Such a romantic quote that really captures the essentials of eloping in Iceland! We hope you have felt those dreamy vibes from the images we have shared with you over the last 3 posts of Farid and Vanessa’s Icelandic wedding adventure. If you missed it, be sure to go back and enjoy those posts here:

• Iceland Winter Engagement Session
• Iceland Wedding Ceremony at Lakeside Country Church
• Romantic Thingvellir National Park Wedding Photos

Today we are rounding out their thrill-seeking Iceland wedding day by bringing you back to the beginning of the day details and celebrating the end. All of which happened at the fabulous ION Luxury Adventure Hotel. Vanessa and Farid began their wedding day with a sunrise breakfast in ION’s Silfra Restaurant. After parting ways, Vanessa made her way down to the Lava Spa to meet the fabulous hairstylist Marion and talented makeup artist Harpa. Having such incredible light coming through the over-sized windows, we decided that it would be a stunning spot for Vanessa to get her wedding dress on along with doing a few pre-wedding bridal photos. Can you imagine a more perfect place to get ready for your wedding day in Iceland? Shortly after, we left for their Iceland wedding ceremony at a stunning lakeside country church and then the adventure continued to Thingvellir National Park for romantic Iceland winter wedding portraits.

After their beautiful Iceland wedding photos at Thingvellir while on the way back to the ION Hotel, we stumbled upon the sweetest horse farm! Icelandic horses are not like the typical North American sized horse. They are much smaller in stature with their cute stocky legs! I gave Farid and Vanessa part of my lunch to feed the horses and they became fast friends. One horse even became a little too friendly attempting to climb over the fence to play, surprising us all!

Back at the ION we continued the Iceland wedding photo adventure in the Northern Lights Bar and in the snow covered lava fields around the hotel. Farid and Vanessa made a February wedding in Iceland look gorgeous, right? You better believe it! A four course traditional Icelandic wedding reception dinner was exactly what they needed after an exciting day of newly wedded bliss and ION delivered. Iceland Wedding Planner thoughtfully decorated their sweetheart table with some dazzling details such as Iceland wedding menus, embroidered black and white bride and groom napkins, and the best Iceland wedding favors we have found to date… genuine Icelandic moss candles! Without further delay, we are super excited to share these Iceland wedding photos at the ION Luxury Adventure Hotel with you, enjoy!

With a smile,
Ann & Chris Peters (Iceland Wedding Photographer & Planner)

2014, Iceland Wedding Planner / Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved.

The post Iceland Elopement at ION Luxury Adventure Hotel Selfoss | Wedding Photographer Iceland appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Welcome to Part 3 of 3 of our series on destination wedding invitations.

A few weeks ago, we featured the fun topic of Extravagant Destination Wedding Invitations and last week, we chatted about Creative Destination Wedding Invitations for Iceland Weddings that were of a moderate cost and added in few unique inclusions.  Today, we are going to talk about the final level and option for destination wedding invitations: the whimsical kind!

One of the really wonderful things about having a wedding invitation that has minimal frills but still is fanciful, is that you save on you wedding budget.  Who doesn’t love that?!  Having no specific needs for elaborate inserts, visuals, extra envelopes, (etc.,) really decreases the costs that can quickly emerge as you design your local or destination wedding invitations.

I’ve peaked your curiosity you say?   So you’re dying to know what is classified as a whimsical invitation design, I bet.  According to us, it is an invitation that is vibrant in color, has a dreamy font, eloquent in statement and most of all reflects you as a couple!  An invitation that makes your guests say, “Aww, how cute are they?!  I cannot wait for their wedding!”  We’re seeing a new trend emerge that takes a lighter and even humorous approach to the usual RSVP/Reply Card for weddings which add in some guest banter like inserting your own wedding “Mad Lib” for your guests to fill in (example below).  That option may be something you’ll want to consider if you’re not head over heels about the typical reply cards.

The invitation does not need to be elaborate in fact; many guests appreciate the frankness of a modest destination wedding invitation rather than having the cutesy frill inclusions.  They simply just want to know who, what, where, and when.  Each to his own, right?  I can appreciate all sides particularly when this side of the fence can be a significant Iceland wedding budget saver.  Especially if it means you can allocate those funds toward other things like having an awesome  destination wedding planner and a husband and wife Iceland wedding photography team! =)

To give you a real wedding in Iceland example, one of our favorite couples for 2014 made the unique decision to email their wedding invitations to their 50+ guests.  They plan to have each guest respond via their fun wedding website (Think: Iceland destination wedding RSVP).  This could easily be a savings of $200+ USD depending on how large your guest list is.  So now I’m guessing the big question you have is how do you execute this idea properly?  Good question!

Here’s our advice on the steps to a flawless destination wedding invitation timeline:

• First, set a wedding date that is more than 10 months before your desired date.  If you have done so, make sure you send out Iceland Save-the-Dates several months before so your guests know to reserve that time period ahead of time (emailing this is an option too!).  But giving everyone an opportunity to plan/save ahead time is proper wedding etiquette.

• Second, know your vision for your wedding day… do you want it to be soft and sweet, bold and adventurous, or an in between neutral mix?  Figuring this out will allow you to choose colors and the vibe your invitation will exude to your Iceland wedding guests.

• Narrow down what you would like to include with your destination wedding invitation (see last week’s post here on what is usually included).  [Invitation wording can be tricky but don’t fret; we’ll have a future blog post guiding you on this subject!]

• Have your awesome Iceland Wedding Planner design/find/present to you unique options for your wedding Iceland wedding invite.

• Discuss with your fiancé(e) the pros, cons, and feel of each option.  Which option reflects the two of you and your wedding style best?  How do you think your guests will react?

• {If printing} Decide on your favorite and get them ordered! (Iceland Wedding Planner Tip: Order 8+ months before your big day to avoid rush charges).

{Step by Step Directions: If Emailing Your Wedding Invitation}

1.   Create a wedding only email address that will be used strictly to catch all of your Iceland wedding guest RSVP’s (IE, EmandPenIceland20XX@gmail.com).  This makes life more organized if your guest list is larger than 10 people.

2.   Setup an RSVP page on your wedding website and also input your meal choices if possible (so you do not need to collect this information separately).  Note: If having an Iceland Wedding Welcome Dinner (Iceland Wedding Rehearsal Dinner), you may also want to have folks RSVP at that time as well.  Or else send another RSVP for that event 3-4 months before.

3.   Collect everyone’s email addresses (if you haven’t yet).

4.    Plan to email the invitation ~8-12 months before your wedding date and give your guests 2.5 months to acknowledge and reply.  For instance, if getting married in Iceland in October 2014 you would want to send out your wedding invitations no later than November 2013 and ask for your guests for the favor of their reply by February 1^st 2014 (8-9 months before) or sooner.

Two options on how to approach actually emailing the wedding invite:

•  Blind Copy (BCC) your guests in a mass email wedding invitation.

• Personalize to each guest (our recommendation to you).  If personalizing, you should formally invite your guests.  For instance, address by saying, “Ms./Mr. & Guest” or “Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Peters.”  Wedding invitations are formal so it is important to still convey that even through an email.

5.    About 3 weeks before your requested RSVP date, plan to send out a follow up email gently reminding your Iceland destination wedding guests about finalizing their decision.  Usually when people get that kind reminder they will jump into gear to request time off, book flights, reserve a room at your Iceland wedding host hotel, and browse around your wedding website for your pre/post wedding itinerary.

6.    Any stragglers that have not responded two weeks past your requested response date I would email them a personal little note checking in to make sure they received the email invitation and were able to open it.  That simple, leave the ball in their court with no pressure and if more time passes (another 2 weeks) and no response call them.  Whoever is closer to the friend or family member reach out to them individually and understand what might be keeping them from replying.  Is it a timing issue, money, travel fear, inexperience, etc?  See what you can do to help get them there.  …and if nothing, do not worry yourself over it, you tried your best to accommodate their situation.

7.    At the 90, 60, 30 day countdown to your wedding day in Iceland send an email or write a blog post about your excitement and share your activity itinerary with your guests.

8.   If you’re a super planner like we were, calling your guests 15 days before to ask them if they had any questions is a really sweet gesture especially to those who do not travel all the time.  That call will give them confidence!  [Personal Experience: The majority Ann’s family members had never traveled outside of the Midwest, so many of them had anxiety over traveling to Iceland.  That phone call days before gave them the boost they needed to put on their “adventurous game face.”]

9.    Remind your guests it’s a good idea to bring the wedding invitation, a copy of their passport (along with the real thing), and travel itinerary so that they can quickly get through customs with no issues.  Feel free to also share with them our previous blog post on what to pack as an Iceland wedding guest here.

Hopefully you found the above a pretty straightforward timeline on how to execute your destination wedding invitations.  Below, you’ll find some gorgeously fun examples of some whimsical Iceland destination wedding invitations.  We’d like to thank Brian & Tiffany for allowing us to share some of their Iceland wedding invitation options they were considering and Paisley & Robert as well! Thank you!  Lastly, we’d like to give our compliments to the two gorgeous vendors that worked with us on some of these design elements within the invitations below:  Thank you May and Belle and Wedding Chicks!  Check them out!  [As a side note about May and Belle: She is a talented designer from Australia who creates map related stylish wall art and a few are geared specifically for weddings, so fun!  She so beautifully created the Iceland heart map used in Paisley & Robert’s Vik Beach wedding invitation you see below].

In case you’re finding this blog post at the end of this series; feel free to go back to our previous posts for additional Iceland wedding inspiration:

Creative Destination Wedding Invitations for Iceland Weddings (Part 1 of 3)

Extravagant Destination Wedding Invitations (Part 2 of 3)

Otherwise, we hope you have enjoyed our posts the past few weeks as much as we did creating them.  These posts made us feel like newlyweds all over again swooning all over these choices and details!  If you’re planning a wedding in Iceland, love details, adventure, and awesome photography- we’d love to hear from you feel free to contact us!

With a smile,  Ann & Chris Peters

Iceland Wedding Planner & Iceland Wedding Photographers

© 2002-2013, Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved

The post Whimsical Iceland Wedding Invitations (Part 3 of 3) appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

This week, we received the nicest letter in the mail (Yes, in the mail, who doesn’t love getting things in the mail still?).  One of our Iceland bride and grooms-to-be writes us saying:

“Ann & Chris,

Deciding to have a wedding in Iceland we thought was one of our best decisions we have made as a couple, until we found and then met you both!  Our engagement session was so fun, thank you for flying to DC and for having endless creative ideas.  The portraits you took in our favorite spots around the city capture us.  You guys are such a great husband and wife photography team.  You impressed us already with your blog, responsiveness, thoroughness, portfolio, but frankly your attention to detail is extraordinary and still is blowing us away.  By holding the highest standards and consistently exceeding them, you have helped us achieve an unforgettable plan for our Iceland destination wedding.  Because of you, our wedding is going to be flawless.  Thank you for your outstanding work!  Forever Grateful, E & M ”

Aww, shucks, we really have the best clients!  We are beyond excited for the upcoming Iceland weddings we have on our Photos by Miss Ann books.  Each bride and groom is from a diverse part of the world, brings different Iceland wedding locations, unique style, and a distinctive vision for their wedding adventure in Iceland and that is REALLY exhilarating for us as Iceland wedding photographers.  Okay, okay, okay, enough gushing and more Iceland wedding planning!

Our topic this week: Iceland Wedding Ceremony Music

Figuring out your music selections for your Iceland wedding ceremony can be overwhelming in your destination wedding planning.  It can be a lot of pressure.  After all, you want your guests to be excited, in awe, and inspired while taking in the dynamic scenery, finding their seat and anticipating the bride and grooms wedding vows.  Phew, tall order, or at least we felt it was when we were planning our Seljalandsfoss Iceland wedding!  Have no fear, today’s blog post will give you some ideas for doing just that because having an Iceland wedding ceremony music plan helps set the scene even more so.

If you’re planning to have your Iceland wedding at Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Snaefellsness Peninsula, Vik Beach, Lake Myvatn, or Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon and have more than 6 people in attendance, my advice to you is that you need to rent a sound system for the courtesy of your guests.  Holding your wedding ceremony in one of the stunning natural wonders Iceland offers is incredible but do not forget your guests!  One of the frustrating things at times for outdoor wedding guests is that they cannot hear readings, vows, the exchange of rings, etc and they really want to be a part of it!

As Iceland wedding planners, we can help you secure an Iceland DJ for your event that will setup battery powered sound system with speakers, wireless microphones, and an IPOD connection.  That way, your guests will be able to hear your Iceland wedding music, understand your officiant, listen to your wedding vows, and have fun background music while you take your stunning Iceland wedding portraits!  Now that you have figured all that out, your big question is now, “What kind of music do I play for my Iceland wedding ceremony?”  We have found that our bride and grooms have had the most success thinking in terms of words and the feelings songs exude.  So think about what inspires you and your soon-to-be and in the meantime, here are a few more ideas to get that creativity flowing!

Before Ceremony Music:

• Inspirational, Light, Dynamic and Exciting.
• General rule is to begin playing 30 minutes before the wedding ceremony.

Bridal Entrance Song Ideas:

• Dreamy and Transcendent (like you’re walking on clouds).
• You can easily choose two songs for this, one for the parents to be seated, groom, and bridal party to walk down the aisle and the other for the bridal entrance.
• No music played during the Iceland wedding ceremony (unless doing a sand/knot ceremony, partaking in communion, or you see a need for filler music for another part of the ceremony, etc).

After Your Iceland Wedding Ceremony Music:

• Bouncy, Fun, and Starry-eyed!
• Typically played for 45 minutes after the wedding ceremony in Iceland.  Songs that are fun to exit the ceremony hand in hand and greet guests too. This is also enjoyable for guests to listen to while you take your dazzling Iceland wedding photographs!

So right about now, I’m sure you’re dying to know what music Chris and I planned for our Iceland wedding at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, right?  Our Iceland ceremony music picks follow below:

Before our Seljalandsfoss Wedding (Ceremony Playlist):

“Hellelujah” by The Canadian Tenors

“Color My World” by Chicago

“You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban

“Annie’s Song” by John Denver

“Feels Like Home” by Chantal Kreviazuk

“Marry Me” by Train

“The Wedding Song” by Kenny G

Aisle Walk and Bridal Entrance:

“Somewhere In Time” by Maksim Mrvica (Such a romantically dreamy song!).

After our Wedding at Seljalandsfoss Ceremony we played:

Bride and Groom Exit Song: “Better Together” by Jack Johnson

Greeting Line & Iceland Wedding Photographs Background Music:

“We’ve Only Just Begun” by the Carpenters

“Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes

“My Girl” by The Temptations

“One Fine Day” by The Chiffons

“How Sweet It Is” by Marvin Gaye

“Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations

“Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest

“Earth Angel” by The Penguins

“Wishin’ And Hopin’” by Dusty Springfield

“Tell Him” by Exciters

“Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” by Solomon Burke

“Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me” by Mel Carter

“Be My Baby” by The Ronettes

** Stay Tuned for Part II of this topic in our next Iceland wedding planning post- Wedding Reception in Iceland: Music Ideas **

Keep Smiling and Iceland Wedding Planning,

Ann Peters

Expert Iceland Wedding Planner & Iceland Wedding Photographer

© 2002-2013, Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved

The post Music Ideas for Iceland Wedding Ceremony (Iceland DJ) appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.