Tomas and Miisa Grekov cement their rom-com love story with a breath-taking Finnish wedding

Theirs is a love story that is practically begging Hollywood to turn it into a rom-com: two young, successful social media influencers get set up by a friend and after a summer of chatting online and getting to know each other, they finally agree to meet in person for a casual, film-and-coffee date. She travels to his hometown; their eyes lock and they know in an instant that they’ve found their forever person. Fast-forward to their wedding ceremony where they’re surrounded by apple trees, loved ones dancing, and an adorable bike serving made-to-order vegetarian hot dogs. Cue Ed Sheeran song, lights dim. See? It practically writes itself – except everything happened (yes, including those delicious after-party bike snacks and Ed).

“When I saw Tomas for the first time, he swept me off my feet; it was love at first sight,” says influencer and TV presenter, Miisa Grekov, known on social media as Mmiisas. “Everything felt so natural, and I giggled nonstop at his jokes. I still remember what cologne he wore that day. The whole time I was just thinking about when I’d meet him again,” she says.

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For 27-year-old Tomas Grekov the road to Miisa’s heart all began with a little help from a matchmaker friend.

“Miisa was already doing well on social media before we met; I had not heard of her before, but my friend sent me a picture of Miisa,” says Tomas. “I was intrigued and hit her up with a message. She played hard to get for a month before agreeing to see me in my hometown of Jyväskylä. We went to grab a coffee and saw a movie. From that point I didn’t look back,” he says.

With cupid’s bow well and truly hitting the mark, the couple happily continued down lover’s lane and after a trip to Paris (because it’s always Paris, isn’t it?), Tomas knew the time had come to pop the question.

“I had a sudden realisation that I was ready; I was even a little bit annoyed that I had not made plans beforehand so I could have everything set up to propose in the most romantic city in the world, but after the trip I started to get things in order,” says Tomas.

Tomas designed Miisa’s ring with a jeweller and in February 2020 the couple travelled to Lapland. Tomas got down on one knee in their glass igloo and asked for Miisa’s hand.

“The place was perfect for a proposal,” says Miisa. “But a fun fact: I had my pyjamas on while he proposed!”

Before she knew it, Miisa’s pyjamas were swapped for a Anni Ruuth-designed wedding gown and headband covered in pearls that tied the look elegantly together. “It was clear to both Anni and I that we wanted to create something unique for the special day,” says Miisa. “Anni understood right away what I had in mind. Sustainability is important to the both of us; a wedding dress is used only once but we wanted to create something that might have use in the future as well,” she says. The fabric for the gown was from Villisilkki in Finland and the dress crafted by Elina Vuorema.

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The groom wore a Teemu Muurimäki designed suit. “I wanted to have an outfit that stands out from the typical Finnish wedding attire while showing respect towards the event and its unique nature,” says Tomas. “I had some initial ideas which Teemu understood, he showed me some fabrics and we went to Turo to tailor the suit. The whole process advanced rapidly because my expectations and Teemu’s suggestions were well compatible,” he says.

“We ended up choosing a tuxedo with a white shawl-lapel jacket made from Loro Piana wool combined with black tuxedo pants. The finishing detail on the outfit was a black cummerbund and black bowtie,” he says. “The tailoring and manufacturing were both by Turo and I had a wonderful experience with them, they allowed me to take my time during fittings and deciding between different options.” Tomas decided to compliment his bride’s shoes, opting for Gucci loafers and silver Gucci cufflinks.

After visiting Nyynäisten Wintti with her best friend in the summer of 2020, Miisa knew this was the perfect wedding venue and with Tomas in agreement, the date was set for June 11, 2022.

The guest list of around 100 – “it sounded like a good figure for a great party,” says Tomas – spanned continents with many close family members both living in the USA and Europe.

“I was especially happy that my father’s side of the family could make it to the wedding,” says Tomas. “They live in Los Angeles and travelling such a long way to celebrate our wedding was not something we took for granted, especially due to the uncertainty of Covid-19 regulations.”

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A nod to both American and Finnish wedding traditions were in play: plenty of speeches from the Finns, American-style icebreaker games for guests to become quickly acquainted with one another, and after all that dancing to Finnish band Younghearted, Miisa’s dream of having hot dogs served as a late evening snack came true in the form of Hodarifillari, made-to-order vegetarian hot dogs served from a bike. “They were perfect for the moment,” she says.

It was truly a family affair with Tomas’ uncle Elijah officiated the ceremony, while his cousin Zlata played the violin, and his friend Konsta played the piano to Ed Sheeran’s Photograph. “Walking down the aisle was a magical moment; it’s a very special song to me and Tomas, so it was amazing that Zlata and Konsta played it while my dad and I walked towards the apple tree garden,” she says. “The ceremony was so beautiful. It was a magical moment to stand in the middle of nature surrounded by our loved ones; it was like a dream.”

The menu was a true reflection of the couple and their guests: vegetarian dishes, salads and fish prepared in various ways, served buffet style. The couple does not drink alcohol and decided against serving it at their wedding. “The decision might have been a bit non-traditional, but it suited us best,” says Tomas. “My dad said he was sure Finnish people would not party and dance if alcohol was not involved. I guess we proved him wrong as the party seemed to get wilder as the evening went on!”

Friends of the couple and the “best baker we know in Finland,” Bakerika, was tasked with creating the wedding cake and dessert menu. “Bakerika organised two tastings for us, and we decided on blueberry and white chocolate ganache naked cake,” says Tomas. “The guests loved it and we also had Oreo and white chocolate rosewater raspberry macarons, salted caramel popcorn mini cupcakes, and carrot cake mini cupcakes."

No matter the months of preparation, one aspect of a wedding day that can’t be manufactured or planned in advance is the mood of the day. “The absurd situation of having all your best friends and family in the same place feels weird and nice at the same time,” says Tomas. “I knew we had waited for this day for a long time, but I did not realise that all the people close to us had been counting down the days as well,” he says. “The positive energy and feel was something I had never experienced before. I think I speak for the both of us when I say that this was the best day of our lives.”