Christophe: 

NYC Digital Guru who is an epicurean of all things delicious.  Dapper from head to toe.  Addicted to super cool things like Iceland, adventure travel, and Mary.

Mary:

She is hands down the most adventurous, compassionate, and thoughtful person I have ever met.  She cares about others on a level that doesn’t exist in most people. Not to mention she is also one of the most beautiful!

Together:

They make my cheeks hurt from smiling so much by simply just being around them.  The love they radiate is contagious, serves as an example to the world and makes you want to love whoever is in your life, harder and deeper.  …and they adventure together, often.

Quickly bonding over their shared obsession for good food, adventure seeking, travel, love of motorcycles and a continuous curiosity with Iceland…. They soon found themselves ~2,100 feet up on top of Whistler Mountain the day after Valentine’s Day where Christophe got down on one knee and proposed a lifetime of love and epic adventures to Mary.  She said “yes” and Iceland destination wedding planning began!  ::Update:: Checkout more of their amazing images on the Destination I Do blog, when they featured it, HERE!

One of the most important aspects of having a wedding in Iceland was that Christophe and Mary wanted to share in an EXPERIENCE with their friends and family not just have a wedding day like they could have back in the USA (church to reception).  To their guests surprise they were invited to an epic wedding day journey beside Mary and Christophe exploring the purest areas of Iceland.  Come along with me as I share with you some highlights from their 100+ person Rugged Adventure Wedding in Iceland!  All images you’ll see below were captured by myself and other primary photographer, Jean Smith!

Also check out Destination I Do Magazine’s blog for more from their amazing day (and specifics from the couple!), HERE!

The day began in a quaint little village called Vik.  The town of Vik is about 2.5 hours from the capital of Reykjavik.  The area is known for some of the most stunning landscapes but also the most amount of wind and rain.  It’s a tradeoff risk Christophe and Mary were willing to take.  “Boots and Suits” were the dress code theme and within each guest’s welcome bag they found some helpful items to help during the adventure like a backpack for a shoe change and an emergency rain poncho.  How fun, right?

By 9:30am their 100+ guests gathered in the hotel lobby and patiently waited for the super jeeps to arrive.  They were shuttled up to the top of the hill in the village where a beautiful white and red church sits overlooking the village.

Christophe and Mary professed their endless love to each other in that sweet little countryside church.

From there, we went waterfall hunting!  After hiking for 10 minutes their group was greeted with a secret waterfall to explore!

Did you know that between all of our 9+ Super Jeeps we had for their 100+ person Iceland wedding adventure the bride and groom had the ability to talk to their guests and sync a music playlist?  You can only imagine how that increased everyone’s excitement level!

The second stop on the adventure wedding agenda was a hot dog bbq lunch in a private cave!  To get there, we forged some sweet rivers and jammed out to music.  Once there everyone ate a delicious lamb hot dog with all the sauces (Icelanders LOVE their sauces) and fixings (like raw and fried onions), toasted with Christophe’s family’s champagne (La Caravelle) and had a fun Icelandic sing-along.  The energy from all the excitement in there was intoxicating and truly an unforgettable experience!

A subglacial volcano was the next exploration spot.  It rained a lot, but the smiles just got bigger the closer we got to the glacier.  Everyone was in utter awe of the colors, depth, tones, and textures.  And even in the rain, Christophe and Mary bounced around laughing and playing together hand in hand.

The final stop for the guests was my favorite private beach.  It comes complete with epic sea arch, black sand, and a stunning glacier view.  To say everyone enjoyed would be an understatement!

The team of Iceland wedding photographers and videographers continued to our last stop with just the bride and groom….  A private canyon area where some of my favorite shots from the day were taken!

The rest of the group had about an hour to rest and refresh before they were invited to delight in an incredible four course Icelandic meal.  Many amazing toasts, endless laughs, delicious cocktails, and dancing kept the night lively. Then close to the final hour the couple cut their traditional Icelandic wedding cake for a sweet treat!

Just when you thought the night might be coming to an end, several folks in the group went on a Northern Lights hunt.  They were successful too, somewhere around 2am!  Perfect end to a fabulous September wedding in Iceland!  Our friends at Two Penny Productions created a lovely video (including those dancing Northern Lights) documenting Christophe and Mary’s adventurous wedding day in Iceland.  We encourage you to go check it out here and leave them some love!

Mary + Christophe,

Ugh. You two!!  You’re disgustingly BEAUTIFUL humans, both individually and together.  Getting to know you over the last 2 years has been a super fun experience!  I’m going to miss our 5am Skype calls and your witty emails.  But!  You will not escape me anytime I come to NYC or you come to Iceland

I cannot say it any better than my friend Pastor Egill… “Part of your home is here now.  You are home here in Iceland.”  I know you know this in your hearts, feel this, and that you will always come back to have more experiences and incredible adventures here.  I’m excited to see your marriage and journey unfold!  Lots of love and hugs to you!!

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

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

The post Vik Iceland Rugged Adventure Wedding: Christophe + Mary appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

You have an amazing moment in time that stands still. It gives you goosebumps when you recall it days, weeks, years later.  It happens and my amazing clients, Sarah + Sean from Oklahoma are perfect examples of it!  Today I share with you Part 2 of their beautiful Icelandic elopement.  Did you see their marvelous wedding ceremony and part of their astounding Iceland wedding portraits last week?  If not go back to Part 1, here.

The second half of their romantic Iceland elopement brought not one, but TWO dreamy waterfalls, majestic mountains, Iceland’s most powerful subglacial volcano, and a cliff line view that cannot be replicated anywhere, seriously!  So all that being said, I must warn you… there will be lots of SWOONING ahead so watch out!

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

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

The post Dramatic Iceland Wedding Portraits (Part II: Sarah + Sean) appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Bethany and Richard from Chicago, Illinois embraced these ideals from the very beginning of their Iceland wedding planning escapades. When Bethany first emailed me she said, “The thing that struck me was how much the ruggedness and sheer beauty of the landscape complemented the couples in your photos.  We want to have a strong sense of place in our wedding and be surrounded by nature.” Then we Skyped… Um yeahhhhhh no brainer, I want you as my clients! Your wish is my command my dear!

When we set out to plan their fabulous wedding day in Iceland we had the opportunity to incorporate some ethnic dynamics such as a Chinese Tea Ceremony, family style story-telling, and Iceland inspired party favors at their wedding reception.

Bethany and Richard fell in love with holding their Iceland wedding ceremony at the legendary Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and so we did… Around 9am on a fabulous April morning, all of the guests began their Icelandic adventure wedding day from Vik and headed east for a thrill-seeking day of sunshine, hiking, and being awed by the vivid landscapes! Upon arrival to the lagoon, the excitement between the bride and groom was infectious and you could not keep your eyes off of them! They delighted in a beautiful Iceland Humanist wedding ceremony where they spoke their own vows to each other, ended with a sweet kiss in front of the floating icebergs and a rose petal toss in celebration!

Two super-secret waterfalls were next on their Iceland wedding adventure agenda and they were stunning as you will see from the gorgeous images from Photos by Miss Ann, below. The travel part of journey ended at the dramatic Reynisfjara black sand beach basalt columns and boy was it a lovely wave-crashing snow filled ending! After arriving back to the hotel, the guests freshened up and came downstairs to Richard and Bethany’s exquisitely set Iceland wedding reception! Oh la la and make sure you check out their Iceland wedding centerpieces, wedding favors, and menus, you’ll swoon I’m sure of it. Enjoy these Iceland wedding images below and as a side note folks – Did you see their impromptu Iceland Pre Wedding Session at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall? If not, go back here to view.

Bethany + Richard,

You two!!!!! Your wedding day was so much fun, can we do it all again like ASAP? You guys will go down in my Iceland wedding day history books as the couple who never said no =) I think seriously everything I suggested you both looked at me in unison and said YES! One of my favorite parts of the day was when Bethany hiked up her fabulous couture dress and scaled a fence, ladder, and went mountainside barefoot! A day full of amazing surprises, endless blue skies (until our snowy black sand beach photos), and spectacular Iceland wedding portraits! Thank you for the chance to be part of your epic day!

Lots of love, hugs, and smiles, Ann Peters (Iceland Wedding Photographer and Planner)

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

The post Iceland Wedding Photographer: Bethany + Richard’s Southern Iceland Adventure Wedding appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.