Frida Gustavsson wore Vivienne Westwood to her intimate Stockholm city wedding

Heading to the altar for this couple was pretty much a given, so much so it was almost a race to see who would propose first.

“Right from the early days of our relationship, we casually talked about getting married, so we always knew that we wanted to tie the knot,” says Marcel Engdahl, art historian and curator. “And as usual with me and Frida, things transpired rather quickly, and we suddenly found ourselves buying each other rings.”

Marcel's proposal to actress Frida Gustavsson took place two years ago, the night before she was leaving for an extended stay in Ireland. He prepared a romantic dinner and put on one of 'their' songs.

“I have a taste for old-fashioned chivalry; I’m a hopeless romantic," says Marcel. "I knelt down and proposed once again, properly, just to be sure she’d still be mine,” he says. Marcel may have popped the question first, but the timing was perfect, says Frida. “We always knew we belonged together,” she says. “But it took both time and heaps of courage before our dreams materialised.”

Frida’s sartorial dreams also came true when it came to her wedding gown. A self-confessed Vivienne Westwood fan, the decision on who to wear was a no-brainer. “I have always absolutely loved Vivienne Westwood: the corsets, the attitude, the juxtaposition of classical and cool and the decision was therefore easy,” she says. “I reached out to Westwoods Bridal and Couture atelier and started speaking to Rosie Boydell-Wiles, an absolute darling stylist, and set a first meeting/fitting in early December.” The pair immediately bonded over their love of '80s fashion, extravagant opera gloves and Botticelli paintings.

Frida describes the silhouette of her gown as classical yet sexy. “I wanted to feel like a woman – like Venus rising from the ocean – powerful and timeless.” Her ivory dress was paired with a short veil, also by Westwood atelier, and simple tulle opera gloves custom made by the late HRH Elizabeth II’s glove maker, Cornelia James. Early on, Frida decided on pairing her gown with Manolo Blahnik's famed Hangisi satin pump in gustavian blue, and she wore a different coloured pair for all three days of the wedding.

For jewellery, Rosie suggested a simple pearl Westwood necklace to tie up the look and add a little touch of punk, paired vintage pearls on small gold hoops. “For the party look, I opted for a nod to '60s fashion with a metallic dress paired with incredible satin opera gloves trimmed with ostrich feathers. Since I really wanted to dance all night long I threw on a real staple in my wardrobe: a pair of blush pink satin Miu Miu flats with big sparkly details,” she says.

Marcel wore a white tie from Italian menswear brand Corneliani for the ceremony and dinner, and for the reception, changed into an Oscar Jacobson '80s-inspired deep cut, double-breasted midnight blue dinner jacket.

The wedding was celebrated over the course of a weekend at Stockholm’s Grand Hôtel – the 148-year-old waterfront icon ticking all couple’s boxes. “We wanted to find a timeless, elegant venue that we loved and that we knew would absolutely spoil us and all our guests who had travelled from near and far and only one venue came to our minds,” says Frida. “We love the staff, the spa and the location.”

The couple hosted a welcome cocktail evening the night before the ceremony at Stockholm’s oldest theatre, Södra Teatern. Guests mingled over champagne and crudités with the inlet to Stockholm serving as the picturesque backdrop. “It was really special to show our beloved hometown from its best angle and thankfully the sun persisted after a short-lived shower,” says Frida.

Frida and Marcel held their ceremony at Storkyrkan Cathedral, a special place for Marcel. “I was born and raised in the Old Town, and since I was a wee boy I sang in Storkyrkan’s boys choir. I can’t tell how many evenings and Sundays I’ve spent there,” says Marcel. “Me and my brothers were baptised there, and we also buried our grandparents here, so this church is naturally very dear to me. Its imposing, monumental architecture with brick-clad pillars and emblematic significance as a landmark of our hometown imbued the ceremony with poetic overtones resembling an ode to Stockholm, and by extension an ode to Frida and I.”

Very early on, Frida and Marcel decided that they would walk down the aisle together. “It was important for us to enter our marriage together this way, and I am so happy I had Marcel’s hand for support in this very emotional moment, as I always do. We couldn’t stop smiling and stealing little glances off each other, both of us beaming with excitement and pride. Possibly it was the years of waiting, the many frustrating times, and the difficult road to the actual ceremony which made it just that extra bit special,” says Frida. “To see our wonderful priest Kristina Ljunggren, who has been with us throughout the journey, waiting for us at the end of the altar with a huge smile, felt so symbolic and right. We were finally here, we were finally home, together.”

Family and very old friends made up the bridal party. The maid of honor was Frida’s oldest and dearest friend, Lovisa Hager and best man, Frida’s older brother Erik. Marcel’s best men were Anthony Janson-Linell and Simon Wallin. “Other members of our bridal party consisted of our best friends Edvin Endre and Joanna Janson-Linell,” says Frida. “Our magical friend, renaissance woman Stella Scocco, was the toast madame for the whole wedding weekend and we could not have done it without her.”

The vision of the reception was “to have lots of everything we love: friends, music, dance, food and last but not the least – champagne,” says Frida. The couple chose Spegelsalen and Strömsalongerna at the Grand Hôtel. “Spegelsalen is almost a ‘mini Versailles’ in the centre of Stockholm, it is one of the most decadent venues we know and everyone who knows us knows we always love a big, shining, extravagant party,” says Frida. “Apart from the gilded interiors we also have a special connection to the venue since Marcel’s grandfather and namesake had his wedding reception there in the late 1930s and we thought that was a delightful link to his family history.”

The couple paid homage to their roots with a Swedish bridal march, Bröllopsmarsch ur Bröllopet på Ulfåsa by August Söderman, a somewhat rare piece but we fell in love with the charming melody, says Frida. “Music is incredibly important in our lives and the ceremony needed to reflect that. We asked Marcel’s older brother, opera singer and actor Caspar Engdahl, to perform Wenn ich in deine Augen seh by Robert Schumann and Marcel’s father to accompany him on the grand piano.”

After their vows and first kiss as a married couple were exchanged, the couple’s friend and Valhalla colleague, Caroline Hendersen sang their song, En gång i Stockholm by Monica Zetterlund. “Overjoyed and overcome with emotions I could not stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks as the tune that started our relationship all those years ago, now cemented our union,” says Frida, “It was a moment of true bliss, and we are so thankful to Caroline for giving us that moment that will never fade.”

The following day, the newlyweds hosted an intimate brunch at the Grand’s Mårten Winges Rum along with their families before bidding guests farewell and retreating to the Nordic spa at the hotel “with huge smiles on our faces, overjoyed, well-fed and exhausted in the best possible way,” says Frida.