Vintage Manor Wedding in Estonia with Stina Kase

via

We're looking forward today to sharing our first Estonian wedding. This celebration is a particularly special one- simple and romantic with vintage touches. Elis and Ergo met on Midsummer's Day in front of the very manor they would get married in twelve years later. In the end they were glad they waited to celebrate their wedding until they had a clear vision of what they wanted for their big day. The couple had to make a special effort to marry at this manor as it had closed since they met, but as you'll see they overcame all the obstacles to make their perfect day happen. Elis the bride tells their romantic story below, and Stina Kase was with them to capture these gorgeously vintage images.

The Proposal

"I was on a holiday near my hometown sitting on the grass with my friend. We were enjoying a sunny day when Ergo drove by and stopped to chat. It was a brief chat, but he piqued my interest with his cute smile and we exchanged numbers. After that he called or looked me up everyday for months. We were good friends until one day we realized we were madly in love- and I mean madly. On 16th of November 2001 we stayed at my mother's place. We were getting ready for bed and I noticed him looking a little nervous. Before I could ask why, he reached out and took my hand. He said how much he loved me and wanted to be with me forever. With hands shaking he put a ring on my finger and looked into my eyes waiting for an answer. I was really shocked and tears started falling down my cheeks. I remember mumbling 'yes... yes.'"

"It wasn't until twelve years later that we finally married, during which time we had two handsome boys and our love grew as I realised that Ergo is the sweetest and most caring man. The idea to actually get married came after our tip to Paris in 2012 when he renewed his marriage proposal. On January, 8 months before the date, we started planning our dream wedding. I was glad we hadn't gotten married earlier because we didn't have a clear vision of what we wanted. Everybody should let it settle for a while and let the right ideas come to you at the right time. As for choosing a location there was only one place in our minds- the manor where we first met. There was one small problem though- it had been closed for two years, was in quite bad condition and it belonged to State Real Estate Company. The manor was supposed to go on sale, so I called them and told my story. They were very kind and gave us a permission to have a party there before it was sold. The house was totally empty, no chairs, no tables and not even any running water. Luckily our friends and family came to help clean the place. We had to rent all the furniture, even the bathrooms."

"The second of August this year dawned foggy and we awoke early. At 6am we practiced riding the bike together for the first time. (It was Ergos' job to fix up the bike and in the end it wasn't ready until that morning. My advice is- if your groom tends to leave jobs until the last minute, make sure not to give him too much to do!) After having breakfast I went to have my hair done. A friend of mine promised to help me with makeup and false lashes but due to a schedule mix up this wasn't possible. This was a problem! I called every beauty salon I knew but they were all booked. No false lashes I realized... So I ran to the shop, bought some makeup supplies and drove back 20 miles to the manor. I ended up doing my own makeup! When Stina the photographer arrived there was no sign of groom. He had gone fetching guest benches which had been left till the last minute! When he finally got back he was pretty exhausted, and behind those lovely puppy eyes I saw he had given everything to make this day happen- that is just the way he is. At last we could start enjoying our special day. The photo session was awesome and we got a little carried away. In the end we went over time and had to rush back for the ceremony. As we were walking we heard buses of guests arriving (we had arranged guest buses to and from their accommodation so none had to worry about drinking and driving). We couldn't let them see us so we and the photographer with her assistant jumped into the garden of the manor. We could neither get our rings to the ceremony master nor discuss what exactly was to happen after the ceremony! So we gave instructions to the photographer's assistant. I thought it was going to be a total chaos, and we sat in that garden for over an hour. One sweet boy brought us carrots from his granny's vegetable bed and even washed them for us. Those were great moments... Luckily our bike was hidden in that same garden. The signal for us to get going was when the guitar started to play and my father started singing Led Zeppelin's " Stairway to Heaven". We sat on the bike and got going. Guests were looking at my father singing at the stairs. We came from behind them and rang a bell. Everybody turned, stood up and clapped! We got off the bike and walked up the aisle holding hands. The ceremony master spoke from his heart which made it very special. When I heard sobbing and snuffing from my back I felt my tears starting (thankfully I didn't have those false lashes on!) The ceremony was very emotional and touched everyone. After all we had been through that day, it was beautiful from beginning to the end!"

Planning the Wedding

"I made invitations and decorations- candle holders, signs covered with decoupage technique roses, place names, cutting hearts out of old books etc. I made them all myself and enjoyed it. We hired a wedding planner but I still organized almost everything (that's the way I am!) We found a cool old bike in a shed, and I loved Ergo's idea of using it as our wedding vehicle. He fixed the bike up himself. Googling recycling ideas for the wedding I accidentally came across a picture of a wonderful dress. That picture led me to Vintage Opulence's site on Etsy. I fell in love her vintage style gowns and wrote to ask if she was willing to make me a wedding dress. She said yes, and in few short weeks I had my dream dress in my hands! I had seen my wedding shoes before I even knew I was getting married- the fabulous Irregular Choice's "Can't Touch This." Our cakes were made by a good friend who did a great job- she does it as a hobby. They were stunning and tasted even better! The book cake was filled with fresh raspberrys and curd cheese and the others with strawberries and curd cheese."

The Wedding Day

"Our wedding "suite" was in the manor. We were the only ones to stay overnight at the venue. The tower room was decorated by our best friends. It was a surprise for us so we didn't know what to expect. When we stepped into the room I just started crying. It was so beautiful and romantic, it had everything- a canopy, white lining with our embroidered names, candles, sweets, cold champagne and even champagne flutes engraved with our names and the date. I was amazed! In the morning they had set another romantic room for breakfast with fruits, sandwiches and fresh coffee. We are truly lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends. It was the most memorable day ever. We wish your readers everlasting love!"