This fabulous pair contacted me last spring, to plan and photograph their amazing February 14^th Iceland destination wedding adventure and ooooooh boy did we plan something EPIC! Can someone say FIRST Iceland wedding in a super-secret Icelandic cave? Yes, please! At sunrise, we loaded their 40+ Scottish guests into super jeeps and surprised them with a unique lantern lit ceremony locale! They were in awe. <Remember! You saw the location here at Iceland Wedding Planner / Photos by Miss Ann, FIRST>

The Grooms Style: They donned themselves head to toe in traditional Scottish garb! Their tartan’s were: Purple Slanj and Scotland Forever Ancient and they looked just dapper!

The gents held a traditional Icelandic Ásatrú wedding ceremony which is inspired by the historic Norse culture. The ceremony was performed in Icelandic, included holding an oath ring as they spoke their vows and the guests even drank whisky from a horn as they toasted the groom’s new life together!

The next several locations on their wedding day adventure came with sideways rain and 20-30mph wind gusts. We mustn’t forget Rule #1 about getting married in Iceland:  Iceland is moody and unpredictable! Pretty sure most couples would have tapped out at this point and said, “Plan B indoor locations, please!” Paul and Marc, didn’t! The guests and grooms prevailed over it and made it to another cave on a gorgeous black sand beach. The group drank Prosecco, recanted awesome stories of the grooms, and had many laughs over the ever-changing Icelandic weather which had just transitioned to hail/snow. To be expected and embraced! The guests found their way back to the jeeps for a packed lunch and the grooms and I continued on for some epic rainy day wedding portraits in front of some gorgeous basalt rocks that emerged from the sea.

Sometimes, the weather gets pretty rough in Iceland and pushes you to your absolute maximum limits. When we reached Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, the rain and wind were pushing 40mph! Needless to say, the stop was not long and we executed Plan B to turn the adventure into a driving tour. One of the last stops was Sólheimasandur Black Sand Beach, which is a private beach where an abandoned United States DC-3 airplane resides. The plane crashed in 1973 and is one of Iceland’s super-secret spots.

Marc + Paul’s Iceland wedding reception was full of endless amounts of energy! Their guests were pleasantly surprised by the party favors on the table… Mini bottles of Reyka Vodka which were covered by little hand knit Icelandic sweaters that had their initials on them! How flipping cute, right?! From the endless laughs, smiles, stories, the Scottish Gay Gordon traditional dancing, to late night Icelandic snacks the guests and grooms went strong long after midnight!

To Paul + Marc:

I’m your biggest fan =) Your love story captivated me as soon as I Skyped with you two. I mean who is lucky enough to have an instant serendipitous connection be… A Rainy Night + Mutual Friends x All Night Talk of Zombies / VW Campers / Antarctica Penguins = 7am Marriage Talk?! Then to have a surprise proposal in Iceland under the Northern Lights?! I am insanely jealous and so is the rest of the romantics out here with me! Needless to say after hearing all of this… I was dying to be a part of your wedding day and make it out-of-this-world! Thank you for choosing me to plan and photograph such an epic adventure for you and your guests! I welcome you back to Iceland every year to renew those vows =)

Lots of Hugs, Smiles, and Love to You, Ann (Iceland Wedding Photographer and Planner)

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

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Earlier this month we found ourselves in Iceland photographing for our Christmas card.  We encountered just about every type of weather during our stay, which really set the scene for some gorgeous and dramatic Iceland couples portraits.  The land of fire and ice has never disappointed and always leaves us inspired no matter the weather.  One of our favorites we share with you below, was taken at the stunning Dyrhólahey Cliffs (Dyrholahey Cape, nearby Vik Beach), enjoy!

Want to know a fun fact?  This season, I (Ann) also found myself slightly obsessed with the Icelandic Yule Lads.  The tradition starts with writing a letter to the Icelandic Santa by the first week of December.  The legend says for children to leave their shoes by the window each night.  Then 13 days before Christmas Eve the anticipation continues with the arrival of the 13 quirkily named mountain men who appear each day bringing presents.  If you’re good, you get a nice surprise, and if you were bad the Yule Lads bring you a rotting vegetable.  The Yule Lads have very fun unique names like: Sheep Cote Clod, Gully Gawk, Stubby, Spoon Licker, Pot Scraper, Bowl Licker, Door Slammer, Skyr Gobbler, Sausage Swiper, Window Peeper, Doorway Sniffer, Meat Hooker, and Candle Stealer.  Each Yule Lad has a bit of mischief inside them reflected by their name.  Can you guess what Door Slammer does?

In honor of the holidays, Chris and I hosted a small dinner this past Sunday that was rich in Icelandic and Hungarian traditional foods (lots of lamb, Björk Birch, and Dobes Torte)!  We also created the CUTEST party gifts for each of our guests… DIY hot chocolate favors!  These would be so perfect for an Iceland winter wedding too!

How to Create Hot Chocolate Wedding Favors:

Purchase 16.9oz clear glass canning jars with metal lids (we found ours at our local Dollar Tree store).  Find your favorite brand of coco, buy enough to put 1 cup in each jar, and tip the jar as you fill it so it creates a layered slant.  Add in 3/4 cup of mini marshmallows, milk chocolate chips or pieces.  Make sure jar is filled to the top to prevent movement of your design within.  For the finishing touches tie a bow with raffia ribbon.  We were holding an adult only Christmas party so we added a fancy tag, a fun paper straw and a mini bottle of Bailey’s.  It was a hit!

Next week, we’ll be back to share with you another Iceland wedding hotel that made our favorite list for 2013, so stay tuned!  In the meantime, are you considering an Iceland destination wedding or Iceland elopement?  Dying to have your wedding day be one epic adventure and have dynamite Iceland wedding photos to remember it all by?  If so, we’d love to chat with you more about your dream wedding in Iceland, feel free to keep the excitement going and contact us.  Until next time, have a spectacular holiday folks!

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

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

The post Happy Holidays from Iceland Wedding Planner appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.