What a Glass Igloo Wedding Is, and What It Is Not

The phrase covers several things. A glass igloo is a heated transparent dome or half-dome with a bed facing the sky, used for ceremonies, for the wedding night and for small receptions. An ice chapel is carved from snow and ice every winter and is cold, around −3 to −5 °C, with ceremonies of 20 to 30 minutes. A snow hotel is the larger structure that includes the chapel, the ice bar and the rooms. Many couples combine them: vows in the ice, a toast in the ice bar, dinner by the fire and a night in glass.

We are Joona and Alla. Rovaniemi Weddings is our own wedding planning and styling company in Rovaniemi, so we are not neutral, but we have styled winter weddings in these places, and we know what works. Not every couple wants a cold chapel; many prefer a warm glass room and a short walk to the snow. This guide helps you choose.

A fair warning belongs here too. Glass igloos are small, popular and booked directly with the resort, and the idea of a ceremony “under the stars” can mean different things depending on the night: a starry sky, falling snow, or a soft grey ceiling of cloud. All of them photograph well when the lighting is planned, but you should come with the expectation of a beautiful day, not a guaranteed sky.

The Season: When Igloo Weddings Are Possible

The igloo wedding season runs from late November to early April. At the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos, the glass igloos open on 1 September and close on 31 March; the Ice Chapel is open for ceremonies from 15 December to 31 March, while the snow hotel stands.

The Northern Lights are possible between September and March, and glass igloo venues are sited for aurora viewing. No one can guarantee them, so we plan a lighting design that keeps the evening beautiful on a cloudy night. Our northern lights wedding plan explains how.

How Many Guests Does an Igloo Hold?

Glass igloos typically hold from two to about thirty guests, depending on the type, while ice chapels often seat thirty to sixty on ice benches. We have styled weddings of up to eighty guests across several spaces at one venue. For most igloo weddings the real number is much smaller. Intimate weddings and elopements are what glass igloos do best.

• Just the two of you. An elopement in an igloo is a ceremony for two, a toast, a dinner and a night under the sky.
• Ten to twenty. A micro wedding with family and closest friends fits the igloo or a small kota. See our guide to a small wedding in Lapland.
• Thirty to sixty. The Ice Chapel and a reception in a kota or restaurant. Ceremonies are brief, guests dress warmly and there is a heated space nearby.
• More than sixty. A multi-space event with the ceremony in one place and the reception in another; possible, but a different project. We handle weddings from two to over 200 guests.

The Ceremony: Glass, Ice or Both

The ceremony itself can be one of three kinds. In a glass igloo you are warm; you can say your vows with a candle-lit table, a styled arch and the sky overhead. In the Ice Chapel you are in a carved room with reindeer hides on the benches and candlelight glowing through the walls; the chapel stays cold, so the ceremony is short, around 20 to 30 minutes, and guests wear their coats. Hand warmers in the pockets of the wedding party are a small thing that makes a large difference. The third option is a ceremony outdoors on the frozen lake or in the forest, with a short moment in the snow and a warm room nearby.

Civil ceremonies can be held inside an igloo by a licensed Finnish officiant; there is no residency requirement. If you want the legal wedding, see getting married in Finland as a foreigner. If you are marrying legally at home, a symbolic ceremony here has the same look and feel. For more on the ice itself, read the Ice Chapel wedding guide.

Styling for Glass and Ice

Glass and ice dictate the palette. For glass igloos we use whites and pale greens with birch and reindeer moss; in ice chapels, burgundy and blush roses look strong against the blue walls. We work with high-quality artificial and preserved flowers because fresh petals freeze at −30 °C, so the bouquet, the arch and the table keep their shape from morning to midnight.

Lighting does a lot: candles, lanterns and fairy lights that do not compete with the sky. Reindeer hides and blankets keep guests warm. The photographer needs a short, planned schedule, because winter portraits run in bursts of 10 to 15 minutes between warm-ups. We design the whole thing to be photographed at five in the afternoon in December light, not at midday.

The smaller details are where the day becomes yours: vow books and pens styled for the cold, a hand-built wooden arch with seasonal greenery for an outdoor ceremony, a ceremony circle with candles, faux fur throws for the benches, and a bouquet made by hand in our Rovaniemi studio. Tell us your colours and we will tell you what looks right against ice, glass and snow. If you are bringing family, we can also arrange childcare, hair and make-up and transport for guests, since these are the tasks that otherwise land on the couple on the morning of the wedding.

A Sample Day for an Igloo Wedding

Every day is made to measure, but this is the rhythm we use in winter.

1. Late morning. Getting ready in the igloo or suite, with hair, make-up and the first flowers.
2. Early afternoon. Our team finishes the styling; the officiant and the photographer arrive.
3. Blue hour. The ceremony, in the chapel, in the igloo or on the lake, in the best available light.
4. Right after. Couple portraits in 10–15 minute bursts, a toast in the ice bar or by the fire.
5. Evening. Dinner in a kota, a log restaurant or the ice restaurant, then a night in glass under the sky.

Guests need their own plan for the day: warm clothes for the chapel, a heated space to wait in, hot drinks between moments, and a clear idea of where to stand. We brief them in a short guest note a few weeks before, covering what to wear and when to arrive, and we keep the schedule tight so no one stands outside for longer than they need to.

The reindeer sleigh ride is a lovely addition for photographs, and a dinner of reindeer, Arctic char, wild berries and cloudberry desserts is the local favourite.

What It Costs and How to Plan It With Us

Costs depend on guests, venue and season. The published cost guide puts an intimate elopement at around €5,000 and larger celebrations at €30,000 or more, with €10,000 to €20,000 for a beautifully styled event of 20 to 50 guests. A cabin or glass igloo for an intimate day is often €500 to €1,500 for the day itself, and full styling packages run from €1,500 to €5,000. Read more at Lapland Wedding Cost.

We start with a conversation about your day, send an estimate, agree a simple contract with a deposit, plan together and then run the day. Browse Weddings, see Lapland Wedding Packages and contact us through the Contact Rovaniemi Weddings page. We reply within one business day.

FAQ

Our Honest Final Word

An igloo wedding is the most Lapland-like thing we plan, and it works best when the day is small, the schedule is short and the sky is treated as a gift, not a promise. Choose the glass for warmth, the ice for drama, or both, and let the light of the afternoon do the work.

Rovaniemi Weddings is our own company, so we would be glad to plan it with you. Start with Igloo Wedding in Lapland, see Ice Hotel Wedding in Lapland or visit the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos page, and tell us your date through Contact Rovaniemi Weddings.

Rovaniemi Weddings · by Joona & Alla

Wedding planning in glass and ice

Every option is planned, set up and quietly packed down by our own team, and nearly every proposal includes a photographer. Tell us your story and we reply within one business day.

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Rovaniemi Weddings is our own wedding planning and proposal design company — Joona & Alla, based in Rovaniemi. We plan, style and coordinate proposals and weddings across Lapland, Finland, Sweden and Norway.