Iceland Volcano Pre-Wedding Adventure

To experience the sights, sounds, and heat of a volcanic eruption in person is indescribable!  Truly, it can be a once in a lifetime moment for many.  In fact, did you hear about the current volcano erupting in Iceland?  Barely 2 weeks after it began erupting, our Iceland Wedding Planner team planned and photographed a gorgeous Iceland volcano pre-wedding adventure!  Plus it even had a stunning luxury picnic and to our surprise made the news too!  Come along with us as we share all of the gorgeous details…

The Iceland Volcano Erupts: Geldingadalir

Living on a tiny volcanic island in the North Atlantic, we are lucky enough to witness more eruptions than most.  But I can tell you from personal experience, it never gets old!  So what makes the current Iceland volcano so thrilling?  Because Geldingadalir (also referred to as Geldingadalur or Fagradalsfjall)  is the most easily accessible eruption, in decades.

For example, you drive towards the Blue Lagoon in the Reykjanes Peninsula, park, embark an moderate hike for 45-90 minutes one way, and you are greeted this incredible natural wonder!  Although, it is very important you are prepared for the hike and the weather before you begin.

Meanwhile, weeks before the eruption actually begins, Iceland experiences thousands of earthquakes and a few pretty unsettling.  Fun Fact: On March 19th, Ann and Davíð were in the USA driving to Boston to catch their flight back to Iceland, when our Day of Planner, Vanessa called to say her grandma saw glowing light in the night sky from Njarðvík.  Moments later, the eruption was confirmed in the news and the race to see it began!

While in arrival quarantine, the stars aligned and a fabulous couple named, Jón & Sól were interested in celebrating their engagement in a big way…  Our Iceland Wedding Planner team happily crafted an unforgettable adventure to the volcano for them on April 1st!

Commitment Ceremony at a Volcano

Couples celebrate their engagements in all kinds of ways.  Maybe they keep it a secret, hold a big party, or want to hike to an active volcano to commit themselves to each other before making the next lifetime step.  Embrace what feels best for you both and your relationship!  When we said the “stars aligned” for these two we weren’t joking…

Literally moments after Jón & Sól changed from hiking clothes into their pre-wedding attire, one of the nearby hikers approached our Iceland wedding planning team.  Apparently, the hiker, was Pétur Þorsteinsson and he was a Pastor with the Independent Church in Iceland and offered to marry them!

Although, everyone appreciated his offer and unparalleled enthusiasm, the couple wasn’t quite ready for that specific step!  So they graciously accepted a commitment ceremony, which blessed their engagement and relationship.  Super special moment for these two at the active Iceland volcano!

Disclaimer: Although the couple appears to be close to the the lava field, they are on a hill far above it.  They were 100% safe at all times and our team takes safety very seriously.  Newly formed areas like this are unpredictable and we would never place anything or have anyone ever stand on the newly formed lava as it can break or magma pools could be pushing behind it.

Engagement Photos at Geldingadalir

After the impromptu commitment ceremony, these two explored the area with our Iceland elopement photographer.  In fact, the weather was decent enough to get the drone up as well to capture them with that beautiful Iceland volcano!

Luxury Volcano Picnic

Since our Iceland Wedding Planner team crafts custom experiences in remote locations, luxury / hiking elopements, and private adventure weddings it’s in our wheel house to create EPIC things in all types of places.  Why should an active volcano be any different?  After all, go big or go home right!?!

Therefore, Sól and Jón delighted in a perfectly styled luxury volcano picnic!  To illustrate, they enjoyed a bottle of 2012 Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Brut; a cheeseboard; fruit; artisan chocolates; pastries; sandwiches, and lovely styling pieces.  Not sure anything else would go better alongside watching this Iceland volcano… But see for yourself!

Witnessing the Birth of New Landscape

If you’re a follower of our blog, you know we often describe Iceland as literally being a place you experience the birth of new landscapes.  And this volcanic area becoming active is a prime example!  What future caves, textures, or landscapes could be created by this new volcano in Iceland?  This was the topic of conversation as Sól and Jón hiked with us to a picturesque viewpoint to witness the magnitude of the lava at that time…

From Glam to Casual

The beauty of an Iceland pre-wedding session is that there are no rules. For instance, you can decide what you wear and feel best in.  Whether that means you doll up or stay casual or even have the best of both worlds, you’re choice!  As avid hikers, it was important to Jón and Sól to have some images of them in their gear too…

Iceland Wedding Planner at the Volcano in the News

Our team doesn’t ever seek out accolades or advertise.  As we are firm believers in being organic, authentic and doing things because we are passionate, not for recongition.  Also, we believe the right couples will find us because they value our experience driven wedding concept, private locations, expertise, and overall vibe.

However, we do believe being at the right place at the right time… Hello serendipity!  Therefore, while we were up at the volcano photographing this amazing Iceland pre-wedding session… Ann receives a call from the local news channel saying folks saw us with an Iceland volcano wedding couple and they wanted all the details!  You can see the video clip and news report if you’re curious!

Getting Married at a Volcano 

Obsessed with the idea of eloping or getting married at the active Iceland volcano?  Areas like this change daily and most certainly from week to week.  As a matter of fact, there was only 1 volcanic area when this Iceland volcano adventure happened.  However, days / weeks later more fissures opened and as of this Iceland Wedding Planner post date, there are now a total of 7.

Therefore, it is best to involve a local Iceland Wedding Planner who can scout the location thoroughly to provide you the best route, anticipate hiking conditions, location ideas, and can be there physically with you to support.  Why?  There are dangerous gasses, lava walls collapsing, pop-up magma pools, and other factors that come into play when you’re up there that you may not think about, but they will.

If interested in learning more about what your elopement or adventure wedding in Iceland could look like, we would love to hear from you.  Please contact us to get that unforgettable journey started!

© 2021, Photos by Miss Ann (DBA Iceland Wedding Planner / Your Adventure Wedding), All Rights Reserved.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *