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.

Welcome to the Weekend Brides and Grooms to be!

I hope this blog post finds you well and super excited to be planning your Iceland destination wedding!  You have officially started an amazing Iceland wedding adventure and we’re ecstatic you have consulted us here at Photos by Miss Ann (the “Iceland Wedding Planner“).

Where are you in your wedding planning process?  Have you committed to Iceland as your destination wedding location and now find yourself overwhelmed with next steps?  My husband and I were there once, so don’t worry you are in good company!  It is really interesting to see how the wedding industry in Iceland has not evolved as elaborately as it has in North America and Canada.  Iceland is such an amazing country offering perfect wedding photo locations, fresh foods and flavors, incredibly kind and generous people, epic adventure, stunning scenery, and is really not as far away as people think!  More brides and grooms should consider Iceland as their destination wedding location. …or we should all keep this our gorgeous little secret!

If you have not sent us a note about our Iceland Wedding Planning or Iceland Wedding Photography services, please contact us for more information on how we would be an asset to your special day!  We have established partnerships with the best in the country to ensure your Iceland wedding day is flawless.

Today, we would like to share with you some of the “general” Iceland wedding ceremony locations you could choose to to say “I do” at.  ….we typically plan off-the-beaten-path spots for our own clients!

Please Note: We no longer plan or photograph at the main stream locations we talk about below. We would rather take you on an adventure away from typical tourist locations via super jeep or helicopter for you Iceland Wedding Day or intimate Iceland Elopement! Please contact us for more details!

1. Iceland Wedding Location: The Blue Lagoon

2.  Iceland Wedding Location: Cape Dyrholaey

The most Southern point in Iceland

3. Iceland Wedding Location: Country Church in Budir, Iceland

4. Iceland Wedding Location: Country Church in Hellnar

The Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland (Iceland church by the sea)

5. Iceland Wedding Location: Dimmuborgir

(The area is composed of various volcanic caves,

rock formations and amazing for Iceland Wedding Portraits)

6. Iceland Wedding Location: Godafoss Waterfall

(Incredibly powerful and stunning for Iceland Wedding Photos)

7. Iceland Wedding Location: Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon

(Who else will have Iceland Wedding Photos with glaciers in them?! You!)

8. Iceland Wedding Ceremony Location: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

(One of our favorite Iceland wedding photography

locations where you can go behind the waterfall too!)

9. Iceland Wedding Location: Skaftafell National Park (Stunning traditional turf houses in the Sandar region of Iceland)

10. Iceland Wedding Location: Skogafoss Waterfall

(A very powerful waterfall where double rainbow wedding photos are abound!)

11. Iceland Wedding Location: Svartifoss Waterfall

(In the Skaftafell National Park- Sandar region of Iceland)

12. Iceland Wedding Location: Thingvellir National Park

(The path along Almannagja where the American and European

continental plates drift apart. Married at the Tectonic Plates…How unique!)

13. Iceland Destination Wedding Location: Vik Beach

(Black sand, a cave, basalt rock formations all equal an epically

romantic Iceland wedding photography location)!

Our post today is only a small representation of the most frequented Iceland wedding ceremony locations.  The country has many more beautiful locations to make your Iceland wedding photography incredible, so please contact us for additional details in planning your dream wedding in Iceland!

Stay tuned for our next post topic: Destination Wedding Etiquette

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

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

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