Wedding at Södertuna Slott: a photographer’s guide

A wedding at Södertuna Slott means marrying in a romantic 18th-century castle on the shore of Lake Frösjön in Gnesta, about 40 minutes south of Stockholm, with room for anything from an intimate dinner to 120 guests. It is one of Sörmland’s best-known wedding castles, with its own wedding coordinator, accommodation for guests on site, and a park that opens down toward the water.

This guide is for couples considering Södertuna for their wedding, and for those who have already booked and want to know what the place actually offers. I walk through the history, the halls, the capacity, the accommodation, and how you get there. At the end I share my own perspective as a photographer, because I have photographed at the castle and know where the light falls in the evening.

If you are comparing options in the region, you may also want to look at my guides to Rånäs Slott and other wedding venues before you decide.

A castle by Lake Frösjön

Södertuna Slott (Slott is the Swedish word for castle) sits on a point on Lake Frösjön, just outside Gnesta in the heart of Sörmland, the county south of Stockholm. The castle stands above the water with an English park around it, fruit trees, and a walking loop of about 1.8 kilometres around the point. It is this combination of castle, park and lake that makes the place so useful for a wedding: you get several different settings within a few minutes’ walk, without having to move your guests anywhere.

The castle is run by the Åström family and belongs to Svenska Kulturpärlor (a small Swedish group of historic hotels), together with Gripsholms Värdshus in Mariefred and Dufweholms Herrgård in Katrineholm. You feel it in the hosting. The staff are used to weddings and take care of the practical side, from table settings to service, so that you can be present in your own day.

Södertuna is one of several castles and manor houses in the area. If you are weighing up locations, it is worth also looking at Häringe Slott and Krusenberg Herrgård, which share a similar feeling of castle surroundings close to nature.

The history behind Södertuna Slott

The history of the place reaches far back. As early as the 14th century a manor was founded here on the shore of Lake Frösjön, then called Wad after the ford (vadställe) that once crossed the water nearby. The first known owner was the knight Karl Niklisson Färla, who according to Wikipedia and the castle’s own records was killed in 1381 by the richest man of his time, the lord high steward Bo Jonsson Grip, in front of the high altar of the church that is today Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.

During the 18th century the old medieval manor was transformed into the castle of Södertuna. Today’s main building is largely the castle created by the Lovisin family, with later adjustments in the 1820s. The next major era began in 1891, when Ebba von Hallwyl received Södertuna as a gift from her grandmother Johanna Kempe. Ebba and her husband, lieutenant Wilhelm von Eckermann, hired the architect Isak Gustaf Clason, the same architect behind the Hallwyl Palace in Stockholm. He modernised the castle inside and out, adding pilasters, festoons, a Baroque lantern on the roof, and the ornate Rococo doors bearing the families’ coats of arms.

The von Eckermann family sold the castle in 1985, and since 2007 Södertuna has been owned by the Åström family. Knowing the history is not just trivia. It is these details, the Rococo doors, the stucco work and the thick walls dating back to the Middle Ages, that become the backdrop in your photographs. When you stand in one of the salons, you are marrying in a room that has carried celebrations for more than a hundred years.

Where can you say I do? Ceremonies at Södertuna

Södertuna offers ceremonies both outdoors and indoors, in every season. In summer the castle park and the ground down toward Lake Frösjön are the obvious choice for a ceremony under open sky, with the castle or the water as a backdrop. If it rains, or if you marry during the colder part of the year, there are elegant salons indoors that work just as well for a ceremony.

You choose the kind of ceremony you want. A Swedish civil ceremony (borgerlig vigsel) can be held anywhere on the grounds, and the castle’s wedding coordinator helps plan the spot. If you want a church ceremony before the party, there are churches in the area around Gnesta. Couples marrying legally in Sweden apply for a Certificate of No Impediment (hindersprövning) through Skatteverket, the Swedish Tax Agency, and it is valid for four months. If you are unsure which form suits you, my guide to a civil ceremony explains the options.

One thing worth highlighting: because ceremony, reception, dinner and accommodation all sit in one place, you avoid transporting guests between the parts of the day. It makes the day calmer and gives more time to what actually matters, being together and celebrating. It is also easier on older guests and families with children, who do not have to plan car journeys in the middle of the party.

Reception venues and capacity at Södertuna Slott

The castle has several reception venues, and you can celebrate anything from a dinner for ten to a party for 120. The two most often used for weddings are the castle salons and the Stallet (the old stables), and they create two completely different moods.

The castle salons and Hertig Karls sal

Inside the castle are elegant salons with crystal chandeliers and stucco work, where you get a salon to yourselves with table settings and serving staff. Hertig Karls sal (Duke Karl’s hall) is one of the halls often used for wedding dinners. Here you sit in a classic castle setting, and the celebration usually opens with sparkling wine and canapés followed by a three-course dinner. This is the choice for couples who want the formal, timeless castle feeling.

The Stallet

The Stallet is the castle’s rustic party venue, dating from the late 19th century, and holds up to 120 guests. Tables are set in the old horse stalls, the bar sits in a former horse box, and the hayloft serves as a stage. It is a warm and slightly more relaxed setting, ideal for couples who want dancing, music and an evening that is allowed to build. Many couples combine the two: a ceremony in the park, dinner in the castle, and then the party in the Stallet as the evening gets going.

Booking the whole castle

If you want the castle entirely to yourselves, you can book all of Södertuna privately. Then you and your guests have the whole house and park for your wedding weekend, with full seclusion. It suits couples who want to stretch the celebration over several days, with check-in on Friday, the wedding on Saturday, and a calm breakfast together on Sunday.

The castle’s set packages start, per person, at around 1,650 SEK for a party in the Stallet and around 2,255 SEK for a wedding celebration in the castle salons, while booking the whole castle starts at around 3,695 SEK per person according to sodertuna.se. Prices change over time and depend on guest count, menu and season, so always ask the castle for a current quote for your specific plan. For a wider view of costs, my guide with a wedding planner in Stockholm is a useful starting point.

Accommodation and practical information

One of the biggest advantages of a wedding at Södertuna Slott is that your guests can stay the night. The castle has 67 rooms and 134 beds, from double rooms to larger castle suites (slottsgemak), spread across the castle and its wings. That means no one has to arrange a journey home in the middle of the night, and the party can continue until you decide to round it off. The next morning a shared hotel breakfast is served in the castle dining rooms, which often becomes a lovely and relaxed close to the celebration.

The grounds also have a spa, Hertig Karls bad, with a pool and relaxation area, which is welcome if you check in the day before and want to wind down. There is free parking within walking distance, EV charging points, a tennis court, and plenty of room for walks in the park. The castle is cashless and takes card payment.

How to get to Södertuna Slott

Södertuna is near Gnesta, about 66 kilometres south of Stockholm. From Stockholm Central the train to Gnesta takes roughly 40 minutes, and Gnesta is served by commuter trains, Mälartåg regional trains and SJ. From Gnesta station it is around 2 kilometres to the castle, a short trip by car or taxi.

A tip from many guests is that public transport for the last stretch is limited, and that taxis can be hard to find on the spot. Arrange transport from the station in advance, or encourage guests to share a car. For those arriving by car there is, as mentioned, free parking on site. If you have guests travelling from far away, staying at the castle is a real relief, since they do not have to think about transport at all.

What to consider before your wedding at Södertuna

A few things are easy to miss when you plan. The first is the season. Saturdays between 30 May and 30 September are reserved for weddings, which means the popular summer dates get booked well in advance. If you have a specific date in mind, get in touch early.

The second is weather and light. An outdoor ceremony in the park is beautiful, but always have a plan B indoors. Summer evenings in Sörmland can turn cool, and a short shower should not be able to topple the whole day. Talk to the castle about how a move indoors works in practice, so you avoid stress if the clouds roll in.

The third is the timeline. With ceremony, reception, dinner and party all in one place, it is tempting to fill the schedule, but the finest photographs often come when you have left some air. Ask your coordinator and your photographer to plan a moment for portraits in the evening light together, ideally down by the water where the light is softest. A good wedding planner can help you hold the day together if you feel unsure.

A photographer’s perspective

My name is Karin Lundin and I am a wedding photographer based in Stockholm. Södertuna is one of the places I genuinely enjoy photographing, precisely because it gives so many different settings on the same point of land. In the morning I can photograph the preparations in one of the rooms with soft light from the windows, and a few hours later stand down by Lake Frösjön where the evening sun lies like gold across the water.

What I like about the castle is the contrast between the richness of the salons and the calm of the park. Inside there are Rococo doors, stucco work and crystal chandeliers that give the images weight and history. Outside there are fruit trees, water lilies in the lake, and long sight lines through the park. A ceremony in the park followed by portraits in the evening light, and then a dinner in Hertig Karls sal, is a day that almost photographs itself. The Stallet then brings a completely different, warmer tone in the evening once the party is let loose.

One piece of advice I often give couples marrying here: let us take a short walk down to the water a while after dinner. The light on Lake Frösjön during the golden hour, the last hour before the sun sets, is hard to beat, and it is often then that the images you will frame are made. I take a limited number of weddings each year so that I can be fully present at every one, and Södertuna is exactly the kind of place that deserves that attention.

Want to capture the day on film as well? I often work alongside Nordvér Films. If you would like to see more of how I work, you can read about my approach as a fine art wedding photographer in Sweden.

Key takeaways

• Södertuna Slott sits on Lake Frösjön in Gnesta, about 40 minutes by train from Stockholm and around 2 km from Gnesta station.
• The Stallet holds up to 120 guests, while the castle salons suit small and medium gatherings. You can also book the whole castle privately.
• The castle has 67 rooms and 134 beds, so your guests can stay the night and the party can continue without a journey home.
• Saturdays between 30 May and 30 September are reserved for weddings, so book popular summer dates early.
• Set packages start per person at around 1,650 SEK for the Stallet and around 2,255 SEK for the castle salons according to sodertuna.se, always ask for a current quote.
• Plan a moment for portraits in the evening light down by the water, that is where the finest images are often made.

Frequently asked questions

How many guests does Södertuna Slott hold?

The castle can host anything from intimate gatherings of around ten people to parties of up to 120 guests in the Stallet. The castle salons suit small and medium gatherings. Ask the castle for exact seating capacity for your specific table plan and chosen venue.

Can guests stay overnight at the castle?

Yes. Södertuna has 67 rooms and 134 beds, from double rooms to castle suites. This means your guests can stay on site and the party can continue without anyone having to arrange a journey home. Breakfast is included and served in the castle dining rooms the next morning.

What does a wedding at Södertuna Slott cost?

Set packages start per person at around 1,650 SEK for a party in the Stallet and around 2,255 SEK for a wedding in the salons, while booking the whole castle starts at around 3,695 SEK per person according to sodertuna.se. The final price depends on guest count, menu and season, so ask for a quote.

Can you have both the ceremony and the party at Södertuna?

Yes. You can have a civil ceremony in the park or indoors, a reception, dinner and party all in one place. Because everything is at the castle, you avoid transport between the parts of the day, which makes it calmer for both you and your guests.

When is the nicest time of year to marry here?

Summer is the most popular, with a green park and light evenings, which is why Saturdays between 30 May and 30 September are reserved for weddings. But the castle is beautiful year round, and a winter wedding indoors in the salons has a character all of its own.

How far in advance should we book?

Popular Saturdays in summer are often booked far in advance. If you have a specific date in mind, the advice is to contact the castle’s wedding coordinator as early as possible. You do not need to have every detail ready, the coordinator helps you plan around your wishes.

How do you get to Södertuna Slott without a car?

Take the train to Gnesta station, about 40 minutes from Stockholm, and continue the last 2 kilometres or so by taxi or arranged transport. Public transport for the last stretch is limited, so book a taxi in advance or share a ride with other guests.