Weddings are some of the most beautiful celebrations one can experience in their life. The deep connection between two lovers taking physical form in a ceremonious act for all to see is one that many couples eagerly anticipate.
However, it also comes with months of planning, stress, and even more planning. The one thing that a bride cannot go without is the special dress. Whether it’s white, maroon, black, fluffy, frilly, or form-fitting, it must make the wearer feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
Some brides take the bold step of crafting their own dresses, either for the challenge, for the love of the craft, or both. Today we delve into the story of Veronika Lindberg Heino, or Kika, who knitted her special gown for her big day in 6 weeks and shared the journey online.
Veronika Lindberg Heino, better known by her nickname Kika, took on the incredible challenge of knitting her own stunning wedding dress.
Image credits: kutovakika
Given 2.5 kg of yarn and 250 hours, some might create a blanket or a 3D portrait. But Kika chose to knit her wedding dress. She documented the birth of her special white dress, sharing both the ups and downs with her followers on Instagram and YouTube.
This project came about when she and her husband-to-be were moving house and planning an impromptu wedding, making for a very stressful 7 weeks.
Image credits: kutovakika
For what was already a demanding project, life decided to add an extra bit of *spice*: they were moving house and planning their wedding, both happening within 7 weeks. She also planned a project of great significance on top of it all!
“I love a challenge and I’m often a bit over-ambitious. The thought felt so wild and inspiring that I just decided to take the risk and do it,” the Finland-based knitter told Good Morning America. “I ordered 2.5 kg of pure silk yarn, announced my plan on Instagram, and knew right then, there was no turning back.”
Kika sketched and planned her dress patterns based on inspirations from Dior, Chanel, and Ulla Johnson. After that, the knitting began!
Image credits: kutovakika
Image credits: kutovakika
It was a real struggle to find time to knit in between moving, planning the wedding, and publishing her first book.
Image credits: kutovakika
Instead of throwing Kika off balance, this added project grounded her through the tumultuous time. “The process was definitely intense, and the biggest struggle was to find enough time for knitting since we were moving and organizing the wedding,” Kika explained. “Plus, I published my first-ever knitting book. It was hectic, but I enjoyed seeing my vision come to life.”
Image credits: kutovakika
About two weeks in, glaring issues started to appear. The bodice was too big, requiring her to rip it all up and start again. Her sleeves kept slipping off, which took lots of time to fix.
Image credits: kutovakika
Disappointed but not defeated, Kika started over. She also faced another issue with her sleeves slipping, which she found both hilarious and time-consuming to fix. Her honesty and realness in filming her mistakes rather than only showing picture-perfect moments endeared her even more to her followers.
With no other option, she kept moving forward until it was just one week until the wedding. Encouraging messages from her followers and her initial promise to the project kept her spirits up.
Image credits: kutovakika
Just 4 days before the big day, the dress was finished, and Kika got to enjoy a well-deserved rest.
Image credits: kutovakika
She finished her dress on Tuesday, feeling more tired and frustrated than elated, but she couldn’t have been happier with the end result once she put it on for the ceremony.
Kika got married to her husband Jukka Heino on Saturday, September 10, just 4 days after finishing her dress. Although her partner was initially skeptical of her last-minute knitting project, in the end, he was super impressed and proud of her work.
Image credits: kutovakika
Kika told Bored Panda that they met in the spring of 2020, during the pandemic lockdown. Their first date was walking around Helsinki for hours, a moment filled with humor and colorful stories of adventure made it special.
She married Jukka Heino at their new home, and everyone loved her dress, praising her for all the hard work she had put into it.
Image credits: kutovakika
“Guests would come up to me and immediately feel the dress and comment on it. Sometimes it felt like they were more interested in the dress than in me, but I love talking about knitting, so I didn’t mind too much,” she shared.
The dress took around 45 days, roughly 250 hours, using 1.5 kg of pure silk yarn and costing 300 euros, or around $295, a bargain compared to the average wedding dress cost.
Image credits: kutovakika
The 46-minute vlog posted on YouTube has garnered over 3.4M views, becoming a highlight of her channel. Kika’s journey inspired many to take up knitting again or try it for the first time.
Kika said, “Knitting teaches you a lot about patience and makes you think carefully about the garments you want to wear, making it a sustainable practice too.”
Image credits: kutovakika
What began as a bonding activity with her grandma when she was 5 years old has become a lifestyle, bringing like-minded people together from all over the world. The one lesson she always kept was to be playful with the craft, rather than searching for perfection.
Image credits: kutovakika
We wish Kika and Jukka all the best for their future together and look forward to their next exciting knitting projects! The resurgence of knitting is a wonderful sight, bringing joy, calm, and creativity to many.
People absolutely loved this project and the final dress. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
