Nancy and Timo

Thank you all of you that were with us in Singapore October 12th 2002.
Here are pictures from the party

Contact nancyandtimo (at) sippala (dot) net

Background

How we met? When? Why?

Let Kitty answer to that. See the story on her home page.

This sign was pointing to our wedding house (my brother's wooden house with a huge garden in the countryside near city). The little Finnish word ja (read ya) means and.

Wedding party in Finland

	September 13th 2002 around 9 p.m., Singapore, Changi Airport. Waiting for the British Airways flight to Helsinki via London.
	Sleeping and eating around 12 hours. Following our route from a small monitor. Flying over India and middle east. Thinking about having spent a bit more than 6 months in Asia but having not seen many interesting places.

	After waiting more than 4 hours in London taking a 2.5 hour flight to Helsinki Finland.
	After travelling about 20 hours we landed to Helsinki Vantaa airport on Saturday night September 14th. It was half cloudy, heavy Northern wind, 15 centigrades Celsius. We brought autumn to Finland. We were told several times that it had been a wonderful summer until our arrival.
	Timo's youngest brother had a great house with big garden in the countryside. Timo had wished his wedding to be in the garden of that house. Most probably it will be too cold for a garden party. We just have to be inside the house.
	Timo used to collect hats. The Greek leather hat and the real U.S. cowboy hat he had left in his mother's house. We found them there and decided to take them with us to Singapore.
	Very cold outside but warmer inside especially if there is a fireplace. No aircon is needed so it is more quiet in the houses.
	On thursday September 19th we took a ferry to Tallinn Estonia.
	It was a bit too cold day but old historical centre of Tallinn was so nice. We found a real Chinese restaurant and had lunch there.
	Registration of Marriage took place near Seurasaari Island in Helsinki in an old wooden house, cafe Tomtebo next door to the home museum of the former president Urho Kekkonen. Civil marriage registrar Vivi Malme made a short speech and asked us the critical question. Aside us there were 8 people present in the room and it took only a couple of minutes. Video clip of the ceremony. Due to some stubmling with the camera later we lost some peaces of the evidence, the most important part, Vivi's wedding speech to us.
	Internationally valid marriage certificates and other paperwork had to do also. Here you can see our wittnesses: Timo's friend Pertti Saamilehto and cousin Juha Vähäkangas. Juha is married to a German girl. She and their two daughters were also present. You can see them above in front of the house.
	Wedding party in brother's house in Nurmijärvi, Perttula, on Saturday afternoon. Here are Sina and Nora, daughters of Timo's cousin Juha and his wife Petra with Timo's niece Laura who is trying her new scarf that was brought for her from Singapore
	Fresh Mrs and Mr Sippala. Timo had taken his mother's maiden name a couple of days before. That was because his father's name Hämäläinen is so difficult to spell and pronounce in most languages. Sippala seems to be much easier for everybody. The correct Finnish way is to make plong (double) and all a's short, so actually like sip-pa-la or sip-pah-lah. Stress in the first syllable
	There were lots of little nephews and nieces.
	Kaisa is hostess of the house were the party took place. She was one of the wonderful persons cooking, baking, cleaning, arranging ... for the party. Food was yummy and there were lots of everything. Our BIG thank for that to everybody. You made our party unforgottably nice for us.
	There was a lot of delicious food cooked and baked by family members. Hapanlohko, a sour rye-potato pot, looks like porridge or pudding, traditional Karelian meal, courtesy of cousin Juha. Only a few guests liked it but Timo is very proud having it since it represents Karelian roots of his father's family. Karelian pastries with both potato and rice filling (For recipe and instructions see here ). . Egg-butter mix to eat with karelian pastries. Egg and rice pastries, meat pastries. Creamy salmon soup. Specially for Nancy, Chinese cabbage - pork soup made by Ah Ma. Sliced smoked salmon. Pumkin pickle. Greek Olives. Fresh salad made of cabbage, carrot and pickled cucumber. Rosolli, a salad made of beet roots, potatoes, boiled carrots, apples, onion, pickled cucumber and dressing to it w/ whipped cream, vinegar and soured cream colored with beet roots. Beef meat balls, chicken meat balls, meat balls with Finnish wild mushrooms. (Wild mushrooms were collected in the forest by Timo's mother and sister). French white bread, Finnish white bread, Finnish country rye bread, thin Finnish country bread rieska made of barley. Lappland bread cheese with cloudberry jam. flummery made of several Finnish berries: strawberries, blueberries, cloudberry, rapsberry. Vanilla dressing for flummery. Soft cream cheese, blue cheese specially for Timo, he's crazy of it. Asian style wok vegetables in Sesame-olive oil mix with soy sauce and Finnish wild mushrooms barbegued in the garden by Timo. Chicken and vegetables barbegued by Pertti, Petteri, Sede and Teemu. Chocolate cake, sacher cake, strawberry cream cakes, cinamon rolls, several kinds of bisquits. Coffee, tea, green tea, soft drinks, Natural Finnish tab water (it's like cold spring water), drink made of black currant leaves and berries, ginger drink, Chrysantemum drink with honey (brought from Singapore). Durian cakes brought from Singapore to let Finnish guests try durian. Could not bring real stuff... Indian curry and indonesian hot chili brought from Singapore. More Finnish recipes Finnish recipes of Virtual Finland
	In the morning of September 22th Mr and Mrs Sippala woke up in a small country hotel. That is what they saw from the window of their room. They didn't have time to take a walk in the fresh autumn air but they needed to rush to pack their things to be ready to fly back at 7.30 p.m. and arrive to Singapore the next day after 6 p.m.
Time to fly back to Singapore
Singapore Before and after the trip several happy friends met us and wished us all the best together. We appreciate very much and know how lucky we are having so many good friends to share our happy moments with. See here pictures from the party in Singapore