Norsk Bryllup

I just attended my first Norsk Bryllup (Norwegian Wedding). It’s 4.00am and I am still buzzing from all the coffee I drank to ensure my survival on the dance floor, right until the end. As you can imagine at this Nordic latitude it’s already light outside and the oldest city in Norway, Tønsberg, is surprisingly still quite lively too. My hotel room has a beautiful harbour view and I’m enjoying listening to the birds and the people on the boardwalk.

The wedding was incredible. I failed to read the invitation properly and mistook the word Norwegian word ‘gala’ for a less strict English definition. Turns out gala in Norwegian means ‘white tie’, i.e. ball gowns and tuxedos with tails. Nevertheless, I was still able to pull off gala attire with no problems other than a minor heart-attack. 

Pre-Wedding I had dinner with Sven’s family. There was much discussion about who was to give a speech, and who wasn’t, and how everything was to be conducted. Sven comes from an old Norwegian family, who have ties to the Royal Family. Hence the importance of tradition and adhering to precedent are very important to his family. Despite being an incredibly traditional wedding, there were a few modern twists. Mara, a friend of the family who is the Sustainable Development Coordinator for the World Bank in Turkey, expresses how wonderful she thought it was that Lene and Sven conducted the wedding their way. Lene being the politician she is, chose blue and white as the theme colours for the wedding in honour of her political party ‘Høyre’. They are also very elegant royal colours. The table names were based on historical conservative politicians such as Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan and I sat at Alexis de Toucqueville. The wedding party and dinner was right next to the church in an old clubhouse, which belongs to Sven’s family and is a few hundred years old. Unfortunately I didn't get to take many pictures throughout the evening as it was impossible not to be caught up in the moment.

From start to finish the event was beautifully traditional and perfectly executed. It is impossible for me to describe because there were so many perfect details that made it unforgettable. Some of my favourite moments, however, included being blown away by the Sølvguttene (Norwegian Boys Choir) at regular intervals throughout the evening and enjoying being personally served specially-designed wedding cake by Morten Carlsen (Norway’s finest pastry chef).

But the highlight, hands down, for me was dancing my first Norwegian Polonaise Dance. The Polonaise is a dignified ceremonial dance that from the 17th to 19th century often opened court balls and other royal functions. I was paired with a very interesting Norwegian business PhD student who primarily lives abroad between Berlin, Florence and California. Actually everybody I met was very interesting. All 90 guests participated in the dance and it felt very 1500’s-esque. Not to mention, it was incredibly fun. The women were all elegantly dressed, and the men were true gentlemen and looked glorious in their tails and tall hats. After the dance the guests lined the walls of the ballroom and watched Lene and Sven conduct their first dance. Everyone joined in after and slowly the music transformed from Frank Sinatra and Classical Jazz to Abba to Gloria Gaynor to Rhianna. The cameras were turned off, and then the party really started! Hence how I ended up home with only a few hours of shut-eye until we all meet again for breakfast.