Babba Canales Celebrated Her Anniversary With a “Love Party” in the Stockholm Archipelago
Babba Canales and Carl Waldekranz had so much fun at their wedding, which took place in 2017 at a castle in her home country of Sweden, that immediately afterward they decided they should do it all over again, two years later. “A lot of new friendships were made during our wedding, and for many it was their first time in Sweden,” says the founder of the brand marketing agency bybabba. “With so many of our closest friends spread out between different countries, it’s hard to find the opportunities to spend time and even harder to bring them together.” They would host an anniversary party as a chance for everyone to reconnect. “It was basically a love party for our friends to come together and have an amazing time—and what better way to do so than in the beautiful landscape of the Swedish archipelago,” Babba explains.
They chose Utö, one of the thousand islands in the area, as the location for the celebration. “We worked with Laura Gardener from Love, Laura Events,” Babba says. “She was great at taking our creative ideas and finding ways to implement them, no matter how crazy the ask was—everything from us coming up with the brilliant idea of having a concert on a private beach without any electricity, to rallying 85 guests at 9 a.m. for various morning activities, to securing 85 bikes for a 10km bike expedition.”
The weekend started with a three-hour-long ferry ride from the center of Stockholm far into the archipelago. While aboard the boat, Swedish princess cake was served with drinks as the guests got a chance to catch up. When the ferry finally docked at Utö, everyone was whisked away to an outdoor check-in desk where they picked up room keys to cabins and hotel rooms.
The first night, the dress code called for summer cocktail looks accented with a hat of one’s choosing. “We like themes that can be dressed up, be silly, and that allow you to wear outfits you feel good in,” Babba says. “Hat creations ranged from wedding cakes to a modern take on vintage Chanel bow hats.” Meanwhile, Babba worked with her stylist, Rebecca Alaniz, to come up with mostly all-white looks for the entire weekend, using Mytheresa as her main source.
On Friday, dinner was served in the main dining room of the hotel. Between courses, Toast Master (the Swedish equivalent of an MC) Linn Livijn Wexell introduced speakers who shared silly and heartwarming stories about the couple and what they’d been through over the past two years together. “For the finale, both of us were asked to share a few words with one another,” Babba says. “This was probably one of our personal highlights from the weekend as it gave us the chance to repeat some of our vows and remind each other why we’re so lucky to have found one another.”
Afterward, both Babba and Carl were, understandably, a bit emotionally drained—but as the dinner wrapped up, they were able to switch gears and invite guests to the community house across from the garden. The beautiful old building had been transformed into a karaoke club, and shots were served with Swedish candy as everyone sang their hearts out late into the night.
The next day, guests chose between a kayaking expedition along the nearby islands, volleyball, tennis, yoga, sauna, running or power walking—each activity led by another guest who was an enthusiast. “This is one of the hacks we brought with us from our wedding: engage your friends for everything from activities to DJ’ing to explaining how to eat Swedish crayfish,” Babba says. “People get way more excited about showing up and giving it their all when it’s a friend that gets to flex their expertise, whatever it might be.”
Later, most guests enjoyed some free time before the dress code switched into “Khaki Expedition” and neckerchiefs from the Swedish brand Hermine Hold became a mandatory accessory. As the clock struck 1 p.m., everyone gathered by the harbor to find 85 bicycles awaiting. They were about to embark on a six-mile bike ride through the storybook setting that is Utö island. “We had been intentionally vague about our destination, so as we got closer to the hill leading down to the beach and our guests started to hear a band playing live music somewhere close by…a lot of excitement built up! Once on the beach, there was a BBQ buffet, picnic blanket, and a stage worthy of the setting, featuring the incredible family band Crying Day Care Choir. It felt like walking into a movie,” Babba remembers. Guests were served Swedish delicacies with sparkling wine or beer to cool down, and once they were settled, the concert began. After the set concluded, some of the braver guests ran into the ocean before the bike back.
Later that evening, guests reconvened for predinner drinks, a DIY crayfish party, and lots of impromptu dancing. “Crayfish dinners are a big tradition in Sweden and an experience we wanted to introduce our international friends to,” Babba says. “They include a lot of singing, schnaps drinking, toasts, and games.” To prepare beginners, Carl’s sister created a songbook that also included instructions for how to devour a crayfish, alongside some table games.
“About 10 minutes into the dinner, people were on the tables singing and challenging each other to rounds of schnaps and drawing each others’ portraits in our songbook,” Babba remembers. “And while Friday’s dinner had been very heartfelt, the night was all about partying!”
Once dinner wrapped, guests stumbled back up to the community house, which had been transformed into a nightclub with neon lights and back-to-back music sets by the couple’s friends. “You could almost touch the energy in the room as everyone got down,” Babba says. That dance party closed at 1 a.m, but the night was still far from over. “Utö is one of the rare islands in the archipelago that actually hosts its own nightclub—a destination for sailors and neighboring islands,” Babba explains. “Here, the party went on until 3 a.m. before guests made their way back to the cabins—where there may or may not have been after-parties.”
Photo: Danilo and Sharon1/62The weekend began with a three-hour private ferry ride to the remote island of Utö in the archipelago of Stockholm.
Photo: Danilo and Sharon2/62Carl and Babba wearing matching silk scarfs from Swedish brand Hermine Hold.
