mother’s favorite.

Your Photographer

Tanja Skolund

The Styling & Decor

Floral theme with a hand-made paper flower bouquet and boutonniere by one of Melissa’s best friends, Jenna Marsland.

The Honeymoon

Our honeymoon will be our next overseas trip, to Japan. We’ll be planning to visit Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.

Memorable Moments

Seeing and staying in the fantastical ice hotel, dog sledging, driving through remote mountainous areas with Tonja both day and night, snowshoeing and sinking all the way past our knees in snow, lots of laughter as well as great company, and of course being under the northern lights, which came out strong 2 of the 3 days in Alta.

Advice For Other Couples

Do what feels most comfortable between you and your partner, don’t build a ceremony around other people’s expectations but rather what makes you both happy.