A Magical Northern Norway Elopement

We did it our way.

In December of 2022, Tony and I decided we wanted to make the ultimate commitment to each other by joining in marriage.  It was time to pitch a secret dream. 

Three years prior, I saw a picture of a couple in their wedding attire under the northern lights. I remember telling my brother, “That’s what Tony and I are going to do.” He jokingly asked if Tony knew that yet. I just laughed.

In 2022, I teased Tony with the idea of eloping in northern Norway under the northern lights instead of having a traditional wedding. To my surprise, he didn’t say no. He was intrigued. On Christmas Day 2022, Tony officially said, “Let’s do it.” This would be our tag line for the rest of our Norway elopement adventure.

Maybe a snowy Norwegian elopement sounds like your kind of wedding adventure. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of seeing the northern lights. Maybe you like the idea of dogsledding in your wedding attire. Or maybe you just think our adventure was neat, and you want to read about it. Whatever the case, I’m glad you’ve joined me here. 

Planning an international elopement can seem overwhelming, but it really came down to getting a few crucial things in place and then planning all the details later. We knew we wanted the northern lights. That meant we were looking at a specific time of year. The lights are typically visible, in northern Norway, from September through March. I didn’t want to wait until later in the year. Could we really get everything planned in three months? Never met a challenge I didn’t like. 

We had a relative time frame. Late March. Next, we had to decide where. To go later in the season, we needed to go as north as possible. A quick google search gave me options of the Lofoten Islands, Senja, Tromso, and Alta. They all looked like an amazing winter dream. We needed an insider’s point of view and found a photographer who really doubled as our travel adviser.

While in communication with Tanja of TS Foto Design, it was clear she was meant for us. She had lived in northern Norway for some time and had shot many elopements. She provided amazing insight into what each area was like and any issues related to travel and activities. We decided Alta, Norway (The City of The Northern Lights) would be the perfect place for our adventure elopement and officially hired Tanja.  We filled out an in-depth questionnaire regarding our preferences and needs for our day. From that questionnaire, Tanja was able to provide us with three amazing options. Because all of them sounded amazing, I made Tony choose which one would outline our day. Mountaintop elopement with snowmobiles it was! Tanja was an amazing resource over the next few months, lining up permits for locations, booking snowmobiles, and helping us become familiar with the area and other vendors. 

Travel

We found a flight from Chicago to Oslo (Scandanavian Airlines), then a connecting flight from Oslo to Alta (Norwegian Airlines). Norway is an exceptionally long country, and Alta is at the top. Traveling to Norway in the winter is much cheaper than traveling in summer. Just an FYI. Due to time constraints and the difficulties of traveling through northern Norway in the winter months, we were unable to work traveling to the Lofoten Islands into our schedule. That just means we’ll have to return!

Dress

Magnolia Bridal and Katelyn’s Alterations in Evansville, IN were amazing to work with on my short timeline. Apparently, most people order their wedding dress eight months in advance, not eight weeks! Ha! They made sure everything arrived on time and alterations were completed. You know you are in good hands when the tailor doesn’t bat an eye about altering your dress hem to snow boots. They were both wonderful to work with!

The Little Details

By mid to late January, we had confirmed our travel locations and dates, booked our photographer, and reserved our lodging in Alta. Next came the smaller details: dinner reservations, flowers, makeup, and extra activities. I was able to communicate with all the vendors via email or Instagram. They went above and beyond to make our dreams come true!

Doing it Legally - March 21, 2023

We contemplated legally marrying in Norway during our elopement; however, since we were on a shortened time frame, we decided it would be easier to complete the legal requirements in the states prior to leaving. This also made the elopement in Norway easier, cutting down on needing to hire an officiant and transport them to the mountain.

We were legally married at the courthouse in Champaign, IL the day before our flight to Norway. We celebrated with family members and friends in a low stress and joyous day. We used the generic vows provided by the judge, as we were saving our personally written vows for Norway. We both wore clothes we already had in our closets. Minus a pair of new sparkly shoes for me, of course.  

Let the Elopement Begin

The moment we arrived in Alta, it was like a dream. Alta is a very walkable city, so we were able to walk from our Airbnb to the city center and find all we could need. We finalized details with Bernhard at Stakeriet, an award-winning restaurant, for our wedding night dinner and desserts, visited the flower shop to check on my flowers, and grabbed some wine to take up the mountain. The locals were all extremely kind and welcoming. Norweigan is the main language spoken in Norway; however, almost all adults also speak English. 

The Northern Lights Adventure

We purchased Tanja’s photography package based on hours and the number of photos we would receive. She was extremely flexible as to how we used those hours. She is a pro at ensuring her clients get to see the northern lights. She tracked the weather and lights for us, keeping several evenings available for northern light hunting. The elements were perfect the night before our adventure elopement day, so after dinner, we changed into our wedding clothes and off we went at 10 pm. When it’s just the two of you, it’s hard to have a big dress reveal since he had to help me put it on. Tanja drove us out of the city and up the mountains. What we experienced next was nothing short of amazing and awe inspiring.

It was 5 degrees F, so we took small breaks between pictures where we would warm up in Tanja’s car. The lights were really putting on a show that night. As soon as we would get in the car, Tanja would be yelling for us to hurry back out. It was absolutely beautiful and something I won’t ever forget.

 Adventure Elopement Day - March 25, 2023

The best day of my life. The weather looked to be as perfect as we could have hoped for. One of the main reasons we decided to elope was to have the day be fully about us and our commitment to each other. I loved that we were able to take our time and enjoy each other’s company without feeling rushed or pushed. I had planned a sweet surprise for Tony and that was the highlight of our morning.

Surprise: Letters from Home

Although we didn’t have anyone join us in Alta, we truly love our people and wanted them to be able to share this moment with us. To make that happen, I asked close friends and family members to write us a letter to read the morning of our elopement. The letters were mailed to my mom, who then made sure they made it into my travel bag. It was a way to have them be with us that day. Tony didn’t know anything about it, and I hadn’t read any of the letters, so it was really a surprise for both of us. The letters made us smile, laugh, reminisce, and cry.

They were the perfect way to start our day. 

Snowmobiling Up the Mountain

Up the mountain we went in Tanja’s car to Isnestoften (70.1 degrees NORTH). I started the day in a snowsuit and would change into my wedding dress on top of the mountain. Soon we were up the mountain where we would meet the snowmobiles. These guys were the best! They made sure we were strapped in with all our gear and took us 20 minutes further up the mountain to the spot Tanja had specified. Knowing I would have to wear a snowmobile helmet, I chose to wear my hair down in loose curls. Tony was a trooper and carried most of our items, including my dress on his back. Once up the mountain, we were amazed by the views. We made a small camp of our things to start to get organized.

Although we were close to the top, Tanja wanted to get a little higher for the best views. We hopped back on the snowmobiles and went even higher. I might have been holding onto my driver very tightly as we went up the large hill. We then needed to hike a small distance, in snow up to our knees, at times, to get to the ledge. It was all worth it in the end, as she wasn’t lying about the views from the top.

Breathtaking.

And cold. Below 0 Fahrenheit.

But breathtaking. And worth it. 

Changing on a Mountaintop

Now, I couldn’t wear my dress under my snowsuit, so I had to strip down nearly completely to slip into my dress. Brrrrrr. Nature got a good show for a moment, though. Do you know how hard it is to get dressed in deep snow without getting your socks wet? Very. Tony had his underlayers on already, but he had to change into his suit, as well. Okay, now we were officially ready.

Exchanging our vows

It was there we exchanged our personally written vows and slid the rings on each other’s finger for the first and last time. 

Hyperthermia, It’s a Thing

We did need to take a short break before exchanging rings because I couldn’t feel my fingers or grip his ring out of the box. A few minutes under a blanket, and I was able to grasp his ring well enough to put it on his finger. 

After this, we decided to take a break to warm up under our jackets, etc. While walking to our things, I suddenly became light-headed and nauseas. Knowing these are early signs of hypothermia, Tanja wrapped me in my coat and her survival blanket, put her electric heat gloves on me, and had me lie down. I love that Tanja snuck this picture. It helps to tell the full story of the day. This rings true with life. We are quick to share the high points, but often, we don't let people see our struggles.

We had planned to take more photos on the mountain-top, but due to my little spell, both Tony and Tanja thought it best if we head back down to the camp where the men had made us a fire, food, and coffee. I am not a fan of camo or the fact it was covering my beautiful dress from being seen. But Tanja’s survival blanket was warm, so it stayed on for a while.

We took a few more pictures at that spot before we headed back down the mountain on the snowmobiles. After how cold I got earlier, it was decided the dress would stay on. Carefully down the mountain we went. 

We got loaded into Tanja's car to head back down the mountain when she realized her car was stuck. Tony, Tanja, and the guys spent the next 20 minutes digging out and pushing the car out of the deeper snow. I stayed warm and toasty inside the car. We said we wanted an adventure-filled day, right?!?

We were able to sneak in more pictures at the bottom of the mountain before the sun went down on the way back into Alta. These were so fun, and I love that they have a different look than our mountaintop photos. 

 Tanja returned us to our Airbnb where we took photos reading our letters from friends/family and had our first dance in the driveway. Cue Start of Something Good by Chris Daughtry. (We had planned to do our first dance on the mountaintop, but the mild hypothermia had other plans.)

A Special Dinner

At that point in the day, we took a few moments to freshen up before we walked to our elopement dinner at Stakeriet. We shared the best meal and enjoyed Norwegian styled truffles made specifically for our evening. 

A walk back to the Airbnb with fresh falling snow capped off the most amazing day ever.

Our First Glance at our Images

Tanja had our “sneak preview” emailed to us within 24 hours. I expected a couple of photos. Ten at most. She sent over around eighty photos as a preview! Because we had a shortened time on the mountaintop due to me getting too cold, she offered to take more pictures at the next place we were staying in Alta, Trasti & Trine.

Yes, You Must Do the Dog Sleds

Trasti & Trine is located outside of Alta with boutique cabins, an award-winning restaurant, and their own dog sledding operation. Our dog sledding adventure was our second favorite thing ever, only to our elopement. Our time there was nothing short of magical. Tanja was able to capture us in our wedding attire again, as well as in some more informal clothing. We decided to just have fun with these! They even let us borrow a couple dogs for pictures. I was beyond thankful Tanja took the extra time to take some more photos of us, and extremely thankful for my sweet husband, who genuinely smiled for more pictures in three days than he has in his entire life. And never once complained. 

 

This is where the official “elopement” activities end. We spent the rest of our travel time dog sledding, exploring the famous Sorrisniva Ice Hotel, and exploring Alta. Next we headed southwest to the city of Bergen. We learned so much regarding the city and country’s history through a city walking tour. Southern Norway looks quite a bit different than northern Norway. To finish out our honeymoon, we took a scenic seven-hour train ride from Bergen back to Oslo where we would fly home.tas

Although every day won’t be a northern lights day, it will be the cozy days that sustain us.

Dress: Magnolia Bridal House (Evansville, IN) 

https://magnoliabridalhouse.com/

Alterations: Katelyn’s Alterations (Evansville, IN)

Photos: TS Foto Design (Alta, Norway)

https://tsfotodesign.no/

Dinner/Desserts: Stakeriet (Alta, Norway)

https://en.stakeriet.no/

Flowers: Mester Gronn Alta (Alta, Norway)

Boutique Cabins / Dog Sledding: Trasti & Trine (Alta, Norway)

https://trastiogtrine.no/en/

Makeup: City Hud (Alta, Norway)

Custom mugs: Hometown Hello (Etsy)

Ring: H.D. Bean Jewelers (Carmi, IL)