Brunella and Lukas met years ago in Sweden through mutual friends. “It was love at first sight,” she says. “We’re both interested as persons. That’s why we get along,” he explains. Whether she’s theorising about Barbies (she’s a serious collector) or he’s examining the special effects of ‘80s films, they love learning from each other.

Our interior designer Emma met them to get them thinking about what they want and don’t want by asking some wedding questions.

First, dream and decide. They collected examples of their passions and dislikes about everything—from locales to colours. Visuals helped them discuss their dreams and sort them into what’s important. Emma used their loves (Brunella=white and lace. Lukas=forest. And both love film, especially sci-fi.) to make a theme—romance, nature, cinema and space stuff. Her tip for contrasts? Think broad strokes and little touches. Emma looked for an ideal forest spot and started thinking about how to apply the theme to their other ‘must haves’ like a seated dinner, a lounge, a photobooth and favours.

Now, divide and conquer! While Emma did her work, Brunella and Lukas needed to work, too. We aren’t planning a wedding for them; we’re just ‘staging’ it to see the possibilities. But Emma has some tips. Ask friends and family to help with tasks like music, photos, hair, decor, food, addresses, etc. instead of giving gifts. Create a to-do list as a timeline, so you know what to do when. Set a budget to prioritise what to spend on vs. scale back. And spend time together doing non-wedding things to keep the love flowing!

Next, get creative! Emma followed the theme with a DIY, budget-friendly movie ticket invitation made by cutting and gluing transparent paper into a sleeve and inserting a printed invite. A template makes it easier to write the wedding hashtag (#brunellukas) on the sleeve. Guests can follow along on social media, whether they attend or not. The invite has info about dress code and gifts to take stress off guests and a tear-off RSVP for details like food preferences.

We love to see our customers get creative with our products. Go for it! But please note that altering or modifying IKEA products so they can no longer be re-sold or used for their original purpose, means the IKEA commercial guarantees and your right to return the products will be lost.

Want more? Check out Emma’s wedding party ideas and dining decor!

Made by

Interior designer: Emma Parkinson
Photographer: Andrea Papini
Writer: Marissa Frayer