Checklist for planning a church wedding
Where and when to get married?
You can reserve the wedding church through the Espoo Parish booking service:
Call us at 09 8050 2601 (Mon–Tue 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Wed–Thu 9 a.m. – 12 noon)
Email us at varauspalvelut.espoo@evl.fi
The ceremony can also be held in another suitable location, such as at home, in nature, or various event spaces.
In Espoo, you can book churches typically about a year in advance. Members of the Espoo Cathedral Parish and Espoo Swedish Parish have priority for wedding times at the Cathedral.
Weddings do not need to be grand occasions – the ceremony can be simple and intimate. Small weddings can even take place on a weekday, for example, in a church with just two witnesses present.
Who will officiate the wedding?
When booking the wedding church, it's important to enquire about reserving a pastor and an organist at the same time. Usually, the pastor and organist come from the bride's parish.
Pastors from the Espoo parishes typically officiate weddings in the Greater Helsinki area. If the wedding takes place in Espoo or Kauniainen, the organist comes from the bride's home parish. In other locations, the organist will come from the parish of the wedding church. If the wedding is far from the home parish, it's possible to request a pastor from the parish where the wedding location is located.
You may also request a familiar pastor of your choice. If you choose your own pastor, the couple is responsible for any travel or other expenses the pastor may incur. When booking the church, it's a good idea to inform the parish office about your chosen pastor.
Documents: Marriage license and confirmation
Before the church wedding, the couple must request a certificate of non-impediment to marriage (or: marriage license). The marriage license can be ordered through the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland's online service. It can also be done in person at the Espoo Area Parish Register, though using the online service is the easiest option. The certificate is issued no earlier than seven days after the request and is valid for four months. It's best to handle this well in advance, especially if one of the partners lives abroad.
The certificate should be given to the officiating pastor. If the couple wishes, their names can be read during the Sunday service in the bride's home parish on an agreed date, and prayers will be offered for their upcoming marriage. The names can also be published in the Kirkko ja kaupunki church magazine.
If the marriage license is requested through the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), arrangements for reading the names in the church must be made separately with the Espoo regional parish register.
If confirmation was missed, it is possible to complete confirmation privately as an adult before the wedding.
Preparation meeting with the officiating Pastor
In Espoo, the pastor will contact the couple no later than two weeks before the wedding. The Pastor will arrange a meeting with the couple to discuss the order of service, practical matters, and a possible rehearsal.
Choosing a surname: naming options
At the preparation meeting, the couple will inform the pastor of the surnames they will use after the ceremony. The couple can choose to keep their surnames unchanged, take the surname of either spouse as a common name, or use a compound name. Detailed information about the naming options is available on the DVV website.
