It was an unforgettable day for Jann Arden and Thordis Elva as they sealed their love in a romantic ceremony at the Canadian singer’s Alberta home. Now, the newlyweds are opening their wedding album exclusively to HELLO! Canada, sharing never-before-seen photos and all the touching moments that made their celebration so special.
Jann, 64, and Icelandic author Thordis, 46, exchanged vows on Aug. 15 in front of 100 loved ones on Jann’s 14-acre property west of Calgary – just 16 months after first meeting at a writers’ retreat in Reykjavik.
Their whimsical vintage-circus celebration featured stilt walkers, fairground games and a string quartet, while the ceremony itself brought plenty of emotion.
Despite her decades of performing for audiences, Jann admits she was overcome as she stood opposite her bride. “I couldn’t look out at anyone,” the "Could I Be Your Girl" singer tells HELLO!. “I just looked at [Thordis] and didn’t move from that."
In her vows, Jann recaptured the strange sense of recognition she'd felt when she first laid eyes on Thordis. “I thought to myself, ‘There she is.’ It wasn’t logical or explainable, it was otherworldly, like the birth of a star.”
Thordis, in turn, made a heart-rending pledge to Jann: "I promise to hunt you down in all of our lifetimes and marry you over and over again until the end of time. Forever’s not enough.”
More emotional moments came during the reception, when Thordis's eight-year-old twins took Jann completely by surprise, singing her song "Good Mother" – with the lyric changed to "Good Stepmother." Recalls Jann: "There wasn't a dry eye in the hall."
After spending a decade happily single, the Calgary-born singer, author and TV personality is still marvelling at where life has taken her. “I think what I’ve learned is that you can’t be so steadfast in being static in your life,” she muses. “You don’t know what’s going to happen and how your heart can expand and your thinking can change.”
Does married life feel any different? “It feels so nice to be able to say ‘my wife,’” Jann admits. “Who would have thought? Never in a billion years would I have thought.”
See more never-before-seen wedding photos and read Jann and Thordis’s full exclusive interview in the new issue of HELLO! Canada, on sale now
