Winter Wedding at Kleivstua – Timeline & Tips

Located about 45 minutes from Oslo, Kleivstua Hotell sits high above Krokskogen, overlooking Steinsfjorden and the forests of Ringerike. The venue consists of 18 historic wooden buildings with 43 guest rooms, creating the feeling of a small, private mountain village rather than a single hotel. Everything — preparation, ceremony, dinner, and accommodation — is gathered in one place, making it especially practical for winter weddings.

Preparations

The day usually starts with preparations in separate rooms. From a photography side, we normally spend about 30–45 minutes with each of you, capturing the final moments of getting ready, details, and a few portraits.

Ceremony – In the Yard or Langhuset

After preparations, we move straight to the ceremony, which often takes place outside in the yard or inside Langhuset. The open view over the landscape creates an incredible setting, especially with snow around.

Winter tip: Provide blankets for guests and keep the ceremony short and meaningful. 20–30 minutes is usually perfect in cold weather.

Group & Family Photos

Right after the ceremony, we go directly into group and family photos while everyone is already gathered. This makes the process much smoother.

We recommend keeping the family photo list short and organized. The photos themselves are quick — about 15–20 minutes — but gathering people can take longer.

Tip: Assign one person who knows both families to help call out names. It saves time and keeps energy up.

Couple Portraits

After that, we take you for couple portraits. The advantage at Kleivstua is that everything is close — within a few minutes you have forest paths, open viewpoints. Because there is no driving, portraits usually take about 45–60 minutes, and you can return quickly to your guests.

Winter tip: Bring warm/comfortable shoes, a coat, or a blanket between shots.

Aperitif, Dinner & Celebration

When we come back, guests are typically enjoying aperitifs and mingling inside, followed by dinner, speeches, cake, and dancing. Kleivstua is known for its food, and the dinner is always a big part of the experience. Trust us — no one leaves hungry.

With everything gathered in one place, the day feels relaxed from start to finish.

No driving. No rushing between places.

That’s what makes a winter wedding at Kleivstua special.

It’s just well set up for a day — where you can focus on each other and the people around you.