The spectators gathered for Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen's wedding Saturday weren't just fair-weather fans.
Jumping up and down to stay warm, hundreds of people gathered in 5 degree weather chilled further by a bitter wind to watch Lipponen and bride-to-be Paivi Hertzberg arrive at central Helsinki's Old Church."It's a great event for all of us," said 51-year-old Eiri Simolin, part of the bundled-up crowd.
The wedding was the first by a presiding Finnish prime minister since the country gained independence in 1917.
The bride's 5-year-old daughter from a previous marriage acted as bridesmaid.
Wedding arrangements temporarily were thrown into disarray earlier this week when a drunken thief stole and badly damaged the luxury Mercedes-Benz the couple was to use.
Lipponen, 56, and the 30-year-old Hertzberg lived together for more than a year before the wedding. The arrangement prompted considerable criticism even though unmarried couples often live together in Finland. One bishop of the state Lutheran church once called for them to marry.
Hertzberg, a history teacher, ran unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Social Democratic candidate two years ago. Lipponen also is a Social Democrat.
Finnish media have reported that Hertzberg is expecting a baby. Lipponen, who has a 33-year-old daughter from his first marriage, has declined to comment.