-Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)

From across the “pond” as some say, Dave (from the U.K.) found his way to meeting Alison (from the USA) through their many terrific friends.  Weeks later they were head over heels for each other and months later, Dave proposed a lifetime of adventures to Alison!  She said Yes  Iceland was the half way point for all of their friends and family to meet and celebrate!  …so then the days of awesome Iceland wedding planning began!  They craved intimacy, adventure, and wanted to take their 20+ guests on an unforgettable EXPERIENCE for their wedding day in Iceland.  So all that said, follow us today as we share with you Alison and Dave’s adventure wedding in Iceland!  ::Update:: My Hotel Wedding did a lovely feature of Allison and Dave’s wedding, HERE.

Ohhhh yes, May 4th!  Being Star Wars fans, it was only fitting they go explore some of the epic areas the movies have been filmed within Iceland!  …May the Fourth Be With You!

But first we must set the scene… Hotel Ranga, served as the groups hotel “base camp” for 2 days.  It’s a fabulous boutique hotel found in Southern Iceland that screams luxury but still designates hints of earthy rustic charm.  It also is near Hekla, one of Iceland’s most powerful volcanoes.

When you have a wedding in Iceland that has guests attending, it’s important to provide your guests with a “welcome bag.”  It adds to the excitement and also aids your guests in things they may need during the adventure.  Alison and Dave did it up right!  With lots of goodies like a timeline card, eye mask (nice to have during the months of May-August when we have TONS of daylight), bandaids, Shout Wipes, Pepto (which isn’t sold here in Iceland) Hot Hands, Hangover Kit, Pancho, etc!

With our adventure weddings in Iceland, we action pack them with little room for delay. So it’s nice to create a timeline card to give to your guests upon check in (or at a Welcome dinner the evening before) so they know when and where they have to be.  Sets everyone up for success, you know?  Our favorite timeline creator: Pixels to Paper Studio did an awesome job on Alison and Dave’s!

Alison’s Iceland wedding dress was divine!  So much gorgeous detail and sooo flowy!

Alison had some awesome blue rain-boots she wore for the majority of the day but she also had some stunning Badgley Mischka’s and Tom’s waiting for her Iceland wedding reception!  Every adventure wedding bride needs 3 pairs of shoes!

Now let’s talk about her GROOM, Dave for a sec, shall we and his dapper Iceland wedding details!

His handmade suit even came with a custom tag that featured their initials and wedding date.  From the suit to the shoes, Dave was handsome!

As I mentioned, being Star Wars fans, Alison surprised Dave with themed cuff-links.

We adored Dave’s super awesome bow tie too!

Our Iceland hair and makeup team made Alison even more beautiful then she already was!  …and proofed her against rain and wind.

Before leaving Hotel Ranga, these two loved the idea of doing a “first look” so we opted to do it behind the hotel, riverside.

The structure for this Iceland adventure wedding was a tiny bit different than we typically do, but we were happy to craft a unique option for this awesome group!  All of the guests loaded onto a bus for a 1/2 day adventure.  Read further on to see the rest of the wedding adventure flow.

Alison and Dave for months, kept the adventure wedding day secret.  So when the guests arrived and saw the setup below, they were hollering in enthusiasm!

Having a Asatru (some refer to as a traditional Norse / Pagan / Viking) ceremony was important to Dave and Alison.  It’s a super fun ceremony that has old roots in our culture here in Iceland.  Not to mention who doesn’t want to hold an oath ring and drink from a horn?!

How fantastic was this offbeat waterfall as their Iceland wedding ceremony background?!

Alison’s Iceland wedding bouquet is one of my all time favorites!

As many of you know, we do not go to the tourist locations like Reynisfjara, but for the right couple we make exceptions and these two loved the idea of a champagne toast here during their Iceland wedding day adventure!

Exploring with each other during your wedding day in Iceland, creates some magical moments!

After the 1/2 day adventure via bus was complete, we transitioned with 1/2 of their group to super jeeps for a more private adventure.

Alison, Dave, and their closest family members got to explore the private side of one of Iceland’s 13 glaciers!

The fog and the rain made for some dramatic Iceland wedding photo moments!

Their nieces and nephews all got to touch a glacier for the very first time!  Talk about unforgettable moments on your adventure wedding day!

Oh la la romantic Iceland wedding moments in front of glacier ice caves… Love!

Uniquely shaped mountains like these always make me melt!  Then add in a gorgeous Iceland wedding couple and it takes it to another level!

One of my favorite parts of their wedding day was the 3rd part… We said goodbye to two super jeeps and Alison and David continued on to a super secret canyon area with a private waterfall for some intimate adventures!

The contrast of the dark and light together is AMAZING to me in this Iceland wedding photo!  Major high-fives to Alison and Dave who went into total “mountain goat” mode to get to this spot!

Once everyone got back to Hotel Ranga after the days adventure, they had some time to rest and refresh before they were invited to a BEAUTIFUL Iceland wedding reception in River Hall.

Fun Fact: The bride’s grandmother had past away and in remembrance of her, we had lavender at each place setting.  It filled the room with a 5 sensory experience!

As a sweet little party favor to all of their guests, Dave and Alison gifted them with “Let the Adventure Begin” bottle openers!  How fun!

Following the overall theme of “Adventure” and “May 4th” they had 2 beautiful handmade cakes by the groom’s talented sister!

Iceland wedding Groom’s cake!

Can I just say, I LOVE Hotel Ranga’s food?!  Seriously folks, I often drive 1.5 hours from Reykjavik just to have their delicious Mushroom Soup and Reindeer Carpaccio (pictured below), no joke! Alison and Dave’s Iceland wedding menu was fit for the best foodies!

A lovely smoked salmon dish with rye bread served as their 2nd course!

Did you know with the rental of River Hall at Hotel Ranga, you have access to their beautiful balcony and impeccable view?!  Comes in handy for Iceland wedding photos!

When Alison and I were brainstorming about something fun to decor their Iceland wedding reception dancing space (Hekla Hall) we came up with some awesome ideas but in the end LOVE balloons and candles would win!  I think we made the right choice!!

First dance magic!

So many folks forget about a “send off” for the couple at the end of the night.  We crafted something super fun for this group… complete with sparklers and an “Adventure” marque sign!

Truly an unforgettable Iceland wedding day you shared Alison + Dave!  Keep reliving it!!

© 2017, Iceland Wedding Planner /  Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved.

The post Iceland Wedding at Hotel Ranga: Alison + Dave appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

For one, you have a really good chance of seeing Northern Lights during the months of December-March.  Two, during your Iceland elopement you could hold your wedding ceremony in natural ice cave!  …and how epic is that thought?!  An ice cave will melt over the summer and never exist again for anyone else, only for you in that moment!

But with all of that good stuff, there are some potential challenges that can also emerge with planning a winter wedding in Iceland…. Such as a snowstorm (or blizzard), gale force winds, and road closures.  It’s all about timing and having plan A, B, and C options in place ahead of time (and we got you covered!).

Knowing all this, Trishia and Chris who hail from the big island of Hawaii embraced all that winter could throw at them and were super excited to EXPLORE on their Iceland wedding day.  So come along with us today and experience their adventure wedding in Iceland!

The perfect combination for an elopement in Iceland: Lace Wedding Dress and BOOTS!

Our Iceland wedding hair and makeup team always does an incredible (and long lasting) job on our brides!

Trishia’s Iceland wedding bouquet made me swoon hardcore! So wild and wonderful!

…and Chris’ Iceland wedding boutonniere was the perfect mix of rustic elegance!

Hiking to their Iceland wedding ceremony location!

Safety first… time for crampons!

My favorite thing about ice caves is hunting for new ones at the beginning of every season AND knowing they will never be the same after the season ends… Making it a naturally unique Iceland wedding location!

The textures and tones an ice cave presents… Layers of black, white, and blue!

Chris and Trishia’s Iceland wedding ceremony in an ice cave was simply INCREDIBLE!

Oh la la the magic in their Iceland wedding photos!

Fun Fact: Chris proposed to Trishia on a beautiful black sand beach in Hawaii so it was only fitting that we find some black sand near this subglacial volcano!

Tiny people, Big landscape.

Add in the beginning of a snow storm, some cuddling and the romance ensued!

Snow up to your knees at times, no sweat for this adventurous couple during their elopement in Iceland!

After their glacier cave wedding ceremony, we found our way to one of the most AMAZING places I have ever found to have an Iceland Luxury Picnic!

Seriously, most amazing place I have ever found… These two rocked the romance in it too!

The colors and textures were indescribable for their Iceland elopement photos!

The snow was really putting on a show for us!  All apart of the unforgettable Iceland wedding day EXPERIENCE!

After all that white, we went on plan b… Searching for some GREEN!  This secret canyon is usually pretty green no matter the season but the storm took over as we arrived creating a super fun exploring experience!

When Iceland gives you sleet and snow, you reply back with smiles and jokes!

Plan C enters…. And I gave them GREEN!  The beauty of hiring a local Iceland Wedding Planner and Photographer… We know this place like the back of our hand!

These quite sweet moments get me every time during an Iceland wedding day… Pretty pretty!

An afternoon snack of dried fish and Brennivin (aka Black Death) was on the agenda and these two savored every bit!  It’s fun to introduce cultural elements to your Iceland elopement.

After a quick rest and refresh, they enjoyed a romantic delicious dinner for two for their Iceland wedding reception!

© 2017, Iceland Wedding Planner /  Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved.

The post Iceland Winter Elopement in an Ice Cave appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.