Wedding favors typically serve 4 purposes:

1. To “thank” your guests for coming to your Iceland destination wedding.
2. To be a reflection of your style as a couple that also compliments your wedding theme.
3. To serve as a memento to your guests of the Iceland location you have chosen.
4. A snack for your guests if you have chosen to not have Hors D’oeuvres or a Night Glow hour.

Think back on the weddings you have attended…What types of local or destination wedding favors made the largest impression on you?  Usually, if you’re having a local or destination wedding in Iceland, wedding favors usually fall into 4 overall categories:

• Edible – You can be simple by having M&M’s, mints, coffee/tea, caramel corn, gumballs, etc, or you can be elaborate in your edible wedding favor design.  Some of our brides have had personalized treats like cupcakes, cake pops, cookies, cocktail jelly beans, mini champagne bottles, rock candy, chocolate covered items, or our personal favorite for a fall wedding in Michigan is caramel apples and apple cider!

• Practical –Guests love a wedding favor they can use and remember where they got it from when they use it.  A couple examples of practical wedding favors that hold a lasting impression would be seed packets, wine corks, frames, cookie cutters, love measuring spoons, whisk, ice cream scoop, engraved luggage tags, cheese board/knife, passport holder, local Icelandic books (about the dynamic sites, culture, or folklore) , etc.

• Sentimental –Wedding favors with heart are always super sweet because they convey a special thought and detail that is usually important to the bride and groom.  For instance, a destination wedding couple may choose to do a donation to their favorite charity in lieu of providing their guests with a favor.  That couple might print out a small card and put it at each place setting stating why they have chosen to do so (in honor of a family member who passed away, etc).  Or we have seen couples personally make a special item their guests like homemade wine, jam, sauce, so the item may be enjoyed at a later time.  Any wedding favor that manages to emit emotion from the bride and groom to their guests is truly noteworthy.

• Fun –If you’re a fun loving couple who just want to make your guests smile on your wedding day with entertaining wedding favor we have seen a few couples give their guests sunglasses, sandals, shot glasses, drink cozies, etc.  Destination weddings may also want to consider having a special memento from the state/country you’re holding the wedding in as guests usually get pretty excited for that extra detail.

What should you spend on a wedding favor?

There is not a specific algorithm to get the answer to this question.  It frankly depends on your budget and guest count.  For example, we only planned on 45 people attending our Seljalandsfoss wedding (traveling also to Vik Beach and Skogafoss during our Iceland wedding) so we splurged a little more and spent $12 per luggage favor tag.  Generally though, simple or homemade wedding favors may only cost .80-$5 per person; whereas, more extravagant or personalized favors may cost $6-15 each; and the top of the line wedding favors would be $15+.

Once you have decided on what type of wedding favor you are going to give your guests the next step is to determine the presentation.  Ask yourself a couple of questions… Do you need certain packaging to hold everything together (wrapping, ribbon, etc.)?  Is there a theme you’re trying to exude throughout the day (IE, Married in the Land of Fire & Ice?)?  What will your wedding packaging and label look like?  Where will your favor be positioned on the table when your guests sit-down at your Iceland wedding reception?

Wedding Favor Label/Packaging Ideas:

• Incorporate your wedding colors.
• Match your invitation theme.
• Say “Thank You” to your guests somehow on it.  (DIY Iceland Detail: Maybe in the language of your destination wedding country?)
• Put your wedding date on the tag or engrave it on the item (Guests always appreciate this detail, especially when they use your gift at home later!).
• Have personalized ribbons (Iceland wedding planning tip: Double-faced satin looks the best).  For our Seljalandsfoss wedding we had “Ann & Chris” printed on rolls of ribbon to use for all of our Iceland destination wedding events.
• Make your wedding favor dual purpose (i.e. turn it into a place card, versatile to be used again or have it communicate something to your guests).

As Iceland wedding planners, we encourage our clients to choose wedding favors that serve a multiple purpose.  Here is a real Iceland destination wedding example:  Chris and I chose to have metal luggage tags.  Doesn’t really sound all that exciting and seems pretty simple for a destination wedding in Iceland, right?  We thought the same thing so we put our own twist to it.  We used our luggage tag favors in the following ways to serve several wedding day purposes (I know you detailed pretties out there will appreciate this!):

1. Our luggage tags were our wedding favors to our guests for our wedding reception at Hotel Ranga in Hella, Iceland.
2. The Iceland wedding favor luggage tags also served as a souvenir for our guests to instantly use (then and later).  The tags we felt, represented our Iceland wedding day adventure: from our Seljalandsfoss wedding ceremony, a champagne toast at Vik Beach, and wedding photo stop at Skogafoss waterfall.  We specifically had the back of each guest luggage tag engraved with “Iceland 2012,” then Chris’s said “Groom Iceland,” and mine said “Bride Iceland.”
3. The front of our destination wedding luggage tags also operated as our seating chart (Iceland wedding place cards) and gave the Hotel Ranga staff information on each guest’s meal choice for that evening.  Iceland DIY Details: Before our Seljalandsfoss wedding weekend, we had purchased 4 colors of metallic card stock; designated a corresponding color to go with the 4 main meal choices (Example: Gray = Salmon; Gold = Lamb; White = Vegan; Blue = Child menu), printed out our Iceland wedding logo (A?C) at the top and on the next line we put the guest’s name.
4. The final function of our Iceland wedding favor was as a place setting napkin ring/holder for our pin-tucked napkins.  How fun, right?  Finished photo example from our Hotel Ranga wedding here.

Specific Iceland Wedding Favor Examples:

• Edible: Rock Candy Swizzle Sticks with a tagline that says “Married in the Land of Fire and Ice!”  You could even go so far to actually pair it with something that relates to fire like hot sauce or matches in a vial.  We used blue and orange rock candy swizzle sticks to emulate the glaciers and fire in our Iceland wedding photo examples.

• Practical Usage Wedding Favor: Luggage tags, Icelandic wool knit item ( everyone loves wool socks, right?), moss candles, a game unique to Iceland, and frankly the possibilities are endless because Iceland rocks!  Having an item that is dual purpose allows your guests to really remember how epic your wedding really was later too.

• Sentimental: A gift certificate for your Iceland wedding guests to do a post wedding activity.  Admittance maybe to Iceland’s Blue Lagoon?  Rent a bus a day following for your wedding party to tour Iceland’s famous Golden Circle together as a group?  Take a tour of Iceland’s other famous natural wonders such as the glacial lagoon, stunning waterfalls, black sand beaches, sod farms, boiling mud pots, lava fields, or glaciers?  If you do decide to go this route make sure you let your guests know ahead of time.  That way they can plan for it in their travel plans ahead of time and you are not disappointed that they have already done it.

• Fun Iceland Wedding Favors: If you’re not going to do a wedding welcome bag for your guests it would be really sweet to put together as your wedding favor to them a box or bag of Icelandic made treats (like candies, trinkets, coffee, lava rock/ash, Icelandic water, etc) or an Iceland Survival Kit.  I would envision an Iceland Survival kit to be similar to our Iceland wedding guest welcome bag with inclusions to accommodate all ages, folks from all different climates and needs.  Other amazing options you may want to consider specific to Iceland: Krona key chain, wool bookmark, Icelandic moss candle, Icelandic wool blanket for your guests to each take home, lava rock mementos, etc!  The possibilities are endless, be creative!

I hope that our post today on Iceland wedding favors generates your own awesome ideas for your destination wedding in Iceland!  Chris and I would love to hear more about you and your big day in the making feel free to contact us directly here for more information!

With a smile, Ann Peters
Expert Iceland Wedding Photographer and Planner

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

The post Iceland Wedding Favors appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Welcome to Part 2 of 2 of Iceland Wedding Guest Advice!  We are very excited to share and embark on this Icelandic adventure with you!  Photos by Miss Ann, has researched and personally participated in  some epic activities for you to add to your Iceland wedding weekend itinerary.  Truly, it is very valuable to your guests regardless of their age or activity level to include various types of activities.  That being said, we hope this blog post helps you in building your Iceland destination wedding itinerary, as we  personally know it can be a challenge.  On with the show!  Below, I have detailed specifically awesome things to do in the following areas of Iceland: Reykjavik, Southern Iceland, and other regions of Iceland.

Reykjavik Wedding Adventure Ideas:  

• Famous Hot Dog Stand in Iceland (Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur)
• Iceland Dog Sledding
• Golden Circle Tour:  The Golden Circle tour is popular tourist route that covers about 300 km looping from Reykjavík into central Iceland and back.  The three primary stops on the route are the national park Þingvellir, the waterfall Gullfoss, and the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur, which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. Other stops if interested include Kerið volcano crater, Hveragerði greenhouse village, Skálholt church, and the Nesjavellir geothermal power plant.  Or hit the highlights like we did during our Iceland Wedding Weekend.  We had a convoy of cars venturing on this post wedding day Golden Circle driving itinerary.  See here for more information on our self driving Golden Circle Tour.
• Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran Cathedral (the official church of Iceland) The tallest and most prominent building in Reykjavik. Their hours are 9:00AM to 9:00PM and there is a fee to go up to the bell tower for an aerial view!
• Horseback Riding Tours – Ride the unique Icelandic horse.
• Iceland Opera House (Harpa)
• National Museum of Iceland
• Nauthólsvík Beach:  Yes!  A beach in Iceland is a fun must do if you’re in the area June through the end of August.
• The one and only Penis Musuem
• The Perlan Muesum and Resturant: Gorgeous views of the city and delicious lunch in the café!  See our Iceland Honeymoon portrait below!
• Sólfar (Sun Voyager):  You will find this interesting sculpture along the sea wall northeast of the Harpa at the intersection of Frakkastigur & Sæbraut Roads.
• Volcano House – Offers two 20 minute movies on 2 famous Iceland eruptions.  Close to the city center.
• Viking – Maritime Museum Open daily from 10:00AM-5:00PM.
• Helicopter Tours or Private Planes to other parts of the island (or to the Faroe Islands and Greenland).
• Grayline Tours – A variety of tours offered.
• Shopping: Kringlan Mall
• Whale Watching Tour: The ship can bring you up close to whales in their natural habitat. See all sorts of minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, harbor porpoises and the popular humpback whales. You may be lucky enough to see sea birds such as gannets, puffins, guillemots, cormorants, gulls, kittiwakes, arctic terns, and many more.  Duration: 3 hours.
• Various tours on snowmobiles, 4×4’s, and other winter terrain vehicles can also be found out of the city center.

Things to do in Southern Iceland:

• Blue Lagoon: An amazing geothermal spa!  Which is naturally heated by geothermal activity, the water temperature in the swimming area of the lagoon averages 98–102 °F (37–39 °C) year round.
• Dyrhólaey Cliffs (Dyrhólaey Cape).
• Eyjafjallajökull Vistor Center  Super cute place with awesome details on the April 14, 2010 Eyjafjallajokull Volcano eruption (Fun Fact:  We were married 2 years to the date of this travel-stopping phenomena)!
• Fjadrargljufur Canyon.
• Ice Climbing Sólheimajökull (Glacier):  For our Iceland wedding weekend we took a group of ~7 people and it was amazing!  Safe, awesome views, and the folks we used were a very talented group of climbers.
• Icelandic Wool Shop (near Vik Beach): Vikwool Icelandic Wool Factory is super cute shops where you will find genuine Icelandic wool items and Icelandic themed souvenirs.  Best prices in Iceland!  They also have a few locations in Reykjavik and North side of the country in Akureyri/Mývatn.
• Inside the Volcano Experience (only available May 15th thru September 10th).
• Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon is the largest glacier lagoon in Iceland and situated in south eastern Iceland. No cost but is ~5 hours from downtown Reykjavik so be prepared.  Boat Tours around the Lagoon are also offered in summer only.
• Keldur Sod Farm:  Walk around these beautiful grounds where you can have amazing Iceland Wedding Portraits taken.  One of the cutest spots in Iceland to see grass covered houses.  …and just around the corner from Hotel Laekur.
• Krýsuvík Mud Pots (Also refereed to as Seltun): A great hot spring area where magma boils underneath! The surface of land looks boiled and crazy colorful (rich browns and oranges). The hot springs are more than hundred degrees; steam geysers, water geysers and even mud pit geysers (No cost).  Example photo here.
• Mýrdalsjökull Glacier Hike –  This easy and safe glacier walk is for those who want to get a glimpse of the breathtaking on, and its surroundings.
• Reynisdrangar Basalt Columns (nearby Vik Beach).
• Seljalandsfoss waterfall:  This exquisite Iceland waterfall is found in the midst of stunning cliffs 200 feet high off the country seaside.  Seljalandsfoss Waterfall is a very popular spot to have as your Iceland wedding ceremony location.
• Skógafoss waterfall:  (Translation: Forest Falls).  Proves to be one of the fullest waterfalls in Iceland at a glorious width of 82 feet.  Many couples who visit here are able to get a rainbow or double rainbow in their wedding photos.  It’s massive, loud, misty, and offers a beautiful hike to the top as well.
• Skogar Folk Museum
• Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Iceland.
• Thingvellir National Park.
• Vik Beach (Vík í Mýrdal): Is a very interesting black sand beach where rocky formations emerge from the land and water.  The amazing texture of these formations expands into a sheltered cave offering up endless photographic spots in this small area.  Being a beach with such dynamite views, Vik Beach Champagne Toast is very popular to add to your Iceland wedding schedule.

Things to do in other areas in Iceland:

• Birdland Exhibition
• Bird Musuem (next to Lake Myvatn)
• Dettifoss Waterfall is a powerful waterfall in the Vatnajokull National Park.
• Dimmuborgir Rock Formations (translation Dark Cities) are volcanic rock formations nearby Lake Myvatn.  There are several walking paths you can navigate through as you photograph some stunning scenery!
• Hvitserkur Sea Arch
• Krafla Lava Fields (in Myvatn).
• Lake Myvatn
• Mud Pots (Akureyri)
• Myvatn Nature Baths (similar to the Blue Lagoon).
• Rock formations at Hellnar
• Scuba Diving the Artic Circle, Geothermal Chimneys, and Puffin Island.
• Sailing and Whale Watching in Husavik.
• Vatnajokull National Park: Hljóðaklettar Cave.
• Westfjords which face Greenland and offer up rocky coastlines and waterfalls such as Fjallfoss.
• White Water Rafting
• Whale Museum in Husavik.

The amount of adventure you can find in Iceland is endless this list is simply to get you started!  We hope this blog post on things to do in Iceland has been helpful to your Iceland wedding travel planning.  Iceland weddings are complicated to plan as there are many moving parts, but with the extra thought and experienced professionals it can be done flawlessly, I assure you!   Photos by Miss Ann would love to pause your forever moment as your Iceland Wedding Photographer & Planner!

With a smile, Ann & Chris Peters (Experts in Iceland Weddings)

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

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