A Lighthouse Rehearsal Dinner

One of the American wedding traditions we decided to bring to Norway was the rehearsal dinner. An extra party sounded nice, and by spreading out the festivities we thought it might help us in our ambition to have a short (as in less than 8 hours) wedding reception. We invited only immediate family, the bridal party of two, and some friends that came from the States.

After agreeing on a location, my mom took complete charge of all the planning. It was so amazing to not have to think about anything but showing up for this event! I had no worries about it anything, but what my parents planned went way above and beyond what I thought it would be like.

The menu consisted of a smoked salmon and avocado dish, and a delicious fish soup, and for dessert a yummy pavlova and Sunnmørsk svele (pancake). The food fit the old building perfectly. After dinner we got to enjoy the art inside, and the view from the top of the old lighthouse. The wind was not being modest, and after a quick look we went back inside.

In addition to some sweet and funny speeches there was a surprise visit from my cousin Sondre Ferstad and his guitar teacher. They played some amazing jazz music for us, on guitar and harmonica. Here is a sample of his music, and you can hear more here.
 

I am so glad we had a rehearsal dinner. The extra time for family and friends to meet, and time to hang out without all the planning made the wedding week a lot better!

All pictures by my lovely sister Andrea.