Everything About a Kakslauttanen Wedding

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort sits roughly 250 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, deep in the Hammastunturi Wilderness Area near Saariselkä. The resort opened its first glass igloo in the 1970s and has spent decades refining the art of hosting guests under the northern sky. For couples, that long history matters: the team here has conducted hundreds of weddings, renewal-of-vows ceremonies, and honeymoon stays, and the logistical confidence that experience brings is palpable from the first email exchange.

The appeal is straightforward. Where most venues offer one ceremony space, Kakslauttanen offers several that feel genuinely distinct — a snow chapel carved fresh each winter, a log chapel named Tieva standing year-round in the forest, an outdoor hilltop on the Kaunispää fell, and the sacred island of Ukko on Lake Inarinjärvi in summer. Whichever setting you choose, the surrounding landscape does work that no florist or decorator could replicate. Reach out via our contact page if you would like guidance on which setting suits your vision best.

Each December, artisans hollow a chapel from compacted snow and ice on the resort grounds. The interior glows with candlelight refracted through the walls; temperatures inside hover around −5 °C, so guests are advised to wear their thermal layers beneath formal dress. The snow chapel is available from approximately mid-December through March, after which the structure begins to melt naturally back into the landscape. Capacity is intimate — typically 20 to 40 seated guests — which suits couples planning a small destination ceremony followed by a larger celebration at home.

The Tieva log chapel stands in a forest clearing and operates year-round. Its hand-hewn pine walls and simple wooden benches give it the character of a centuries-old Lapland kirkko, though it is a modern build designed specifically for the resort. Summer ceremonies here take place under the midnight sun, with golden light filtering through birch trees. In autumn, the surrounding ruska — the Nordic word for the vivid foliage of September and early October — turns the approach path into something that photographers actively request.

For couples wanting to marry with an unbroken panorama of the Lapland wilderness, the Kaunispää fell summit offers an outdoor ceremony at altitude. The fell rises to 438 metres, and on clear days the view extends across the treeline to distant lake systems. Wind can be a factor, so the resort’s coordinators monitor conditions carefully and have contingency plans. This setting works best in the long-light months of May through August.

Once the ceremony concludes, the resort offers several options for the wedding meal. The Celebration House is often cited as Finland’s largest log building; its two-level interior accommodates up to 250 guests and can be dressed formally or left to speak for itself with exposed timber and open fire. For smaller groups, a private dining room within the main restaurant allows a more intimate setting, while the Glass Kota — a glass-walled traditional Finnish tent structure — is popular for drinks receptions immediately after the ceremony. Menus at Kakslauttanen draw on northern Finnish produce: expect fillet of reindeer, Arctic char, lingonberry sauces, and cloudberry desserts.

Couples who want to weave distinctive tablescaping or candlelit atmospheres into their reception will find the venue’s rustic interiors an excellent base. The exposed log walls absorb warm light beautifully, and the low-hanging chandeliers made from reindeer antler are a feature worth keeping rather than hiding.

The resort’s accommodation spans several distinct categories. The glass igloos — the building type for which Kakslauttanen is internationally famous — feature a thermally insulated glass ceiling that allows guests to watch the night sky, and potentially the revontulet (northern lights), from their beds. Standard glass igloos sleep two; the larger Kelo-Glass Igloos combine a log cabin with an attached glass section and suit couples who want a private sauna alongside their aurora viewing. For the wedding couple specifically, the resort offers a dedicated Wedding Chamber: a romantic suite with a private sauna, bathtub, and elevated interior finishes.

For guest accommodation, the resort also operates log chalets sleeping four to six, queen suites in the main building, and snow igloos available mid-winter. Guests travelling from abroad typically fly into Ivalo Airport (IVL), which sits about 30 kilometres from the resort; transfer by shuttle or pre-arranged taxi takes around 30–40 minutes. Helsinki to Ivalo is served by Finnair with journey times of approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.

The season you choose shapes every aspect of your Kakslauttanen wedding, from the ceremony venue available to the clothing your guests must pack. Here is a practical overview.

Kakslauttanen is a destination venue in the truest sense: the vast majority of couples travelling here are coming from outside Finland. That means wedding planning involves coordinating international flights, accommodation bookings for guests, and legal requirements for marrying in Finland — all simultaneously. The resort has a dedicated weddings team reachable at weddings@kakslauttanen.fi, and they are well practised at liaising with couples who have never visited Finnish Lapland before.

In terms of booking lead times: the peak winter window of December through February fills quickly, typically 12–18 months in advance for popular dates such as the Christmas–New Year period. Summer dates are somewhat easier to secure on a shorter timeline, though even those are filling earlier as Lapland’s summer profile grows. Our strong advice is to contact the resort as early as possible — ideally as soon as you begin planning — and in parallel to reach out to a specialist Lapland wedding stylist who can help you with styling details suited to the environment.

For the legal ceremony, marriages performed in Finland are legally binding for most nationalities, but couples need to arrange a certificate of no impediment from their home country, which typically takes 6–12 weeks to obtain. The resort can recommend English-speaking officiants and civil celebrants familiar with Finnish law. Budget-wise, published package pricing is not available online; the resort tailors each wedding to the couple’s requirements. Comparable Arctic destination weddings in Lapland typically range from €8,000 to €25,000 for the venue and catering component, excluding flights, accommodation for guests, and styling.

Across many guest reviews and photographer accounts, several themes recur in descriptions of a Kakslauttanen wedding. The logistical confidence of the coordinators is praised consistently — days run on time, requests are fulfilled, and the team understands that international guests are navigating an unfamiliar country in extreme conditions. The food quality is highlighted repeatedly: reindeer and game dishes prepared with genuine care for northern Finnish culinary tradition. And the photography opportunities are, by most accounts, unmatched: the combination of snow, low winter light, glass igloos, and revontulet produces images that couples describe as unlike anything from a conventional venue.

What to consider honestly: the guest experience requires commitment. Asking guests to travel to Finnish Lapland, dress for −15 °C, and move between outdoor and indoor spaces is a significant ask. Couples who have done it successfully tend to have a small, adventurous guest list — typically 10 to 30 people — who are genuinely excited by the destination. If your vision is a large traditional reception for 150 guests from several different countries, there are likely more practical Lapland options closer to Rovaniemi with better transport connections. Browse our portfolio to see how different scales of Lapland wedding look in practice, and visit the blog for accounts from couples who have married across the region.

While Kakslauttanen’s in-house team handles catering, logistics, and ceremony coordination, many couples choose to work with an independent Lapland wedding stylist to develop the visual identity of their day. The natural environment at Kakslauttanen is extraordinary, but it benefits from considered additions: botanical arrangements using winter branches, dried grasses, and Arctic berries; arches and backdrop structures that frame the ceremony space without competing with the snow chapel walls; and considered candlelight layers that make the interior of the Celebration House feel intentional rather than simply grand.

Working with a stylist who knows the Kakslauttanen environment — its scale, its light, its logistics — saves time and avoids surprises. Delicate florals, for example, will not survive long at −15 °C, which changes the approach to ceremony decoration significantly. A specialist will also know which elements photograph well in low light and which get lost. If you are in the early stages of planning, a conversation with us about styling for a Kakslauttanen wedding is a useful starting point.