Our Wedding (oh and some life updates!)

Mikko Koivu and wife Natalie Koivu (Dillon) smile after their wedding.

Hi Friends, I’m popping by for rare update on my personal life to fill followers of this blog in on some big changes. And there’s…um…a lot to cover! Most the deep thoughts, ideas and lessons will have to wait. But for now, some highlights:

I moved across the Atlantic Ocean last year from my home in Minnesota to Turku, Finland with my now-husband Mikko and his three awesome kiddos. We celebrated our wedding this fall in Minnesota. While I took a step back from content creation the last year to focus on home and family during the transition, I’m beginning to start posting on Instagram again, and more will come here soon as well. Expect the same as always: outdoors, food, wellness, balanced living, faith, adventure, self-betterment…and plenty of Finland mixed in now!

Our Wedding

When we began planning our wedding from overseas in the midst of the busyness of life, I knew I would just be happy for us to be married in front of our loved ones in my home church, which has been part of my family, and a true home, for generations. Anything else would be icing on the cake, so to speak. When we landed on a wedding date in late-October to align with the kids’ fall break from school, we knew we had to be open-minded when it came to weather, too. Maybe we’d have a beautiful, crisp fall day. Or maybe cold wind and rain. Maybe fall color. Maybe barren trees and snow. I can promise we did not expect - nor did we hardly dare to hope for - the day we got. On October 20, 2024, we were blessed with peak autumn color, bluebird skies, and a daytime high of 80 degrees. More importantly, we were surrounded by more love, more beauty, more peace and more happiness than I know how to say.

Now, I’ll refrain from gushing about all the special details, all the touching moments, and all the moving words that made our day so special. But allow me to share some photos, and to express my deepest thanks to all those who helped make this the most effortless, most meaningful, most joyful, bestest day.

Photography: Marit Williams Photography

Event Design and Floral: Ashley Fox Designs