Garden ceremony surrounded by coastal pines, a golden-hour portrait session on the links, and a candlelit dinner at Eagle Restaurant — this Estonian wedding had it all.
Shot by Mait Jüriado / MJ Studios.
Some wedding venues are beautiful. Others feel like they were placed on this earth for the sole purpose of making two people feel like they’re the only ones in the world. Pärnu Bay Golf Links is the latter.
Nestled between the Baltic Sea and ancient Estonian pine forests on the southwestern coast of Estonia, this wasn’t just a backdrop — it was a character in the love story. The salt-kissed wind, the endless Nordic light stretching into the late evening, the soft rustle of fescue grasses bending toward the sea — everything conspired to make this day extraordinary.
A wedding this effortless doesn’t happen by accident. Behind every perfectly timed moment — from the garden ceremony unfolding without a single hitch to the seamless transition into Eagle Restaurant — was the calm, steady hand of Relika from DreamDay Stuudio.
As a photographer, I’ve shot weddings across the world — from the black sand beaches of Iceland to the turquoise lagoons of the Maldives — but there is something uniquely magical about Estonia in the summertime. After all – it’s my home! The light doesn’t quite set. It lingers.
Pärnu Bay Golf Links is one of Northern Europe’s finest links courses, designed by Lassi Pekka Tilander and shaped by the legendary Mick McShane — the man behind St Andrews’ Castle Course. But beyond the world-class golf, the venue holds a secret that couples are only beginning to discover: it’s one of the most breathtaking wedding locations in the Baltics.
The clubhouse sits on the edge of a sandy beach, framed by towering pines. Looking one direction, you see the gentle curve of Pärnu Bay stretching toward the horizon. Turn your head, and sculpted green fairways disappear into the coastal forest. It’s the kind of place where every angle looks like it was composed by a painter — which, for a photographer, is pure gold.
Located just a short drive from the charming resort town of Pärnu, often called Estonia’s “Summer Capital,” the venue offers a sense of seclusion and grandeur that’s hard to find elsewhere in Europe.
The ceremony took place in the venue’s garden — a sheltered green space surrounded by natural coastal vegetation and mature trees that felt both intimate and open to the sky. There were no walls, no roof — just two people, their closest family and friends, and the endless Estonian sky above.
I always tell my couples: if you’re brave enough to choose an outdoor ceremony, the universe tends to reward you. And it did. The light filtered through the trees in soft, dappled patterns, landing on the couple like a spotlight designed by nature herself.
What I love about garden ceremonies is the sensory richness. You don’t just see it — you feel the breeze, smell the pine and saltwater, hear the natural soundscape. And all of that translates into photographs that breathe.
