To Have or Not Have an Unplugged Iceland Wedding?

Okay okay okay, Picture THIS!  So there you are in Iceland and it’s your wedding day.  You know at like a secret waterfall, cave, glacier, black sand beach, you know the usual awe-inspiring nature stuff   You’ve invited all those you love and adore and they are there in total bliss from all of magical surroundings you have chosen as your location to marry in Iceland!  …Anxiously waiting for you as you walk down the aisle, they all raise their iPhones and cameras to capture this epic moment in time for you!

<Hold your breath!>

Because, wait!  Now, let’s take it one step further like a month later and you’re reliving your amazing day through your fabulous Iceland wedding photos from your talented Iceland wedding photographer… As you flip through you remember that epic moment as you walked down the aisle and you notice everyone’s FACES are BLOCKED by their cameras and phones!

<Insert sad face!>

Then you get further into your Iceland wedding ceremony and you see in all of the beautiful overview shots, at least one guest is standing up (or standing off to the side) taking a photo or a video of you guys.  It’s sweet of that well-meaning guest, but how much more amazing would it have been had you been able to see everyone’s faces or have everyone’s full attention, reveling in your Iceland wedding day with you?

<Insert HAPPY face!>

Today I share with you 8 reasons why you should consider having your Iceland wedding ceremony be unplugged:

1. If their camera or phone is in front of their face, you cannot see their face and they cannot see yours!
2. The Sound. –Hello distraction!
3. The Flash – It can create unwanted shadows for your hired Iceland Wedding Photographer!
4. People will see your wedding day through their phone and not actually EXPERIENCING it with you in that moment. …you don’t want that do you?
5. People running around in the dynamic Icelandic landscapes can cause unforeseen injuries if they have the camera or iPhone to their faces the whole time. Not kidding folks – THIS HAPPENS!
6. Focus Beams – For the guests that are DSLR lovers, their red focus beam could show up in the photos.
7. You do not need extra paparazzi running around! 1 or 2 Iceland pro photographers is enough right?
8. My Personal Fave: By having an unplugged Iceland Wedding: No one will spoil the surprise to everyone back home by Instagram-ing or Facebook-ing photos of you, your dress, or the locations earlier than you wish!

My two cents on the topic!   So your next question is how do you communicate an Unplugged Iceland Wedding Ceremony to your guests?  A kind note like the following on your Iceland Wedding Website (or on your Wedding Program or Timeline Card) would do the trick:

“Guess What?!  You’re in Iceland!!  Please be present reveling in this moment with us!  We’ve hired someone awesome and that we trust to capture it fully (and we’ll share the photos after, don’t worry) so please sit back and enjoy this time with us without a electronic on or in hand.  We kindly ask so that throughout the day we can also see your faces and you can see ours smiling at you =)  After all, are in Iceland, so let’s savor it unplugged!”

With a smile, Ann Peters + Team (Iceland Wedding Planners & Adventure Wedding Photographers)

© 2016, Iceland Wedding Planner /  Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved.

The post Iceland Wedding Photographer Tip: Why You Should Have an Unplugged Wedding appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Hundreds of years ago, a tradition began in Europe where the groomsmen would have a special dinner honoring the groom and his decision to marry.  This evolved into the ladies taking the bride out for one last night to honor her and her decision to marry her husband.  The night is referred to in Europe as a Hen’s Night.  This idea then spread across all countries and progressed into different cultures referring to the event as the following: Bachelorette, Stagette, a Jill Party, Girls Night Out, Hen Do, Kitchen Tea, Last Fling Before the Ring, etc.  In Iceland, it is commonly referred to as a Hen’s Night.  The girls gather to dress up the bride in honor, go out for dinner, conversation, and games.  This is typically planned weeks before your big day and possibly in your home country before coming to Iceland for your destination wedding.  Though, there are though many local bars and restaurants in the Reykjavik area that would welcome you in if you wanted to wait to celebrate your Hen’s Night during your wedding week in Iceland.

Recently, we had the pleasure of designing, planning, and photographing our first Bachelorette party!  Our gorgeous bride and her fiancé are eloping this month in St. Lucia.  We presented 3 awesome ideas to her and she chose our favorite one… “Pedi’s, Pillage & Pasta!”  How fun, right?!

One of the really exciting things about Bachelorette parties is the energy and admiration everyone has for the bride.  Typically, you are within weeks of your wedding date and the anticipation is off the charts.   It is a fabulous day that you can put your destination wedding planning worries to the side and really enjoy time with your lady friends!  When we sat down to plan this pretty little event for our bride, we went in with the intention of this not being a wild or raunchy Bachelorette party, rather one that boasted class, meaning, and memories.  If this idea intrigues you, please read on as we share details on this event and a helpful “how to” as well!

Theme: Pedi’s, Pillage, & Pasta!

Bachelorette Colors: Ombre Pinks with flairs of gold and white.

Timeline of Events:

• Pedi’s from 2-4pm
• Pillage (Bridal Scavenger Hunt) from 4-6:30pm
• Pasta dinner at 6:30pm-?

It was important to our bride that we have a layered event.  That way, a guest could make a portion of the event even if they could not make all three.  Once the manicures and pedicures were complete the ladies began the Pillage event which was in turn a Bachelorette Scavenger Hunt adventure.  Each bachelorette received a pink ombre “LOVE” folded card that opened up to explain the rules and the objective.   Since there were only 7 girls partaking in this portion of the day we decided to keep the group together and focus on the bride.  The rules of the Pillaging Bridal Scavenger Hunt follow below:

Pillage (Bachelorette Scavenger Hunt) Rules:

• Each item is a group goal.
• The bride must be included in every one of these challenges.
• Each Bachelorette guest must accompany the bride on each one of these goals/tasks (IE, get your photo taken with her while completing the dare).
• Note:  At least 1 scavenger hunt item from each category must be completed.
• A minimum of 10 total items (out of the 20) must be completed off of this list.
• If you are unable to find the exact item or location you must come as close as possible to complete the challenge.
• To make the quest more personalized 4 categories were created (there were 5 challenges within each to choose from) that were entitled:

Category 1:  It’s All About the Bride!

Category 2: First Comes Love!

Category 3: Then Comes Marriage!

Category 4: Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

As you see above, the rules outlined that the bride must be involved in each “dare” and photo evidence must be taken to prove the challenge was completed.  For the sake of the time frame we allotted for this portion of the day the girls were to complete 10 of the 20 challenges.  Then at each stop a special themed gift was given to the bride.  The idea behind the gifts was giving her items that centered on elements of marriage.  The list of gifts the ladies gave to the bride follows below:

1. Ball and Chain = Marriage is a TEAM effort, move together.
2. White Elephant = Overcome any obstacle by communicating.
3. Red Rose = Unconditional love.
4. Love Birds = Mates for life.
5. Garter = Never let the honeymoon end!
6. Bridal Emergency Kit = Enough said!
7. “I Do” Shoe Stickers = Traditions, the bride’s something blue.
8. “XO” Bouquet Charm = Love and support of family & friends.
9. Sixpence = A future full of good fortune and prosperity.
10. A letter from each bachelorette for the bride to read during her wedding week in St. Lucia (Many of the ladies could not attend so this was a way to have them be there with the bride on her wedding day).

Once the ladies completed the challenges, the group moved on to the next event of the evening, Pasta!  When the ladies arrived to the restaurant they were immediately greeted by dazzling details.  An easel chalkboard at the entrance way boasted the couples love story timeline.  Alongside of that, was the gift table, complete with a marquise “Love” sign.  When the ladies turned to their right they were in awe by the elaborate long table setup I had created.

The backbone of our table design was the ombre petals we designed into being the table runner.  As you have seen in our previous posts, Flyboy Naturals is one of our favorite wedding vendors to work with so it was a no brainer to commission them again for another spectacular event we were planning.  We used a total of 60 cups (2,500 petals for thick coverage) of freeze dried petals for our 12 person, long table design.  The petal colors used were the following: Iceberg, Bridal Pink, Simplicity Bright Pink, and Super Nova.  This series of colors really made our ombre color scheme come to life as you will see below in the photos.  On top of the petal table runner and also on the top ledge behind the bride, were small gold mint julep cup arrangements that followed suit on the fade from light to dark pink.  But our crowning glory middle centerpiece we are describing as an Ombre Rose Box, was my favorite by far!

As gorgeous as it looks it was super easy too!  Here is the simple how to if you would like to recreate for your own Iceland wedding reception or bachelorette/bridal shower:

Items Needed:

• 10×5’’ Twig flower box.
• Rectangle Oasis fresh flower foam.
• Plastic liner for foam to sit in.
• White matte spray paint.
• (2) Packs of rhinestone adhesive strip stickers in your event colors for accent or plain ones as we did below (found in the scrapbook aisle of most hobby shops).
• Glue (for touch ups).
• 24-28 medium size roses (Ivory, Light Pink, Medium Pink, and Fuchsia).
• Wispy green filler.

Instructions to Create an Ombre Rose Box:

1. Buy or build a small twig flower box (our example was 10×5’’).
2. Spray paint the box a matte white (inside only) and let dry for 12 hours.
3. Apply your rhinestone adhesive strips to the outside of the box.  We chose to do 1 strip on each end and 4 in the middle (Note: Vertical application looks best.  Also, if you plan on making ahead and bringing these to your wedding, apply the jewels after you arrive).
4. Insert your plastic liner and cut the floral foam to fit the inside.
5. Soak the flower foam in distilled water for a minimum of 15 minutes.
6. Add a little water to the plastic insert and then add your soaked foam.
7. Cut your medium roses down to the first stem break and gauge the length of how it will sit in the box.  We preferred ours to have a pretty close fit and only had wispy green light filler on the ends.  Try to only insert once into the floral foam.
8. To create the ombre fade we chose to do 1 row of white roses (4 roses), 2 rows of pale pink (8 roses), 1 of the medium pink (4 roses), and 2 rows of the fuchsia colored (8 roses).
9. At the end we added in the greens on the ends to fill in any side gaps.
10. Finish by spraying the petals lightly with distilled water and store them in a cool dark place until your event date (ideally put together the night before).  Then ta-da, you have a gorgeous elegant centerpiece your guests will swoon over.  Bachelorette/Bridal Shower centerpiece cost was ~$50 USD.

Heightening the theme, I had delicious rose chocolate cupcakes made and placed at each place setting on an individual cupcake stands.  Sitting on top of the cupcakes were handmade jeweled heart banners that had “L + G: Super in Love” printed.  Several other stationary items were at each place setting as well such as matching pink jeweled place cards, favor tags, a “Words to the Bride” card, and a “20 Questions” game sheet all having the same similar emblems.  The party favors for each of the bachelorettes were flip flop bottle openers and pink “Bachelorette Party” coozie’s.  Which in the end, were pretty simple but held meaning by incorporating the tropical destination wedding location of the bride and groom.

Hopefully today you have enjoyed this feature on Bachelorette/Hen’s Party Planning and it has stirred up some ideas for your very own girl’s night out!  Please check out the classy Bachelorette party detail photos below, compliments of Photos by Miss Ann!  In the meantime, Chris and I would love to learn more about your Iceland destination wedding, help you plan, and be your wedding photographers!  Please contact us to get that conversation started!

With a smile, Ann Peters

Iceland Wedding Photographer & Planner

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

Bachelorette Party Vendors:

Iceland Wedding Planner (Bachelorette Party Planning, Stationary, and Centerpiece Designs)

Photos by Miss Ann

Flyboy Naturals (Ombre Rose Petals)

Perfect Desserts (Ombre Rose Cupcakes)

AudrianaPaper (Neutral tone cardboard love sign)

Save-On-Crafts (Chair Sashes, LOVE sign, and Easel Chalkboard)

Beau-Coup (Flip Flop Bottle Opener Favors)

Luv Manicures and Pedicures

Johnny Carinos Novi (Reception Location)

The post Bachelorette (Hen’s Night) Party Details appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

As we saw in last week’s post on Extravagant Destination Wedding Invitations, this is the part of wedding planning you should take a moment to “Oooh and Awe” over.  Picking a destination wedding invitation can be serious business!  After all in many cases, invitations can act as an additional selling point to your guests.  Having extra visuals in front of your guests may add the additional intrigue for them to say, “Heck yes, we’re coming to Iceland for your wedding!”  And in the end, that is what we all want that, right?

Regrettably, not everyone has the limitless wedding budget we all wish we had… so having super elaborate wedding invites may not be in the cards for you.  Which might be why most of us fall into the other two awesome wedding invitation categories:  Creative (today) and Whimsical (stay tuned our part 3 installment, next week!).  Today, we’re going to review some of the detailed but still reasonably priced possibilities for your Iceland destination wedding invitations and what specifics your invite should include.

Speaking from example, this is the section that our invitation fell into for our Iceland wedding at Seljalandsfoss waterfall.  We had wanted our invitations to be a fabulous visual to put in front of our guests but one that would still stay in line with our budget of $6-8 per wedding invitation (including postage).  Our Iceland Wedding Invitation Story:  Everyone thought for sure since Chris and I have been in the wedding industry for so long we would choose a winter wedding date in an exotic locale.  A location that would be surely be international, beach-side or up in the mountains of somewhere with an epic view.  But we wanted something completely opposite of what we have photographed when we personally said our “I do’s.”  <Enter in from right stage Iceland, Greenland, or Sweden’s Ice Hotel, please!> When we were narrowing down destinations we knew a cold weather locale would be more “us” but would be a really hard sell for our guest list of 90.  Especially since most of them would want to escape the North American winter weather in April!  Keeping that in challenge in mind, we started to design a 4 part package for our Iceland wedding invitations.  We in the end, decided on the following inclusions:

1. Our Iceland wedding invitation was designed in our wedding colors, brown and sage.  We also had a catchy line that opened our wedding invites saying: “We’ve Traveled All Around, Now It’s Time to Settle Down.”  We cordially invited our guests to join us for this epic adventure in Hella, Iceland on Saturday, April 14, 2014.
2. The Iceland RSVP Card was included the guest(s) name, decision of coming or not, meal choice, when the RSVP needed to be returned by, self-addressed postage paid return envelope.
3. The Iceland Wedding Insert Card (Opening line of: “Please Join Us in the Land of Fire & Ice!,”  accommodation details, and our Iceland destination wedding website which was chock-full of the full details on everything happening).
4. The last thing we included were Iceland scenery photos we felt would attract our guests to come (volcanoes, whale watching, the Northern Lights, natural water wonders, etc.) all tied together by sweet little sage and brown ribbon.  On the back of each one there were details on the trip (IE, what it was, location, duration, and cost for the adventure) to give our guests an easy understanding of the incredible adventure that awaited them!

We felt that by providing our guests with an undeniable visual as to why we chose Iceland (IE, dramatic scenery, endless adventures, etc) and putting as much information in front of them as possible would make the decision easier.  Most of our guests were skeptical of traveling to Iceland so overcoming those inhibitions was important and we did this with our invitation and destination wedding website.  So maybe think about putting your own twist on something similar?  I challenge you to have fun with it!  For a moderately priced detailed destination wedding invitations like the ones photographed below, you can expect to budget ~$4-12 each (plus postage).

In the meantime, you may be overwhelmed by the pages of options for destination wedding invites and what your Iceland wedding invitation should include?  We’ll break it down for you pretty simply here:

Invitations should reflect the style of your wedding decor and/or color theme.  For instance, are you planning a wedding in Iceland that will be soft, romantic, simply sweet, rustic, earthy, whimsical, or bright and bold?  What characteristics will encompass your wedding flair or accents?  Once you have narrowed down your path you can concentrate on what you would like your destination wedding invitation to say…

Invitations should at the very least communicate the following:

1. Who
2. What
3. When (Date/Time of Ceremony)
4. Where
5. Menu Choice
6. RSVP Reply Card
7. Wedding Website
8. Any additional important information (booking or discount codes).
9. Style
10. Color

Iceland Wedding Photographer Tip:  Send your Iceland destination wedding photographer an invitation so they can photograph it!  [But if sending our way, please put the envelope that you would normally send to your guests inside a bubble wrap mailer (still have postage on it) to prevent damage upon arrival.  That way we avoid water damage, bends, torn envelopes, etc and in the end we are able to photograph your gorgeous invite details fully intact!]   Or if you forget, bring one and lay it out for them to photograph the day of with your Iceland wedding details.  This is a fun element you’ll melt over later!

We hope you have found today’s blog post on moderately priced but creative destination wedding invitations helpful as you plan your dream wedding in Iceland!  A big “thank you” goes out to my lovely Iceland bride and grooms for allowing me to share these details with you today- we have the coolest clients!  Another awesome shout out goes to the tremendously talented folks we partnered with to have these remarkable Iceland destination wedding invitations created.  Check them out and keep them in mind as you plan your destination wedding in Iceland (or in some other fabulous destination wedding locale).  They all were a breeze to work with, super detailed, and had all of their products in very unique packaging when they arrived in person!  I encourage you to check out their gorgeous invitations we photographed below for more Iceland wedding inspiration!  ….Enjoy!

• Precious Invitations
• Sunshine and Ravioli
• Invitation Consultants

As a final thought, stay tuned for next week’s final installment on Whimsical Iceland Wedding Invitations (Part 3 of 3)!  Oh oh oh and also…. If you are considering having an Iceland Destination Wedding, please  contact us!  We’d love to hear more about you as a couple and understand more about how you see your dream wedding in Iceland!  Let’s set a time to Skype and talk details!

With a smile, Ann and Christopher Peters

Husband & Wife Team Wedding Photographers & Supper Planners Specializing in Iceland Weddings!

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

The post Creative Destination Wedding Invitations for Iceland Weddings (Part 2 of 3) appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

As Iceland wedding planners and destination wedding photographers, we strive each week to bring you unique Iceland inspired blog posts that motivate, elaborate, educate, and offer support to aid you for your biggest adventure yet, your wedding day!

A few of you have privately messaged us to ask how Iceland Wedding Planner began… Short Answer: Our love of wedding details, planning, destination wedding photography, and Iceland fueled it.  Long Answer: Must be over wine and a Skype session

Good news though!  You are not alone; we’ve personally been in your shoes trying to plan an unique and adventurous wedding in Iceland.  We actually held our April 2012 Iceland destination wedding at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, took our guests for a wedding day tour by having our champagne toast at Vik Beach, stopped for rainbows and horses at Skogafoss Waterfall, held our reception on the Ranga River (in Hella, Iceland), and also organized pre/post wedding itinerary for 40 guests from around the world.  Countless hours were spent researching, phone calls, designing, creating, asking endless questions, scouting trips and networking with Iceland’s premiere wedding vendors.  All of which have led us to be an experienced leader in Iceland’s wedding industry who can now help you plan your dream wedding in Iceland.  Please feel free to contact us for more information on planning or photographing your stunning Iceland wedding day!

For this week’s Iceland wedding blog post, we are going to expand on everyone’s favorite detail: The bridal bouquet and teaching you how to preserve it!  When choosing your Iceland wedding flowers, first check out our blog post on this very topic, here.  It may be helpful to you as you Iceland wedding plan and consider the endless Iceland wedding bouquet options out there.

So it’s months later and there you are in Iceland and it’s your wedding day, woohoo!  Your Iceland florist or Iceland wedding planner delivers your wedding flowers to your hotel room and hopefully you’re in awe!  You will be if we are organizing your Iceland wedding arrangements.  Do a little happy dance and squeal a bit in excitement because you’re getting married in Iceland today!

Iceland Wedding Planner Tip:  If you have chosen a fresh flower wedding bouquet, keep them in water as much as possible when you are not holding them.

Iceland Wedding Photographer Tip: Bring a special and/or colorful broach to put on the stem of your flowers, it’s a super sweet detail that helps make your bouquet pop in your Iceland wedding portraits!  Rhinestone pins also bring an incredible elegance to your bouquets and centerpieces. <Real Wedding in Iceland Example: We had some vintage rhinestone pins mixed in with our Iceland wedding reception centerpieces and got so many compliments from our guests for this extra detail!>  See our Iceland wedding photos below for an example of wedding bouquet broaches.

Once you’re in your Iceland wedding dress, ready to walk down the aisle at your gorgeous Iceland wedding ceremony,  pack a vase (or more if you have bridesmaids) to take with you along with you as you travel throughout your wedding day adventure.  Being able to keep the bridal bouquet hydrated throughout your wedding day gives your fresh flowers the best chance to have continuous beauty during all of your Iceland wedding photo locations.  It is also a good idea to bring a small towel or wash cloth to wipe off the excess water each time you pull it out.  That way, as you travel around with your Iceland wedding photographer to iconic wedding photo spots, your dress stays dry and your flowers hydrated!  Once you arrive back to your reception spot, get them back into water if possible.  If not, this is the point that you can begin your preserving process.

Preserving your fresh flower Iceland bridal bouquet is super easy if you follow these steps <We personally did this, so rest assured it is tried and true>:

Step 1: Keep the wedding bouquet in water until it begins to wilt.

Step 2: Take a satin ribbon/yarn that is ~2 feet and on one end tie a tight knot to the bulk stem of your bouquet.

Step 3: Turn the bouquet upside down (so that it is hanging upside down) and take the other end of that ribbon and tie it to something in the hotel room (a lamp or closet hangers are perfect for this part).

Step 4: When you are leaving Iceland to go back home, wrap the bouquet in a plastic or cloth bag, add silica drying beads (if you have them) and pack it in with your clothes in the bag that you are checking <this is easiest because each county’s custom rules are different>.

Step 5:  When you arrive home from your Iceland wedding adventure, hang the wedding flowers back up in a cool dry place so they can continue to dry out.  <Mine hung in our basement>.

Step 6: After 3-4 weeks, your bouquet should be dried out and ready to be put away as your special keepsake of your wedding day in Iceland!

Back when all of our parents were getting married, fresh flowers were not as popular as they are now (silk flowers were most popular then).  As the eras have gone on, it seems as though wedding niceties have become more detailed and elaborate.  One way many years ago to preserve your wedding details was to shadow box it and display it somewhere in your home.  This is totally still an option but not everyone has the space to do this.  An idea for you from our Iceland wedding experience: Put your favorite wedding items in your Love Letter Ceremony Box!  Why?  Because it serves a dual purpose!  It helps you transport your items safely back to your home country once your destination wedding in Iceland is complete and also acts as a time capsule of your wedding day.

Although our love letter box was “locked” during the ceremony, we unlocked it once we returned from our Iceland Seljalandsfoss Wedding, so we could store the following mementos inside:

• Our Iceland Wedding Vows.
• Our Iceland Wedding Place Cards from our wedding welcome dinner and our wedding reception.
• Iceland Wedding Love Letters to each other and letters from our parents.
• Chris’s Boutonniere.
• Ann’s Iceland Wedding Bouquet <It is very small and crispy now as you’ll see from our photos below>.
• Heartfelt cards we gave to each other when we exchanged day of gifts and special cards our guests also gave to us.
• Our Destination Wedding Champagne Glasses.
• Iceland Wedding Invitation.
• Our Newspaper Announcement.

Even if you do not perform a love letter ceremony, having a special keepsake box after your wedding used to gather your details in, is a timeless idea.  How fun to grab it each year on your wedding anniversary and reminisce?  We strongly encourage you to do this, keep that newly wedded bliss going for a lifetime!  For a few of our clients, we have made a leather bound album box with one of their wedding photos on it and they used that as the keeper of their wedding relics.  Neat ideas –so think about what works best for you and your Iceland wedding details.

Iceland Wedding Planner, would love the opportunity to help you brainstorm, book, create, mock  up, and be there to ensure your amazing wedding in Iceland is flawlessly perfect.  Photos by Miss Ann would also be honored to be the one who captures such an epic time in your lives so please contact us for more details on how to make that happen!

With a smile, Ann & Chris Peters

Expert Iceland Wedding Planners & Iceland Wedding Photographers

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

The post Preserving Your Iceland Wedding Bouquet appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.