How to marry in a pandemic: millennial Finnish prime minister shows the way, with just 40 guests at ceremony

Sanna Marin, 34-year-old prime minister of Finland, weds long-time partner and father of her child, in ceremony with attendance limited amid Covid-19 pandemic

‘We’ve grown up together and become parents … Thank you for being by my side,’ she wrote to husband Markus Raikkonen after the wedding at Helsinki seaside villa

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Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her new husband, Markus Raikkonen, pose for a photo after their wedding. Photo: Minttu Saarni/Finnish Prime Minister's Office via AP

Published: 11:22am, 3 Aug 2020Updated: 11:36am, 3 Aug 2020

Finland’s prime minister, Sanna Marin, married her long-time partner, Markus Raikkonen, in a small ceremony befitting pandemic times.

The couple wed on Saturday with family and their closest friends present, the Finnish government said in a statement on Sunday. Just 40 guests attended the wedding, which took place at their official residence in the Finnish capital Helsinki, a picturesque seaside villa. Marin, 34, first announced her nuptials in an Instagram post.

“We’ve lived together in our youth, grown up together and become parents to our dear daughter. Thank you for being by my side,” the prime minister wrote to her new husband.

Marin and Raikkonen have been together for 16 years and they have a two-year-old daughter.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks during a press conference. She was the world’s youngest head of government until the re-election of Sebastian Kurz as Austrian chancellor. Photo: DPA

Marin, a Social Democrat who has been a prolific user of social media and a keen advocate for environmental issues, became Finland’s prime minister in December.