Intimate Wedding in the Fjords of Norway

We’ve been huge fans of the work of Nina & Wes Mullins for years, and we fell even more in love with them when they renewed their vows in Norway and shared their story with us. When Jesslyn saw that how much of a connection Nina & Wes had to Norway, they knew that the couple would be the perfect choice to capture their elegant wedding in the Fjords of Norway.

From Nina & Wes:

With a mother from Norway, and having spent many childhood summers there, it has been a dream of mine (Nina of Nina & Wes Photography) to photograph a wedding in Norway. One day we received an email from a lovely bride who had seen our vow renewal photos on Once Wed and really connected to our story and then our photography. We never could have imagined how amazing this wedding would be, and then Martin and Jesslyn turned out to be one of the most generous and kind couples we have ever worked with. Even though they hired us to come to Norway and capture their wedding day on film, they went above and beyond and were constantly looking for ways to make us comfortable wherever we were. We’ve never seen a groom look at his bride the way Martin looked at Jesslyn. With every glance, you could see his love for her overflowing from every ounce of his being. Every moment of their wedding day was another moment of not only emotional beauty, but visual beauty. There are no words to quite accurately describe the awe-inspiring view from the church they married in….a church that was built in the 1200’s and stands picturesquely to this day, in the midst of mountains and fjords. From the church we made our way to the barony, which was built in the 1600’s and holds history in every corner, and had a lovely reception in different rooms throughout the property. They sealed the night with sweet treats in the old kitchen, where, as Norwegian tradition holds, they removed 3 rings from their almond cake, the number of children they hope to have some day. Jesslyn and Martin share something incredibly beautiful together, and we can’t wait to see what the years ahead hold for them as a couple.

From the bride:

“Martin and I met each other at a university in Canada where I was a freshman and he was an exchange student from Norway. After years of exchanging letters (and stamps) and then a long distance relationship with many visits back and forth, Martin proposed and we decided to settle down in Norway. We knew that we wanted our wedding to be small and intimate, and we wanted to give an exquisite experience to our dear families and close friends, many of whom had to fly across oceans from every corner of the world. We couldn’t imagine anywhere more romantic and beautiful than the town of Rosendal by the Hardangerfjord of Norway, with its medieval stone church and centuries-old baronial manor. A small town so rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage, perched on a valley blessed by the fjord, glacier, mountains and waterfalls.

I’ve always appreciated meanings in details and so, I wanted personal touches and elements to the wedding. It wasn´t always a smooth easy ride to plan the wedding, but I learned a lot and had a whole lot of fun. I enjoy painting and designing and so, I made the entire stationery set with the help of my family who would spend hours with me cutting and gluing things. I was also lucky to receive help from my mother and mother in law who are both very crafty and resourceful. And then there were the little things here and there that other family members and friends would help us with. We tried our best to avoid hassling anyone so they could just enjoy the wedding, but we wouldn’t have been able to successfully pull off this wedding without the collective effort and help from our loved ones and for that, we are tremendously grateful for.

The wedding had a blend of Norwegian, Indonesian-Chinese and North American traditions. Martin and I had a private moment together right before the church ceremony, and it was an emotional moment we took our time to bask in. We also had our portrait session done then. I was sacred to us to recite our own vows during the ceremony, and we had a Chinese tea ceremony performed after the church ceremony as a homage to my heritage. Our favourite part of the day, the cherry-on-top and one we would forever treasure, were the speeches and songs our families gave or performed for us during the dinner reception. As cliche as it sounds, we bawled our eyes out…

We were so glad to have Nina and Wes Mullins capturing the day for us. Two talented and kind souls whose own love story touched my heart, and whom I first got to know about through Once Wed. And there was also Lesley Lau who understood and shared my vision for the day and turned that into a beautiful reality. A reality that feels like a beautiful dream now.”