If you’re planning a wedding in a seaside setting, Suomenlinna is one of the most stunning wedding venues in Helsinki, and home to many of my favorite photography locations. A wedding (and wedding photos) at Suomenlinna Castle is always a good choice!

From a photographer’s point of view, Suomenlinna is a very versatile location. Old stone walls, cliffs and seascapes provide a variety of backdrops for wedding photos — along with the legendary iconic tree of Suomenlinna Castle.

I have photographed at all the most popular venues in Suomenlinna: Tenalj von Fersen, Myllysali, Pirunkirkko and Ruutikellar. Regardless of where the party is being held, good photography locations are almost always close by.

Although summer is by far the most popular time for weddings at Suomenlinna, any time of year is great for scenic photos and good vibes on this island fortress. Autumn brings warm tones to the pictures, in spring the sea and the light make the atmosphere fresh, and in winter the snowy fortress is really atmospheric. Just be prepared for any the possibility of unexpected weather and gusts of wind that want to blow you away!

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Helsinki was the final  stop on Fannie and Richard’s European tour, and they wanted to commemorate their upcoming Hong Kong wedding with an engagement photography session in wintry Helsinki. Unfortunately, the January day they chose was one of the coldest of the year (-18 degrees celsius), so we had to get creative with shoot locations. Thankfully, Fannie and Richard were booked into Hotel Katajanokka, a former prison-turned-hotel. The hotel’s basement, dining room and hallways provided us with fantastic spots for wedding portraits in Helsinki, and provided Fannie and Richard with unique photos that they can cherish for the rest of their lives.

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Taru and Mikko celebrated their civil ceremony with an intimate wedding portrait photography shoot in Helsinki’s Kaivopuisto on a beautiful summer day.

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We held an engagement photography session with French couple Deborah and Remi in summery Helsinki. The photo session was nice and relaxed, and Helsinki’s Kallahdenniemi (located near Vuosaari) provided an amazing sunset photography location with the forest, fields and the sea all nearby.

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Rich contacted me asking if I’d be willing to have a shoot with him and his girlfriend Holly. The plan was to have an outdoor shoot by a lake where they had one of their first dates. Unfortunately (or, actually, fortunately), we were forced to rethink that plan due to weather issues, and ended up choosing a small brewery in Bluemont, Virginia. This turned out to be an amazing stroke of luck, since Rich and Holly love beer, and we had a whole room to ourselves in this brewery on the top of a mountain.

During the shoot, Rich took out his guitar and played *their* song for Holly. The air was thick with love, and Holly could not hold back tears. After the song, Rich reached into his guitar case and pulled out the ring, and the result can be seen in these pictures.

Following is part of a poem that Rich sent me afterwards:

“Our love came
unannounced in the middle of the night.
Our love came when we ‘d given up
on asking love to come. I think
that has to be part
of its miracle.”

– Clementine of Radics

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