Jackie and Priit’s wedding took place on Viirelaid Island with 50 guests. They are an international couple and celebrated their love for eachother with two weddings: their first in Singapore and their second in Estonia. The first wedding was more traditional, so they sought something different for their Estonian celebration – rustic and more simple style.

The Storm Warning and Immediate Actions

Their celebration coincided with one of Estonia’s most severe storm warnings in 2023, necessitating significant last-minute changes. 

The bride and groom, along with the organizers, were informed that it would be impossible to reach Viirelaid Island on the planned wedding day. We began considering plan B options for where to hold the wedding on the right day. Fortunately, everything turned out for the best, and the guests were transported to the island a day before the scheduled wedding day. 

This change gave the bride, groom, and guests an additional evening to spend together, and the windy and stormy weather created a completely new format for the wedding – romance amidst stormy weather!

Ceremony 

Due to strong winds, the initially planned outdoor ceremony was moved to a large, cozy tent on Viirelaid, sheltered from the wind. Despite the numerous challenges brought on by the weather, all issues were resolved smoothly. Florist Ahti turned the ceremony arch into a breathtaking masterpiece. The ceremony under the tent went beautifully and matched with the island’s vibe.

Memorable Moments

The two-day wedding was filled with a wonderfully relaxed (even with the strong wind) atmosphere – guests played Jenga, did morning yoga, enjoyed the sauna, and celebrated!

A truly memorable wedding with its trials and challenges, yet so special and warm.

We greatly appreciate the entire team, who were quick to think and act. With a team like this, weddings can be held successfully in any location and weather! Even on a private island while there’s a storm. We give special thanks to DJ Merike, who kept the wedding guests dancing until the early hours of the morning.

We asked the bride and groom to answer some questions about their wedding organization process and their wedding day.

Why and how did you decide to get married?

Jackie: Priit proposed to me and it was not a difficult decision to say ‘Yes’. It was always so easy around Priit, our outlook in life, approaches to many things were similar, and we complement each other in so many ways. We had also talked about it before the proposal, and we knew we wanted the same future together.

Priit: Well… I know what I want in a life partner, who I want to spend the rest of my life with, and it was Jackie.

How long was your wedding planning process?

Jackie: We had 2 wedding celebrations. One in Singapore, and another in Estonia. From seeking out wedding planners to our Estonia wedding, it was around 5 months.

What was your wedding vision/theme? How did you implement the idea?

Priit: I wanted to have a wedding celebration in Estonia and we wanted it to be different for our overseas guests flying in to celebrate with us. We wanted to show them the beauty of Estonia, the culture, what we loved about summer, and we wanted it to be a unique experience for them. 

Jackie: I think that is also why we didn’t want to hold it just in a manor house or hotel, where it is quite normal. And we chanced upon Viirelaid Island. I would say it was something we both wanted once we saw the venue, and the theme was not difficult to decide on once we knew the venue we wanted. We couldn’t have organised it ourselves though, it felt like a major undertaking left to our wedding planners! 

Did you also have to make significant changes in your plans?

Yes, definitely! There was a force majeure that occurred the day before our wedding, and I will say everyone from organizers to vendors to guests had to make changes to our plans.

What was your wish for gifts and flowers from your guests? Why did you solve the question that way?

Jackie: Because we were hosting our wedding on an island, we told our guests not to give us flowers or big gifts as we will have difficulties transporting them back after the wedding. 

Priit: Also as most of our guests were from overseas, we didn’t want them to lug big gifts or have to think about flowers when they arrived in Estonia.

Talk about choosing your wedding venue. What was the main criteria in making the choice?

Priit: Main criteria would definitely be something unique to Estonia. We love the Estonian nature, beaches and long days during summer, and we wanted to show it to our guests

What would you do differently when planning your wedding today?

Jackie: I don’t think we would have changed a thing. We did not have the smoothest wedding, but everything that happened created all the best memories. Our guests all enjoyed the extra night on the island, and they also felt it worked out to be a wonderful experience and celebration.

Most touching moment at the wedding?

Jackie: Seeing Priit waiting for me at the altar as my mum walked me down.

Priit: Definitely the wedding ceremony. Exchanging our vows, and our wedding host, Koit-Georg, delivered the whole ceremony really well.

What moments did you and your guests remember the most?

Jackie: I think the storm when coming over to the island! Also enjoying the private island facilities like the sauna, waking up to nature, and the wedding party of course. 

What were you willing to spend the most on at the wedding, and what were you willing to save on if necessary?

Jackie: We were most willing to spend on food and drinks! I think we overestimated how much our guests would eat. We were willing to save on the decor, but it was still done up so beautifully.

Priit: We also saved on the music DJs by opting to not have any live band but just 2 DJs.

What were the surprises on your wedding day? Did everything go exactly as planned?

Priit: Everything turned out to be a surprise. Our wedding plans became spontaneous when we learned about the force majeure. From having to get everyone to the island a day earlier, to swapping out some vendors like the hairstylist, and moving the outdoor ceremony into a big teepee tent, nearly everything deviated from the original plans.

Jackie: Another big surprise on the wedding day – I left my wedding dress behind in Tallinn! In the rush to get everyone onto the island, the dress was left behind. Luckily I had a simple white dress in my bag, but it was definitely not the wedding dress I had in mind.

Looking back though, despite almost everything not going according to plan, we still had the most wonderful time with each other, and with our guests! We all enjoyed the adventure, and surprises!

What do you recommend to future brides and grooms to keep in mind when planning their wedding?

It is good to have a vision of what a memorable wedding means to both of you. Decide what are the important things to you (cap it to 3-4 items), and what is not as important. Stay flexible to things that are not as important. 

Most importantly to remember – the day will go by so quickly. Enjoy every single moment on the actual day, and there is no need to worry or fuss anymore when the big day is here. Enjoy it with each other, and with your family and friends.

Why hire a wedding planner?

We would not have been able to pull off this wedding without Celebrate Group. 

When you hire a wedding planner, you know for a fact that you will be looked after on your wedding day, and you can leave all your concerns to your trusted wedding planner. 

All you need to do on your wedding day is just to enjoy yourself, and remember every single precious moment.

You can read more about Jackie and Priit’s wedding in Anne & Stiil magazine!

Additionally, you can take a look at Allan and Maarja’s wedding on Viirelaid Island!