So enter in “plan b!”  Not to worry though, having an Iceland wedding with super jeeps as the mode of transport allows us to change plans on the drop of a dime.  Plus, often times the “plan b” route proves to be the better than the original, which was indeed the case!  So, let’s go darlings and be adventurers!

Amy and Israel’s whimsical wedding day in Iceland began at one of my favorite hotels… Hotel Grimsborgir in Selfoss. The ladies got ready together in one of the luxurious bridal suites early that morning.  How pretty is her Iceland wedding dress and boots?

Seriously perfect details for an adventure wedding in Iceland!

…and coordinates of their Iceland wedding location on the groom’s cuff links, how special is that?!  #love

As soon as 8:30am came (yes our awesome wedding begin super awesomely early!) their 40 guests loading into super jeeps for a full day adventure wedding day.  Their guests had no idea where the ceremony spot would be and you could feel the excitement in the air!

To their surprise, they were taken to a beautiful secret cave in the middle of a black sand desert.  When they jumped out of the jeeps and walked into the cave they were speechless.  There were chairs perfectly lined, lanterns, fancy fruit and chocolate display along with a gorgeous champagne toast!

We loved putting together this amazingly delicious champagne toast and fruit spread for everyone to delight and celebrate in after the Iceland cave wedding ceremony they had!

The next stunning spot the Iceland adventure wedding day agenda was a perfectly private black sand beach where they frolicked in the rain together until it went sideways.  But you know what is amazing about rainy weddings in Iceland….

They are not only LUCKY but always bring incredible show of end to end rainbows!

A wedding in Iceland, would not be complete without a waterfall along the path of our adventure!  But we got lucky… as several offbeat waterfalls followed along this gorgeous day’s route, each varied in shape, size, tone, and texture!

The evening brought a beautiful Iceland wedding reception that was sweetly styled with rustic local elements.  Each guest was given a local artist’s drawing of an area within Reykjavik, lava salts, and journal notebook.  How crazy sweet is that?

Not to mention everyone delighted in a lovely 4 course meal complete with a traditional Icelandic wedding cake and blue macaroons! Delicious!

We wish these two more laughs, smiles, and adventures than they can handle in a lifetime together!  Thank you for choosing us to not only plan but photograph your amazing adventure wedding in Iceland! ? ? ?

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

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

The post A Wonderfully Whimsical Wedding in Iceland appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

So when Tim and Antonia from New Jersey were looking for destination wedding options, they wanted to go somewhere that they had never been (or their guests) and a place that would have awe-inspiring shock value.  Iceland was easily the answer.  Nowhere else can you experience fire, ice, raging waterfalls, canyons, and endless cliff lines all in one day.

Upon arrival, their 50+ wedding guests were greeted with a 3 course Icelandic meal and a welcome wedding bag which had must have necessities like a horn, a cheat sheet of Icelandic terms, a rain poncho, wedding logo tattoos, and a Viking rubber ducky!

Their guests were told at dinner they were to be ready to leave for the day at 8:30am, completely unaware of where they were going or what they would see.  Just that Antonia + Tim would be getting married at some point and they needed to be dressed for wind, rain, and hiking!  To the guests delight, they arrived atop of one of the most spectacular mountains in Iceland.

They held a traditional Viking Asatru wedding ceremony where they held oath rings as they professed their vows and even drank out of an ancient horn to seal the deal!  Everyone loaded back into the super jeeps anxious to see where they were going next. To their surprise they found themselves in the midst of the area of where Game of Thrones and Star Wars was filmed and all were loving the fact they could explore it first hand!

Shortly after, they embarked on a hike to a secret waterfall and ventured through a canyon where they stopped to have a delicious picnic lunch.

Just when you started to think that Tim and Antonia’s wedding adventure could not get any better the guests found themselves at the last stop… At the door step of one of Iceland’s most dangerous subglacial volcanos.  The crew laughed, explored, and even found a beautiful little ice cave!

It seemed each location one upped the other and everyone had a fantastic day throughout the Iceland adventure wedding!  Everyone was given a short 1 hour break to rest and catch their second wind and then it was on to the fabulous Iceland wedding reception where they delighted in a traditional 4 course Icelandic meal.

If you’re interested in seeing more from this amazing adventurous wedding in Iceland, check out the gorgeous images below!  Also, be sure to check out Offbeat Bride as their fab wedding is featured there too! ?

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

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

The post Iceland Wedding Photography: Antonia + Tim’s Adventure Wedding appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Do you ever get those?

Living in Iceland, I get them a lot when I ice climb, hike, SUP, and of course while scouting secret Iceland wedding locations.  But on Iceland wedding days, it’s somehow amplified.  No joke!  I almost hyperventilated in excitement over the below image.  Right light, right mountain, and what an amazing couple!  When all of those elements come together my mind is blown!

Cross those fabulous things with adding in some epic Icelandic wildlife and this Iceland elopement went off the charts!  Do you see the sneaky little seal who photo-bombed the Iceland wedding ceremony?

Another thing that makes me smile during an Iceland wedding photo adventures, is surprising my clients with new super secret waterfalls.  These two didn’t even bat an eyelash when I told them the hike time!  ? ? ?

When you have an early April wedding in Iceland (which this fab couple did) you can usually expect some snow still lingering (unless we’ve had a more wet than snowy winter).  This often times adds to the dramatic landscape giving you the vibrant greens, browns, and whites like the beautiful below Iceland elopement wedding portrait!

Weddings in Iceland with us equal adventure, that simple.

Ideal for couples who love the outdoors (and will run around in them rain or shine), enjoy hiking, crave wedding photos in dynamic locations, and are wanderlust addicts.  Imagine yourself discovering uniquely shaped glaciers like this couple did!

Here at Iceland Wedding Planner, we are providers of EXPERIENCES, not just a “wedding day”  We stay away from  churches and the usually flooded tourist locations, so that there are not 100+ people Instagram-ing your wedding.

We prefer to have our clients totally immersed and connected to TRUE and PURE Iceland.  The unknown. The untouched. The places that will leave you in utter “Awe” and get you totally addicted to this island!  If adventuring to secret waterfalls, caves, cliffs, glaciers, private beaches and rock formations sound like fun to experience on your wedding day in Iceland… Contact us to get that exciting conversation started! ?

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

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

The post Iceland Elopement | Adventure Wedding Photography appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Menu formation is a big decision on the Iceland wedding planning “to do” list.  Why?  Let’s be honest, every wedding you have gone to as a guest, there is ALWAYS a conversation about the flavors, quality, or quantity of the food.  Good, bad, ugly- it’s an inevitable topic of conversation.  So why not make sure your Iceland wedding meal boasts something totally unforgettable that will be talked about for years later?  Today, I’d like to help you do just that!

One of the many Iceland wedding budget items I often talk to my clients about is whether or not they want a 3 or 5 course meal.  The cost difference can vary depending on the region of Iceland, but the average (as of when this post was written) is approximately:

• 3 Course Iceland Wedding Meal (per person) = $65 USD
• 5 Course Iceland Wedding Meal (per person) = $100 USD

The majority of my adventure wedding clients plan a non-traditional Iceland wedding reception which is typically more food, cocktail, and conversation focused versus full on DJ/band dance party.  And because of this, my clients usually do budget in a little more luxury details being included in their Iceland wedding reception such as the following: Iceland Wedding Favors, Iceland Wedding Menus, an Icelandic Wedding Cake on display, and table styling (table runners, accent napkins, centerpieces, place cards, candles, chair sashes, etc).  Guests always swoon over those extra accoutrements, especially when they are in-between courses.

Now on to the mouthwatering part of this post… the actual food options you could expect for your Iceland Wedding Reception Meal.

Let’s start with the most common Iceland Appetizer options…

• Mushroom Soup
• Fish Soup
• Meat Soup
• Smoked Puffin
• Langoustine
• Salmon Tartar
• Shark
• Whale
• Mussels
• Smoked Arctic Char

Iceland Wedding Meal Main Courses…

• Rack of Lamb
• Arctic Char
• Salmon
• Monkfish
• Cod
• Trout
• Chicken
• Veal
• Beef Tenderloin

Iceland Wedding Desserts:

• Skyr Cake
• Mandarian Orange Cheesecake
• Icelandic Torte
• Chocolate Lava Cake
• Slöngukaka
• Iceland Wedding Cake
• Raspberry Sorbet

Iceland Wedding Meal Vegetarian Options:

• Smoked Leek and potato soup, hazelnuts, sour cream.
• Braised celeriac, roasted onions, onion jus and pickled mustard seeds.
• Green salad, pickled pearl onions, pureed sunflower seeds.
• Eggplant Parmesan
• Mushroom Risotto
• Confit Fennel
• Slow cooked toasted barley.
• Baked red beets, horseradish, poached egg and balsamic reduction.

I hope today you found yourself inspired by all of these delicious Iceland wedding reception menu choices!  Please enjoy the delicious images of these food items below!

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

© 2015, Iceland Wedding Planner /  Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved

The post Iceland Wedding Menu Ideas appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Since Beth and I are down in Atlanta, Georgia (Hotlanta) for the weekend at Chris + Kim’s local celebration we thought it would be a PERFECT time to wrap up their Icelandic elopement!

Before we start talking about the conclusion of their Iceland wedding day, we must first go back to the start. Let me preface this perfectly played story with this disclaimer: Iceland Wedding Planner and Photos by Miss Ann, never ever takes on a wedding that is scheduled for the same day we are flying in for obvious reasons….

But Sunday, June 22^nd was literally Chris + Kim’s last day in Iceland and they wanted to end the trip in an EPIC way by getting married! How could we say no to such a gorgeous and amazing couple? After Skyping with them we couldn’t… so we made an exception to the rule! Because we had a wedding in Plymouth, Michigan the Friday before we weren’t able to drive to Toronto until Saturday and we then flew overnight to Iceland. We (Beth and I) literally landed at 6:45am Sunday morning at KEF, grabbed our bags, and were at the doorstep of our favorite Iceland Florist by 8:15am.

By 9:30am we arrived at the fabulous and luxurious Hotel Grimsborgir in Grímsnes which served as the base-camp for Chris + Kim’s marvelous Iceland wedding adventure. They had a stunning 2-story luxury apartment along the river Sog (Iceland’s largest fresh water river).

Thankfully our awesome travel karma was in full force and we made every stop on time, phew! Beth went to work styling our plan for the stunning gazebo that would hold Chris and Kim’s intimate Iceland elopement dinner later. The rest of my team (Iceland Hairstylist and Iceland Makeup Artist) were already there working on getting Kim ready, while I hung her dress from the house (Ha, totally happened) and delighted in photographing her Iceland wedding day details.

Now, just because you elope in Iceland, doesn’t mean that takes the element of surprise out of anything… You can still stage an Iceland first look between the two of you and in fact we encourage it as you’ll see below it was a really special moment for Kim and Chris.

From our previous Iceland wedding blog posts you saw their Iceland wedding day agenda carried on to the following locations:

• Reynisfjara Cave (Vik Beach)
• Dyrhólaey Cliffs
• Skogafoss Waterfall

Drawing close to 9pm under the midnight sun, Kim and Chris headed back to Hotel Grimsborgir to delight in their private gazebo dinner overlooking the river and the mountains.  The reception space from head to toe was tailored in bright white, but earthy tones and fabulous textures like moss, lace, and burlap. We loved doing the surprise reception styling for them!  As soon as the couple headed in to their secluded dreamy escape they were all smiles. They were over the moon with each other as they drank champagne and started in on their 3 course Icelandic wedding meal.

From start to finish the day felt like a destination wedding day should… full of love, adventure, awe-inspiring scenes and Chris and Kim savored every second of it. Please enjoy their Iceland wedding reception photos and Iceland wedding video below!

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

[wpvideo YSd6vn4Y]

© 2002-2014, Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved

The post Dreamy Iceland Summer Wedding Reception | Kim + Chris appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.