Advice from Couples Who Have Experienced a Photo Wedding in Lapland
Advice from N
(Photos taken at temperatures between -10°C and -15°C)
■ LOWER BODY (UNDER THE DRESS)
・Under the dress, I wore three layers:
heated tights + a tracksuit + thick, fleece-lined windproof pants.
・In the end, I did not turn on the heated tights.
Thick thermal tights were warm enough.
・Since it is difficult to add warm layers to the upper body
while wearing a wedding dress, I focused on keeping my lower body
warm and relied on good circulation to help keep my upper body warm.
・My lower body never felt cold, which helped me endure the cold overall.
・Since the layers under the dress are not visible,
do not hesitate to wear as many warm layers as possible!
■ SHOES
・SOREL WINTER CARNIVAL WP
・My usual shoe size is 22.5 cm.
I chose 23 cm to allow room for thick socks.
・The fit was perfect, and my feet never felt cold,
even around the toes.
・The soles are slightly stiff and can make walking uncomfortable,
but they are perfectly acceptable as winter boots.
■ FACE, NECK, EARS & HAIR
・For my face and neck, I decided to prioritize practicality
because of luggage, frequent changes, and the risk of disturbing my makeup.
・I did not use a scarf because it adds luggage and requires frequent
putting on and taking off.
・I also did not use a neck warmer because it could affect my hair and makeup.
・I found that a significant amount of cold comes through the ears.
・If you are not concerned about your hairstyle,
earmuffs could be a good option.
However, if they take time to put on or cannot be removed quickly,
they may end up not being used.
・The hood of my coat was extremely effective.
・My hair was braided and securely styled, so I could loosely pull the hood
over my head without ruining my hairstyle while still staying warm.
■ OVERALL EXPERIENCE
・For an aurora photo shoot, the key is balancing:
"Warmth × Time Management × Speed of Changing Layers × Darkness"
・It is more practical to attach small items to your body or outerwear
rather than carrying them separately.
・Perfect protection from the cold is not necessarily the goal.
What matters is finding a practical solution that allows the photo shoot
to continue without interruption.
・I avoided HEATTECH because it tends to dry out my skin.
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■ OUTERWEAR
【EVERYDAY CLOTHING / WALKING AROUND TOWN】
・A T-shirt + a thick outdoor fleece + a down jacket were enough.
・Since you often take off your outerwear in shops and restaurants,
it is more comfortable to avoid wearing too many layers underneath.
【DURING THE PHOTO SHOOT】
・Extra-warm thermal underwear + shirt + vest + jacket + down jacket.
・I took off the down jacket immediately before the shoot,
but this combination was still considerably warmer than wearing fewer layers.
■ OTHER TIPS
・The toes, fingers, and ears were the areas most affected by the cold.
・My toes actually felt colder during daytime activities in the snow
than during the aurora shoot.
・The ears were especially difficult.
Since you cannot always wear a hat during the shoot,
I think earmuffs would have been a good idea.
・For everyday use, snowboard gloves were warm enough.
・During the shoot, you frequently need to put your gloves on and take them off.
For men, keeping a hand warmer in a trouser pocket can be practical
for warming your hands whenever necessary.
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■ SUMMARY
【▪️ EVERYDAY CLOTHING / WALKING AROUND TOWN】
HEAD:
・Fleece hood + down jacket hood
UPPER BODY:
・Extra-warm thermal underwear
・Outdoor fleece
・Down jacket
LOWER BODY:
・Extra-warm thermal tights
・Cotton trousers
・Snowboard pants
GLOVES:
・Snowboard gloves
SHOES:
・SOREL winter boots
・Extra-warm socks
【▪️ DURING THE PHOTO SHOOT】
※ This outfit assumes that you can quickly return to the hotel or car
when necessary.
It is cold, but should allow you to tolerate approximately 10 minutes outside.
HEAD:
・Down jacket hood only
UPPER BODY:
・Down jacket
・Jacket
・Vest
・Shirt
・Extra-warm thermal underwear
LOWER BODY:
・Extra-warm thermal tights
・Thin tights
・Slacks
SHOES:
・Two pairs of socks
・Snow boots
※ Leather dress shoes are not recommended.
If you choose to wear them, hand warmers are essential,
although their effectiveness is limited.
GLOVES:
・Snowboard gloves
Advice from T&M
(Photos taken at temperatures between -7°C and -12°C)
◼︎ GROOM
【BEFORE THE PHOTO SHOOT】
○ Outerwear
I wore three layers, from the inside out:
Uniqlo fleece → Ultra Light Down → ski jacket with the sleeves and neck area sewn together.
○ Earmuffs
Worn.
○ Gloves
Ski mittens were used.
【DURING THE PHOTO SHOOT】
○ Base Layers
I wore Uniqlo HEATTECH Ultra Warm layers on both the upper and lower body.
I also wore Uniqlo HEATTECH Ultra Warm socks.
○ Hand Warmers
I used "Magma" hand warmers.
・Magma MAX was attached over my shirt.
・Magma hand warmers were attached to the inner sides of both thighs.
・Magma hand warmers were also placed on my socks.
○ Shoes
I wore snow boots in a color that matched my suit.
【WHAT WORKED WELL】
・I brought plenty of Magma hand warmers, so I was able to use them without holding back.
Regular hand warmers did not seem to provide enough heat, so I strongly recommend Magma hand warmers.
・The ears get extremely cold, so I think earmuffs would have been a good idea.
・Based on the advice that the cold reaches your feet first, I decided not to wear leather dress shoes.
Instead, I chose snow boots in a color that would work well with my suit.
Thanks to the Magma hand warmers in my boots, I barely felt any cold around my toes, which worked very well.
・I chose relatively large ski mittens, which made it possible to put hand warmers inside them
and also made them easy to put on and take off.
【WHAT I WOULD IMPROVE】
・I secured the three layers of outerwear together so they would be easier to put on and take off while waiting,
but they became quite tight, which actually made changing more difficult.
→ I should have chosen the outerwear one size larger.
・I also should have chosen my suit one size larger.
It became very tight once I added all the extra layers underneath.
◼︎ BRIDE
【BEFORE THE PHOTO SHOOT】
○ Outerwear
Just like the groom, I wore three layers, from the inside out:
Uniqlo fleece → Ultra Light Down → ski jacket with the sleeves and neck area sewn together.
○ Gloves
I prepared ski mittens.
I connected the two gloves with a string so they would be easier to put on and take off.
○ Hand Warmers
I attached Magma MAX hand warmers to the fleece section of my outerwear.
Just like the groom, I also used Magma hand warmers around the upper thigh area.
I also attached Magma hand warmers to my socks for additional protection from the cold.
【DURING THE PHOTO SHOOT】
○ Trousers
I wore HEATTECH Ultra Warm thermal leggings underneath my ski pants.
Since they would not be visible under the wedding dress, I focused on staying as warm as possible.
○ Shoes
I wore snow boots with HEATTECH Ultra Warm socks to keep my feet well protected from the cold.
○ Gloves
I placed Magma hand warmers inside my wedding gloves.
→ I decided not to use earmuffs because I was concerned about disturbing my hairstyle.
Instead, I was able to warm my ears by placing my hands over them.
○ Accessories
Flowers can freeze, so if you have photo shoots on consecutive days,
I recommend preparing artificial flowers.
(We ended up making some ourselves at a 100-yen shop at the last minute and brought them with us.)
【WHAT WORKED WELL】
・Sewing the outerwear layers together worked very well and made them much easier to put on and take off.
Since the upper body is exposed during the shoot and gets extremely cold,
it is essential to have a fleece layer available to keep warm while waiting.
I attached hand warmers directly to the fleece, which kept me warm.
→ Since the fleece is the layer directly against your skin, a soft, fluffy fleece is highly recommended.
I recommend wearing the fleece as the innermost layer.
・You can hide a hand warmer inside your gloves during the photo shoot without it appearing in the photos,
so if you can fit one inside, I strongly recommend doing so.
→ It was so cold that my ears felt like they were going to freeze off,
and the hand warmer was extremely helpful for staying warm.
There is no time during the shoot to repeatedly take hand warmers out and put them away,
so keeping one inside your gloves is much more practical.
・Magma hand warmers in your socks are essential.
You may not actually feel "warm," but you also won't feel "cold."
I think there is a significant difference in how much energy your body uses when you have them versus when you don't.
・Since there is no time to worry too much about keeping the dress clean in such cold conditions,
I was glad that I had prepared the dress with the expectation that it might get dirty.
【WHAT I WOULD IMPROVE】
・I wore a lace wedding dress, which allowed snow to get inside and made the dress heavier.
I think it would be better to choose a dress that prevents snow from getting inside as much as possible.
・The outerwear was secured at both sleeves, the neck, and the waist,
which meant I could not place a hand warmer between the fleece and the Ultra Light Down.
I think it would be better not to secure the waist area so that a hand warmer could be placed between the layers.
◼︎ OVERALL ADVICE
The cold can take much more energy out of you than you might expect,
so I recommend preparing for the cold as thoroughly as possible.
In particular, keeping your hands, feet, and other extremities warm is extremely important.
Because the cold can be physically exhausting, I recommend planning a relaxed schedule for the photo shoot day
and making sure you have enough time to rest and recover.
It will be cold, but Aki will turn your experience into truly beautiful photographs,
so please do your best and enjoy the experience!!