Anna and Victor’s love story began in Watamu, a coastal town in Kenya, where they met through a mutual friend. What started as a simple introduction led to an unplanned but deeply meaningful chapter in their lives. Anna had just rescued two puppies from the streets of Nairobi and had traveled to the coast to figure out her next steps. “I still lived in Germany at the time, and adopting the pups was a spontaneous decision”, she told us. “Turns out, more spontaneous decisions were about to come,” She never went back to Nairobi, and she never went back to Germany. Instead, she and Victor built a life together in Kenya.

Originally, the couple envisioned a traditional Kenyan wedding. They had started gathering the necessary paperwork when Anna became pregnant with twins. For the safety of her pregnancy, they relocated to Germany, which meant rethinking their plans. Wanting to marry before the babies arrived, they opted for a Viking wedding in Denmark. “If not traditionally Kenyan, then why not traditionally Germanic? We created our own fusion of a cultural wedding,” she explained.

The setting was a Viking fortress, rich in history, where friends and family dressed in Viking attire provided by the open-air museum. “Seeing our loved ones transformed into Vikings, entering the longhouse with the fireplace for the ceremony, it felt like we were starring in our own movie,” Anna says. They skipped traditional vows. “We don’t believe in promises and pressure. We just give our relationship the best we have every day.”

Their wedding attire reflected the blend of their Kenyan and Germanian heritages. They worked with their friend, Tatiana, from AFROWEMA, a sustainable fashion brand in Nairobi, to design the outfits. Victor brought jewellery from their coastal home, handcrafted by Kenyan artisans from shells and wood.

The only thing they would have changed? More guests. “A lot of people were disappointed that we kept the circle small, but with the pregnancy and six weeks to plan, this was what worked for us,” Anna explained. They intend to have a traditional African wedding in Kenya in a few years, when their children can be part of the celebration.

“I never knew it was so easy for international couples to marry in Denmark”.”, Anna concluded, looking back. “Our wedding planners made life so easy. When we first discussed a Viking wedding, we were wondering if this would end up as a silly joke. A lot of people around us also shook their heads and couldn’t envision this to be something… But after they saw the pictures or were part of it, we only got compliments and the pictures went viral! Suddenly we got the feedback that we looked so royal and strong and beautiful together in this Viking setting. It was unlike any other wedding our family and friends had ever seen. We think believing in your dreams and vision and just doing your thing is our advice to other couples, who are also contemplating having a non-traditional wedding.”