A love story in Falsterbo: Tora Hallström and Skyler Adams' charming coastal Swedish wedding

Missing the New York premiere of Hilma – the 2022 film in which Tora Hallström starred as a young Hilma af Klint (with her mother, Lena Olin, portraying the artist in her later years and her father, Lasse Hallström, behind the camera as director) – turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Skyler Adams. “I’ll never forget you waving at me as you were about to walk in for the Q&A afterwards,” Skyler says to Tora, “the way you looked at me and waved with such innocence and joy, and trust and excitement as if I was already yours.” The pair ended up speaking afterwards at the bar of the Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village, their conversation slipping instantly into a kind of easy familiarity that felt years in the making. “I started to make you laugh. And we couldn’t stop, and we haven’t since really,” Skylar reflects. From that point on, the love story of the two actors and writers was writing itself.

For Tora, the feeling was instant. “I called Skyler the day after our first date and told him, ‘I think I’m in love with you,’” she recalls. But it was watching him seamlessly fold into her family that confirmed it. “My parents are my best friends and we are incredibly close, and when Skyler is around it doesn’t feel any different,” says Tora. “He has actually brought us even closer.”

The ease of their beginnings makes sense, as the duo had always known they worked well together – quite literally. After meeting in drama school and creating a limited series during the SAG strike, an idea inspired by Tora’s former life in finance, the couple continued their collaborations, finding it deepened their connection rather than complicated it.

The proposal happened in Iceland, where the couple were staying for work. Tora was rehearsing lines for the next day’s shoot when she casually said, “How cool that we get to do this forever.” Skyler took it as a sign, going back into their room to take a breath. He then returned with a necklace of grandmother's, who had immigrated from Copenhagen to the US, put it around Tora's neck and asked if she wanted to be my wife. “He took a risk, which I think is the most attractive thing ever,” Tora comments. “The necklace of his grandmother's that he gave me had a stone – he said he wanted to give me the stone and then make the ring together. We create together, that’s how it’s always been.”

The wedding weekend in Falsterbo, a Swedish seaside town close to Tora's heart – didn’t follow the usual script. Rather than saving the big celebration for after the vows, they did things backwards – hosting the reception and speeches on the Thursday night, days before the actual ceremony. Held at Linda’s Fingermat, a much-loved local spot, the evening unfolded exactly as they had hoped. “We wanted the energy to feel intimate, relaxed and full of love,” says Tora. Friends and family gathered for heartfelt speeches, a performance from Tora’s godfather, Swedish music legend Tommy Körberg, and a dinner of Chilean-Swedish comfort food, before the night gave way to the dance floor. “We danced wildly with our friends and family,” Tora recalls. “It was perfect.”

For their intimate family ceremony the next day, both Tora and Skyler found their wedding looks with ease. Skyler’s tan linen suit was a vintage discovery from Ebreo Vintage in Brooklyn. “I tried it on and when I walked out, the two people at the counter stopped their conversation and almost gasped,” he says. “II thought, that’s a bit much – probably a sales tactic. After a few more questions they told me they didn’t even work there. I thought, ‘Okay. Found the suit.’”

Tora, meanwhile, had always known she wouldn’t wear a traditional gown. She found exactly what she was looking for in Danielle Frankel’s Cora skirt and veil, hand-painted with delicate florals that blended effortlessly with the surrounding farmland. “You want to feel like yourself on your wedding day,” she says simply. “That was what I was going for.”

Throughout the weekend, she wore pieces by Scandinavian designers including Jennifer Blom and Holzweiler, styled with Ole Lynggaard jewellery. For the Thursday night party, she paired a lace slip dress with a pop of colour in the form of red Manolo Blahniks. “It was actually my dad who said, ‘You should wear red shoes,’” Tora recalls. “So we went with Manolo Blahnik.”

The ceremony took place at a Church of Sweden, where just two or three pews were filled with closest family and friends. As the church doors opened and the sun streamed in, Skyler caught his first glimpse of Tora. “I literally was almost knocked over. I had to make an effort to just stay on my feet. And take a deep breath. It’s cliche but there will never be a more beautiful image in my life,” he recounts. In his words, the ceremony was filled with a holy calm.

In keeping with Swedish tradition, the service blended Swedish and English, and included some personal touches: Tora walked down the aisle to violinist and pianist playing 'Gabriel’s Oboe' by Ennio Morricone, and the recessional was Coldplay’s 'A Sky Full of Stars' played on the organ. And just before the kiss, the couple shared a handshake. “We constantly shake hands whenever we agree on anything, multiple times a day, so it’s kind of our weird thing,” they explain.

For dinner at Ängavallen, an organic farm and inn where Tora spent her childhood weekends, the menu was left entirely up to the owner. Guests were served scallops, pork chops, and a chocolate-raspberry cake, much of it sourced directly from the farm. On Friday, a casual dinner at Fiskhuset in Skanör featured Swedish open-faced sandwiches and fish and chips, while the Thursday party concluded with a strawberry and elderflower cream cake from Mimma’s Bakery in Höllviken.

The atmosphere was intimate and hands-on throughout. Hairdresser Johan Hellström and his partner Fredrik Robertsson supported every step of the way, not only styling but adjusting veils and offering last-minute style advice. Makeup artist Anna Mirow, a lifelong friend, created effortless, natural looks for the weekend. Skyler’s best friend, actor Matthew James Thomas, flew in from Broadway and stepped up as toastmaster, learning the Swedish tradition just days before.

The weekend wasn’t without its surprises. On the day of the ceremony, the bus meant to take Tora to the church failed to show, leaving her momentarily stranded with no way of contacting anyone inside for at least 20 minutes – phones had been dutifully turned off. “So I was fashionably late to my own wedding, but luckily Skyler didn’t think I was leaving him at the altar,” she laughs.

Looking back, Tora and Skyler describe the weekend as a reflection of the community around them. “The theme of the weekend was undeniably ‘I get by with a little help from my friends,’” Tora says. Friends and family showed up not only to celebrate but to help tie every little piece together, making the event feel less like a staged production and more like a collaboration.

And when, after hours of speeches, music, and dancing, Skyler describes Tora's decisive close to proceedings. “She took the mic and said, deadpan, “I’m tired. Everyone’s tired. Let’s go home.” And that was that.”

See all the snapshots from Tora and Skyler's wedding weekend below.