>>>> Meet Jen.  Meet Jeff. <<<<

This adventurous duo started dating and shortly after took their first trip together and guess where that was?  ….ICELAND!  They were hooked.  So when the topic came up of where they would hold their wedding, Iceland was the only place that felt right.

We had so much fun Iceland wedding planning with these two!  After much awesome debate, they decided that Hotel Glymur and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula needed to be part of their Iceland wedding adventure!

How cute and practical are these sweet little Iceland wedding welcome bags?

…and Jen’s Iceland wedding dress!!! Swoon! Perfect dress to blow in the Icelandic winds!

My favorite kind of Iceland wedding shoes, are BOOTS!  Love’me some Hunter rain boots and frilly dress for an adventure wedding!

Jen and Jeff held a STUNNING Iceland Wedding Ceremony at Hotel Glymur overlooking the whale fjord (Hvalfjörðinn).

They chose to hold a beautiful Humanist Iceland wedding ceremony.  The low lying clouds provided such a mysteriously beautiful backdrop.

Once the ceremony concluded their 40 guests loaded into a bus for the day to embark on a wonderful Iceland adventure wedding day.  Our first stop was the magical area of Arnarstapi.

Jen + Jeff spent a little while exploring these inspiring windy seaside cliffs.

The clouds may have been overcast and at times threatened rain, but Jen and Jeff continued to adventure, laugh hand in hand, and find time for kisses in between

If you already didn’t know, Iceland if flooded with waterfalls, especially on rainy days the island somehow becomes even more magically filled with them.  Do you see the secret one behind them that falls into the sea?  Dreamy!

How lucky are they to take a romantic stroll through this rocky sea arch?!  Heights worry Jen, but she was not worried along this stretch because from her perspective it looked like just a huge rock pathway (totally stable and awesome).  But from my perspective it looks like this! Storybook!

This one is one of my favorite moments during Jeff and Jen’s Iceland wedding adventure.  Why you ask?  Look at it!  The incredible look of adoration they have on their faces, the waves crashing, the colors, the textures, and the tones!!

What do you think about Jen’s Iceland wedding bouquet?! I adore the whites with pops of green!

Uh, and there are those boots and frills again! #yesplease

Did you know that Arnarstapi is also a super sweet little fishing village too?  Crazy cute houses line the area.

Jen + Jeff’s Iceland wedding day journey with their guests continued to taking breathtaking Iceland Wedding Photos at a Gorgeous Golden Sand Beach.

This fab beach was the perfect place to engage their guests in a delicious Iceland wedding champagne toast!

The third stop these two surprised their guests with was the famed area in the Snaefellsnes named Kirkjufellsfoss where an incredible mountain and waterfall reside.  This is a very special place and I was thrilled to take their Iceland Wedding Photos at this striking waterfall!

After the last stop, we were on our way back to the hotel and the guests had  an hour to rest and refresh.  Then at 8pm the guests were invited to enjoy a lovely Iceland Wedding Reception!

The decor theme held strong elements of an earthy vibe complete with a moss runner down the tables, twigs, and candles both high and low.

Hotel Glymur always puts on a mouth-watering show for our Iceland wedding clients.  Jen and Jeff’s wedding was no exception, as they created an amazing custom menu option.

A very special wedding dessert treat concluded Jen and Jeff’s very special night!

How remarkable are their Iceland wedding rings?  Custom and totally one of a kind!

Ohhhhh Jen + Jeff!!  Your day was extraordinary and filled with endless amounts of love, laughs, and just the right amount of adventure to delight in!  I know Iceland is forever engrained into your souls so I look forward to seeing you again! …and wish you the very best on your exciting months ahead!

Also head over to Mountainside Bride to see more of their beautiful day!

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 at Hotel Glymur | Jen + Jeff appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

For years Cassie and Kyle have plotted on a real life map where they have journeyed together and where they desired to go next.  They spend their trips doing offbeat adventures like dog sledding, canyoneering, ziplining, and incredible hikes.  Iceland has always been a top runner on that list.  So after a dreamy marriage proposal from the top of a hot air balloon in Vermont it was only fitting that Iceland wedding planning would begin!

Naturally being adventure seekers, they found us to put together an experience they would never forget.  Did you catch their Iceland Pre-Wedding Session we featured last week?  If not, go back here to see.

These two held their Iceland summer wedding at the end of June this year and their details were gorgeous!  The blues, the light pinks, whites…Swoon!

…and how romantic is this Iceland wedding dress?

Kyle and Cassie decided to be traditional and not see each other the night before their wedding day.  So once they were ready, we held a first look before their Iceland wedding ceremony.  What a special moment they shared overlooking a very misty fjord!

When we arrived to their mystery Iceland wedding location, it was raining but their +15 guests didn’t even notice as they were so enthralled by the beauty that surrounded them.

One of the prerequisites of being one of our clients, is being excited about running around in the rain or shine on your wedding day in Iceland.  Plus it also makes for some amazing photo opportunities!  See how easy these two make it look?

Our second stop during Cassie + Kyle’s Iceland wedding adventure was pretty little golden sand beach in the Snaefellsnes Peninsula where they ran around  hand in hand.

Lava fields are abundant here in Iceland so it’s only natural for a bride and groom to find their way to them for a romantic walk!

No adventure day to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, would be complete without a quick stop at one of the oldest churches within that famed area!

Adventuring to one of the islands 100’s of waterfalls must always be on the Iceland wedding schedule!  This fab couple chose this gorgeous beauty!

Oh la la and do not even get me started on how dreamy their Iceland Wedding Reception setup was!  Shouldn’t every wedding in Iceland have an incredible fjord view?!

Greens, browns with pops of pinks set the dreamy color scheme.  The guests delighted in delicious Icelandic chocolates and salts as party favors.  And were pleasantly surprised by a 4 course traditional meal and an Iceland wedding cake!

Take a few minutes to peruse a few more of our favorites below from Cassie and Kyle’s magnificent Iceland wedding day!  Also see some additional images from their fabulous Iceland wedding, featured on MyWedding.com!

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 Photos | Cassie + Kyle’s Adventure Wedding appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

First of all, I absolutely love shooting engagement sessions in new & different places (I live here in Iceland and I always find more!).  Then, you have two absolutely beautiful people (inside and out), in love with each other, in love with Iceland, super easy going and above all very into adventure!

Allow me to introduce you to Cassie + Kyle.

These two contacted me well over a year ago looking to plan their 25 person Iceland Destination Wedding.  Lovers of travel and adventure this magical place was always high on their bucket list!

Once the wedding was planned, they loved the idea of adding on an extra adventure day with us to go exploring and photos along the way.  We found ourselves in places that look like Mars… No joke!  As you’ll see below

Their love poured out of them and it made my cheeks hurt from smiling with them!  Love and adventure here in Iceland does that to you.  It’s a fabulous side effect!

After Mars, we found Narnia for their Iceland Engagement Session location.

It was lush, vibrant, and held such amazing secret spots as we hiked our way through!

If I had a dollar for every time I made then kiss at a waterfall that day… lol

The open empty landscapes at our secret locations (with ZERO tourists in Summer by the way) was a beautiful surprise to them.  It’s so much fun watching our clients explore and deeply enjoy venturing around through the textures and tones during their Iceland Pre-Wedding Sessions.

It had been overcast for most of our adventurous Pre-Wedding Session in Iceland, but some lovely blue skies did emerge at one point!

These two… Their love, their smiles, and their sense of adventure were just so much fun!

Mmmm and the dreamy low clouds were a nice romantic feature too!

Love becomes deeper in Iceland.  You become explorers in this pure untouched land and it feeds your soul in a way you never experienced or were hungry for until now.  Our clients feel it through our mission statement, photos, and when they come for their wedding weeks.  They not only have a badass wedding day but they have an unforgettable EXPERIENCE during their Iceland wedding week.

Tune in next time for their gorgeous Iceland wedding day and sweet reception decor! Did someone say 4 course dinner overlooking a fjord?!  #yesplease

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

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

The post Pre-Wedding Photos in Iceland | Cassie + Kyle 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.

Now bring on the endlessly AMAZING options for Iceland Wedding Locations…  So I invite you to take a deep breath and savor our post today!  I even dare you to close your eyes, revel in the beauty as you read your way through these amazing Iceland wedding locations.  Then start asking yourself, if you see yourselves there, saying “I do!” in the midst of that epic landscape!

Disclaimer:  Several of the locations featured within this post are on private property and require special permissions that most people do not have (don’t worry, our Iceland Wedding Planning team of course does, because we are the offbeat Iceland adventure wedding experts!).  Other locations may require specialized gear and vehicles to get to them.  Good News!  This is exactly why we specialize in planning Iceland Adventure Weddings, so when you fall in love with a location, please contact us and we’ll put together some crazy awesome unique Iceland wedding plans for you!

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

32 AMAZING Iceland Wedding Locations:

#1-  Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach Iceland Wedding:

It’s one of the most iconic landscapes in Iceland (and believe us, there are plenty of iconic landscapes to choose from in this country!).  Reynisfjara Beach is located on the southern coast of Iceland, not far from the town of Vik.  It’s famous not just for its black sand, but its three distinctive sea stacks, jutting out of the ocean.  Many couples pay a visit to Vik Beach (in front of the town side) before shooting their wedding photos at Reynisfjara Black Beach.  You could also consider a Basalt Sea Stack Wedding, if you’re so inclined.

Reynisfjara Beach is also home to a rather unique columned stone wall that opens to form the mouth of a large cave.  The cave provides a perfect, sheltered spot for a wedding ceremony, framing stunning views of the black sand beach and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.  If you’re planning to visit Iceland during winter however, you will likely not be able to go inside of the cave (between November-April) as the waves consume the cave and making it CRAZY dangerous.

Please Note: Since this blog post was written, this Iceland black sand beach wedding location has turned into a heavily populated tourist location.  It is best to arrive shortly before sunrise or sunset to avoid the heavy tourist times.  Also know to check the tide schedules to stay safe on this beach.  This beach is known for it’s heavy riptides so please visit with care and knowledge.

#2- Have your Iceland Wedding in front of a Secret Private Waterfall:

Is there anything more picturesque than adventuring to a private waterfall in Iceland to say your vows at?  There are an endless amount of waterfalls in all sorts of shapes and sizes to choose from.  But, did you know, that over 75% of Iceland is privately owned, therefore some of its most spectacular scenery is on private property (requiring in advance permission).  One of our favorite private waterfall wedding ceremonies was Brandi and Zach’s from July 2018.  Followed by the hidden waterfall elopement of JoAnne and Corbin.

Finding you the most perfect, secret spot for your wedding ceremony is our forte and we have exclusivity at countless stunning private waterfall wedding locations!  Love the idea of having a wedding at a private waterfall where it’s just the two of you and your guests?!  Connect with our experienced Iceland Wedding Planner team for more information.

#3-  Iceland Wedding at Dyrholaey Sea Cliff:

For panoramic coastal views, Dyrholaey Sea Cliff is a unique spot with a breathtaking outlook in all directions.  The cliff is, quite literally, an island with a door hole.  It’s possible to walk across the bridge of the of the cliff, where you can see as far as the Myrdalsjokull glacier in one direction, and Reynisdrangar’s sea stacks in the other.  You will also find an impressive lighthouse at the top.  Note: Since this Iceland Wedding Planner blog post was published, a crazy amount of ropes have been installed throughout this area.  Before it was roped off and became heavily populated with tourists, we shot these wedding photos at Dyrholaey Sea Cliffs.

It’s also possible to visit the bottom of the cliff, located on a dramatic black sand beach (photo above). Our Iceland Wedding Planner team has been granted exclusive access to this area by the landowner.  When you step out of the super jeep, your jaw will drop as you marvel over the incredible view from this direction.  A sunrise wedding ceremony at Dyrholaey Sea Cliff might be one of the most dreamy things we have witnessed!  You may even cross paths with one of the local Puffins if you’re lucky!

#4-  Iceland Wedding at the famed Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon:

It’s famous for a reason, and this gorgeous glacial lake is a wedding photographer’s dream – a still blue lake surrounded by national park and filled with majestic icebergs.  Note: To have a wedding within this national park space, you must ask for permission in advance (even if not bringing chairs or a setup for the Iceland wedding ceremony).

Do you remember Richard and Bethany’s Glacier Lagoon wedding?  Or what about visiting a more offbeat one that provides a more intimate experience during your Iceland wedding adventure like Melissa and Vince’s fall wedding?

#5-  Wedding at Iceland Geothermal Area:

You’ve probably heard Iceland referred to as ‘the land of fire and ice’.  The ‘fire’ moniker comes from its many, quite spectacular geothermal areas.  Think bubbling mud pools, steaming hot springs and the occasional spurting geyser.  Oh, and about 30 active volcanoes too!  If your wedding day wish list requires something truly unique, consider one of these stunning locations and prepare for some truly epic wedding photos.

Our Iceland Wedding Planner team also has exclusive access to some to some private geothermal areas that will have ZERO tourists.

#6-  Iceland Wedding Ceremony inside of a Secret Private Cave:

Iceland is famed for its numerous caves, many of which become stunning ice formations during the winter months.  Caves provide a perfect, private space to exchange your vows, particularly if you want to shelter from some of the wilder weather that this country is known for.  Visit our Iceland Wedding Planner blog to see the endless amount of caves our team has access to.

#7-  Northern Iceland Wedding at Godafoss Waterfall:

Another of Iceland’s picture perfect waterfalls, Godafoss (also known as ‘the waterfall of the gods’) is a 30 meter wide, horseshoe shaped beauty in the north of Iceland.  It’s a lovely spot for an intimate ceremony, complete with stunning views and the thundering soundtrack of water flowing through an ancient lava field and crashing into the river below.

Iceland Wedding Planner Tip: We no longer have this location on our Iceland wedding location list (it has become too touristy for our taste) but if you are planning on your own, we highly encourage you to marry on the left side of the falls versus the touristy right hand side.  See our previous Iceland elopement at Godafoss Waterfall for reference.

#8-  Iceland Country Church Wedding:

For those who crave the beauty of Iceland’s natural landscape but still prefer a more traditional church setting for their wedding ceremony, Iceland has many options for you.  There are beautiful churches dotted across the countryside, each with their own unique character and charm.

Special Note: Iceland Wedding Planner no longer offers weddings or elopements in churches unless the couple embarks on an adventure afterwards like this couple who married in Vik Iceland.

#9-  Have an Icelandic Elopement in a field of Lupines!

Do you love the color purple?  Then how about saying ‘I do’ amongst a sea of lovely Lupines?  During the time frame between mid June to mid July, the island is coated with millions of Alaskan lupine, it’s super dreamy!  Please make sure before choosing a spot though please ask permission from the land owner or location before holding your Iceland wedding ceremony there (if not hiring us).

#10-  Iceland Northern Lights Wedding at the little black church in Budir: Búðakirkja

Speaking of churches, Budir’s little black church would have to be one of the most instantly recognizable churches in Iceland.  Búðakirkja is set in the midst of a lava field, with an epic glacier as its backdrop.  And who needs a fireworks display if you’re lucky enough to see a spectacular sky show courtesy of the Northern Lights overhead?

Of course, the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and their appearance is unpredictable.  As much as we would love to ‘turn them on’ for our couples, it’s impossible to guarantee when and where they will appear.  Certain times of year and certain locations do offer more favorable chances of spotting them however and of course, we know all of the best vantage points.  You can find more information in our blog post about the Northern Lights in Iceland.

#11-  Iceland Elopement at the historical Silfra (Where the North American and Eurasian Tectonic Plates Meet):

Could there be a more powerful spot for a wedding to take place than the exact meeting point of two tectonic plates?  The Silfra ravine is filled with crystal clear glacial water and surrounded by unspoiled national parkland.  It’s an awe inspiring location and a magical setting for an intimate elopement ceremony.

Rewind back to before tourists flooded this place, Chloe and Danny held their romantic wedding ceremony at Oxarafoss Waterfall in Thingvellir National Park.  We no longer offer this location as part of our Iceland wedding locations (too touristy) but our friends at Iceland Weddings and Honeymoons can help you!  This location does require in advance permission to hold a wedding ceremony there.

#12-  Iceland Wedding on top of a Cliff!

What better vantage point to take in all of the beauty that Iceland has to offer, than perched on the top of a spectacular cliff.  With a setting like this for your wedding ceremony, zero styling or decor is required.  Do you remember Tim and Antonia’s cliff side Iceland Viking wedding ceremony HERE?

#13-  Iceland Crashed Airplane Wedding:

For a completely unique wedding photo shoot, visit the famous wreck of a DC plane that crashed on a black sand beach back in 1973 (not to worry, everyone on board survived!).  It’s a little off the beaten track and can be difficult to find.  Of course, we know exactly how to get you here.

Update:  This location is no longer part of our Iceland wedding planner repertoire of locations as it has become too touristy (the area has no closed to driving and you must hike the 1-2 hours).  For the right couple though, we have rented ATV’s like Petra and Jan did HERE for their honeymoon adventure.

#14-  Iceland Wedding near a Historical Shipwreck:

Picture this . . .  An intimate wedding ceremony beside the ocean, framed by spectacular windswept coastal scenery and overlooked by a towering historical shipwreck.  Oooh la la!  See one of our previous elopements HERE that took Iceland wedding photos at that location.

#15-   Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfall Wedding in Iceland:

Kirkjufellsfoss is a beautiful waterfall surrounded by green fields and overlooked by the rather distinctive Mt. Kirkjufell.  As far as picture perfect wedding locations go, this one couldn’t be more photogenic.  It’s a blissful setting for your wedding portraits, or perhaps even an intimate waterfall wedding ceremony for two.

Special Note: As tourism has increased, this sweet little location in the Snaefellsness Peninsula has been overrun.  Arrive early to beat the crowds.  Before it was heavily populated and roped everywhere, we photographed some gorgeous Iceland wedding photos HERE.

#16- Iceland Wedding at a Basalt Rock Sea Formation:

Reynisfjara Beach might be the best known location for spotting basalt sea formations, but there are other, far quieter locations for spotting these spectacular lava structures.  If you fancy having one of these Icelandic artworks in your wedding photos, we know just where to find them.

#17-  Iceland Green Mountain Wedding:

Iceland’s landscape covers the full spectrum of colors and textures, from frozen glaciers to thundering waterfalls, from barren lava fields through to majestic green mountains – take your pick!  In fact, our epic Iceland wedding adventures often span all of the above in a single day.

#18-  Iceland Wedding in 2300 Year Old Lava Fields:

Iceland is a hotspot for volcanic activity, and when these magnificent beasts erupt, they certainly leave their mark on the landscape – even thousands of years later.  A visit to one of these ‘out of this world’ locations will make you feel as though you’ve landed on the moon!  Relax, it’s just one more example of Iceland’s many and varied landscapes.  No doubt there is another spectacular waterfall, glacier, mountain or beach … just a short drive away.

#19-  Sod Farm Wedding in Iceland:

If green is your color, why not consider the verdant surrounds of a sod farm wedding?  Inspired by this?  Head back to our previous Iceland Wedding Planner blog post HERE to see Ciara and Jared’s rustic ranch style wedding!

#20-  Lakeside Elopement for two in Iceland:

Iceland offers the perfect setting for an adventurous elopement.  And after a full day of exploring, it’s time to retire to yet another spectacular location and enjoy one more memorable experience.  A romantic lakeside table just for two is the ideal spot to share a toast (and some delectable local cuisine!) while you celebrate your first day of married life.

Remember these two lifetime sweethearts who wed at one of Iceland’s many fresh water lakes?  Head back HERE to experience their fabulous day!

#21-  Choose an Iceland Wedding Location that looks like another Planet!

Does a barren glacier appeal to you?  How about a jagged, rocky plain or maybe even a lava landscape or some steaming, bubbling hot springs?  Iceland has just the backdrop for you!  Just imagine exchanging your vows in one of these spectacular, otherworldly settings.

#22-  Iceland Wedding in the Snaefellsness Peninsula:

If there’s one thing that Iceland does well, it’s a dramatic landscape.  So when the locals refer to the Snaefellsness Peninsula one of the most beautiful and dramatic regions in their country, well, you can guess just how spectacular this area is.  And while the Snaefellsness Peninsula is a little off the beaten path and often overlooked by most visitors, that just makes us love it even more.

#23-  Iceland Wedding on a Golden Sand Beach:

Although Iceland is known for its black sand beaches, it’s also home to several quite beautiful golden sand beaches.  If you prefer a golden backdrop on your wedding day, these ‘off the beaten path’ beaches are well worth the trek.

#24-  Get Married in Iceland on top of a Glacier!

Imagine exchanging your vows on top of a vast sheet of pure ice.  How spectacular!  Yes, it is possible, and Iceland is one of the few locations on earth where you can plan such a magical white wedding.

#25-  Iceland Sunrise or Sunset Wedding:

What a beautiful time of day to enjoy Iceland’s spectacular landscapes all to yourself.  Don’t even get us started on all of the incredible colors and hues that make an appearance at this hour.

#26- Iceland Volcano Field Wedding:

Fancy a towering Volcano as the backdrop for your wedding ceremony?    Iceland has many active volcanoes so you have plenty to choose from!  Admire the epic view as you exchange your vows in a field of ancient lava.  Wow!!

#27-  Iceland Grass Covered House Wedding:

If you’re keen to capture the spirit of ancient Iceland on your big day, how about a wedding ceremony in front of a lovely grass covered house?  Grass covered houses were actually the traditional building style in Iceland many centuries ago, and the oldest example dates all the way back to the 9th century.  At one time there were over 100,000 of them dotted across the countryside, however a wave of modern development has all but wiped them out.  Today these beautiful grass cottages are an endangered species and only a few remain.  For a (rare) slice of history on your wedding day, why not exchange your vows in front of one of these cute, turf covered houses?

#28- Hold your Iceland Wedding or Elopement at the base of a Majestic Mountain!

Who needs props or decorations when you marry in front of a breathtaking landscape that has stood for millions of years?  A majestic mountain (or two!) is one of our favorite wedding accessories!

#29- Iceland Fishing Village Wedding:

A sleepy little fishing village complete with stunning coastal scenery. Romantic, much?  We couldn’t agree more!

#30- Iceland Blue Ice Cave Wedding (the real thing, not man-made):

Imagine exchanging your vows against the backdrop of blue ice.  Iceland’s ice caves come in many beautiful hues from clear right through to deeper blues, turquoise and even shades of violet.  Your ‘something blue’ never looked so good!

#31- Have a vibrantly textured Icelandic Highlands Wedding:

How about the beauty and the serenity of a wedding in the midst of Iceland’s vast and uninhabited highlands?  The highlands are home to many of Iceland’s most spectacular sights, from mountains to glaciers, waterfalls to lava formations.  This pristine wilderness area is only accessible at certain times of the year, so some forward planning is required if you want to ensure that you’re able to visit this piece of paradise for yourself.  We would love to be your wedding day tour guides!

#32- Marry in Iceland at the famed Southern waterfalls Skogafoss or Seljalandsfoss:

If you’re dreaming of an epic backdrop for your Iceland wedding day, it doesn’t get much more impressive than this.  Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss are two thundering waterfalls located in the south of Iceland.  They are actually located just 30 minutes apart, so you can easily visit both on your wedding day.  And if the sight of a towering waterfall isn’t breathtaking enough, you can even walk behind Seljalandsfoss or hike to the top of Skogafoss for a totally different perspective.

Can you picture your wedding against any one of these drop dead gorgeous backdrops?  If you’re looking for more inspiration, you’ll find plenty on our Iceland Wedding Planner blog, and if you’re keen to learn all there is to know about weddings in Iceland, head over to our FAQ page.  Or perhaps you’re ready to start planning your own epic adventure wedding or luxury elopement in Iceland.  Perfect!  You can get in touch with us here.  We can’t wait to hear from you!

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

The post 32 Iceland Wedding Locations That Will Leave You Speechless appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

So the big questions of the week… Where are you at with your Iceland wedding planning?  Have you sent out Save-the-Dates?

Sending out Save-the-Dates is one of the most sensational parts of destination wedding planning… Who doesn’t love a good surprise?  Shocking your guests with your breathtaking wedding location can be so much fun for all involved!  After all, your friends and family at that point already know you’re engaged and are now just anticipating the big news of where you’ll be saying “I do.”  How fun for them to open up their mailbox to see your Save-the-Date as Iceland!?!  Instant reaction, I guarantee, “Umm, Iceland?  Really?  Why?” Or my personal favorite that Chris and I (and all of our guests) would continually be asked by clients and acquaintances, “So who is Icelandic?”  That one made us laugh every time.  What has been your favorite comment you have gotten during your Iceland wedding planning?

So maybe you are still in the beginning stages of planning your destination wedding in Iceland and you wonder why save the dates are important or if you should even do them?

Our personal and professional vote is that you should, if time and budget allows.  Save-the-Dates serve as the official “kick off” to your wedding day in Iceland.  Your wedding becomes, real!  I know it sounds silly, but you’ll understand what I am saying once you send them out.  From your wedding guest’s perspective, having your save-the-date 8+ months before your Iceland destination wedding date gives them enough time to save, plan for vacation time, book flights and accommodations, daydream about the trip, and it undoubtedly adds to the anticipation of your big day!

So when do you send your save-the-dates out?

To figure out that answer we need to take one step back… Your first step (if you haven’t ready) is to secure your proposed wedding date with your favorite wedding venue in Iceland (or some other dreamy locale if you’re planning locally) this is key to launching the destination wedding planning process.  <Sidebar: If you do not have a specific place in mind to marry in Iceland, do not worry, Iceland Wedding Planner can help you with that!  One of the Iceland wedding planning services (in our Iceland wedding packages) we offer to you are venue appraisals (for your Iceland wedding ceremony, Iceland wedding reception, and host hotel) so you and your soon-to-be can make the right choice contingent on your budget and desired location.>   Once that has been completed then you can let your guests know your unforgettable wedding date!

Our professional suggestion to you would be to pick a wedding date in Iceland that is at least 8+ months away.

Why book your Iceland wedding earlier versus later?

• You will have enough time to reserve your first choice Iceland wedding venue (especially if you want to wed during Iceland’s high tourist season June-August).
• First choice on reserving a host hotel that can accommodate your group size (most hotels max out at 25-ish rooms).
• You have enough time to organize all of the awesome Iceland wedding details you will need to complete your day (Iceland wedding dress, Iceland wedding photographer, Iceland wedding official, Iceland DJ, Iceland florist, Iceland wedding cake, Iceland makeup artist, Iceland hair stylist, etc.).
• Time to handle all of the legal documents and marriage license you need to get married in Iceland.
• Enough planning time to organize an epic post wedding itinerary for you and your guests (Hello, Iceland honeymoon or wedding mini-moon!).  Remember also, your guests not only get to see you get married in an amazing locale but they get to go on a vacation too!  Thus planning early and making it memorable for all involved is important (and helps in creating a better turn out).  A perfect way to engage your guests is to have a specific post wedding itinerary that they can be part of.  <Note: As Iceland wedding planners, we can help you plan out the logistics this.  This feature is included in our Iceland wedding planning package.>
• Gives you time to savor the wedding planning process, send out awesome Iceland save the dates and create an Iceland wedding website!

Unfortunately, Chris and I did not have time (see our previous post here) to send out save the dates to our guests while planning our April Iceland wedding.  Instead, we just full out shocked our guests with our Iceland wedding invitation!  Luckily though, we now get to live vicariously through our incredible Iceland wedding clients.  To give you a real life wedding example: Meet one of our remarkable clients –Tiffany & Brian.  They are a really inspiring, thrill-seeking, incredibly cute and exciting couple from Saskatchewan, Canada.  These two are so much fun that Chris and I seriously wish they lived closer!

These two have kindly allowed us to share some of their dazzling Iceland wedding details we are creating for their October 2014 Snaefellsnes Peninsula wedding.  Originally, they contacted us when they were ~21 months away from their desired wedding date (totally an ideal amount of time to plan your Iceland destination wedding).  They decided to email their save-the-dates –how fun, right?  They compiled their guest list as you would typically but ensured they also had each guests email.  They wrote a short note, bcc’d each of their guests, added their wedding website, and then attached a digital file of their Iceland destination wedding save-the-date!  Voila!  This route can be a wonderful way to save within your budget as save-the-dates are on average $1.50 each printed plus postage.  That being said, I am pleased to share with you their gorgeous Iceland Save the Date along with another fun example from one of our 2013 other local bride and grooms.

Below you’ll find some useful information for you to ponder about as you plan your Iceland destination wedding and create your own save-the-dates.

Items to include in your destination wedding Save the Date:

• Your full names.
• Your awesome destination wedding date.
• Where: Include the country and/or city you have decided to hold your destination wedding in.
• Wedding website (this is a wonderful tool to share information with your guests on your engagement, photos, travel plans, accommodations, day of schedule, menu, activity itinerary, registry, etc).
• Colors – Incorporate your wedding colors if possible.
• A fun tagline or statement to open with.  A few examples follow: “To the Land of Fire and Ice!,” “Love + Adventure = A Wedding in Iceland!,” “Pack your bags!  You’re invited to the wedding of…”  “It doesn’t matter how, just get there!”  Or how about a super exciting quote maybe from a literally sensation like Walt Whitman? My personal favorite: “I give you my love, more precious than money. I give you myself, before preaching or law. Will you give me yourself? Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?” –Walt Whitman
• Then consider either emailing to your guests or have them professionally printed.  Try to send out when you are 8 to 24 months away from your big day, if possible.

Planning a destination wedding in Iceland takes time and patience to plan fully (unless you are eloping in Iceland with no guests or very few).  Specifically, if you are planning to have guests join you for your epic Icelandic wedding adventure then please contact us!  Chris and I have been in your shoes and know it can be overwhelming because of the lack of resources.  Luckily, we have spent time building wonderful relationships with the very best people and vendors in Iceland that will all come together to make your destination wedding in Iceland easy and flawless.  We’d love to hear from you and make that happen!

With a smile, Ann Peters
Expert Iceland Wedding Photographer and Planner

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

The post Iceland Save-the-Dates appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

I hope this finds you well and in the midst of a fantastic and productive week!  So sorry for the delayed post- The week got away from me!  Between the beautiful children and newborns that we have had the pleasure of photographing in our Plymouth, Michigan portrait studio, the marvelous weddings we have photographed lately, Chris turning the big 3-0, Photos by Miss Ann has been sweetly swamped but savoring ever second.

A few weeks ago in our Iceland Reception Music blog post, I had mentioned that my mother and I shared a mother-daughter dance and one of our readers asked why I chose to do that.  Well, good news lovely, my answer is going to be rolled into this week’s topic Iceland Wedding Protocol for Family Issues & Advice for Parents.  Welcome to part 2 of 2 of our mini-series on some sensitive issues you may encounter while planning a destination wedding in Iceland (see our 1 of 2 post here on how Iceland Love Conquers All Things)!  Today, I am going to walk through some family issues Chris and I specifically ran into while we planned our Seljalandsfoss wedding and explain how we handled in hopes of helping you!

So!  Buckle your seat belts; this is going to be a long Iceland Wedding Blog Post!

You might be surprised to know, that Chris and I are both only children and come from extremely small families.  His parents are still married celebrating 30+ years of marriage and mine are divorced.  Between the two of us we also only have 25 living relatives that are spread between the USA and as far as Australia.  So you’d think having a small family equals no drama right?  Sigh, one would hope!  A little personal background on myself… My parents divorced when I was 6 years old.  I was raised by a very strong-willed single mother and have had very little contact with my father for various reasons since.  That being said, this has caused a few issues and lots of tension in our family throughout the years.

Issue #1:  Deciding on whether or not to invite a disconnected parent, certain family members, or a problematic friend to your wedding in Iceland.

As Chris and I were planning our Iceland destination wedding at Seljalandsfoss, Vik Beach, and Skogafoss Waterfall, he asked me if I wanted to send an invitation to my father or to anyone on that side of the family.  Out of respect for my father, his family, and for myself, I decided to not rush into an absolute decision.  Do you ever wonder what the protocol should be on how to handle these concerns?  I know I did!  In the beginning of our Iceland wedding planning, the first step was asking myself a few questions before drawing any pivotal conclusions.  If you’re in a similar situation with a family member or friend and find yourself torn, the below may be helpful questions to ask yourself as you plan your Iceland wedding guest list:

• Have I spent time with him/her in the last 5 years?
• Has he/she spent time trying to get to know my fiancé?
• Has he/she held a significant overall impact on my life?
• Was he/she there to support me when I had humbling or exciting life moments?
• Is the relationship worth improving?  Or is it on the contrary, toxic or drama filled?
• Would my Iceland wedding day be incomplete without him/her there?
• Would his/her presence cause drama between any other Iceland wedding guests?
• Would I regret my decision years later when I look back on my Iceland Wedding Photos?

Answering those questions may shed a bit more light your complicated relationship with that person.  Some of you may also find the above questions to be a guideline when figuring out your guest list too (we took a very similar method for our overall guest list too in order to cut it down to ensure an intimate affair).  Fortunately, in my case it was an easy answer in regards to my father.  But I know there are other Iceland destination wedding brides and grooms out there right now that might be struggling with a similar decision.  To be honest, Chris and I tend to let the rule of thumb be: no drama in all facets of our life.  It is not worth being stressed out on what should be the deemed the “happiest day of your life” because of a family member or friend.  Life is too short for that nonsense.  Instead, turn your focus to the positive people who will be there in Iceland supporting you on your big day!

Issue #2:  Who walks you down the aisle when you do not have a father to do so?

Because I chose to not have my father attend my Iceland wedding, it left 2 wedding customs open.  The first being, who would “walk me down the aisle” and the second, who would I honor with a dance at our Iceland wedding reception?  I had contemplated having my mother walk me down the aisle but I did not think she (or I) would be able to make it down the aisle without tearing up.  My future father-in-law also offered to walk me down the aisle but the more I thought about it I declined the sweet offer.  In the end, I thought it was ridicules that I even felt like I had to have someone walk me down the aisle.

The tradition itself roots from an old world tradition of arranged marriages where the family would “give away” the daughter to the husband and his family.  I instead chose to walk myself down our wedding aisle at Seljalandsfoss waterfall.  It was super surreal too; I remember every second… Jumping out of the Iceland super jeep, walking towards everyone I love, 60,000 pink rose petals, all eyes on me, how I paused and took a deep breath at the start of our aisle way, how my eyes locked onto Chris instantly, the exchange of smiles, and how my future happiness all flashed before my eyes.  For sure, one of my “somewhere in time” wedding moments!

If you find yourself in a position like I was but do want someone to walk you down the aisle, I suggest you choose someone important to you.  After all, it is an honor for them to walk you down the aisle and a special memory you will forever cherish.  We have seen many of our local and destination brides (and grooms) choose their step father, mother, father-in-law, a grandfather, a brother, godfather, an uncle, cousin, best friend, or even a son (if applicable) and actually one couple even walked down the aisle together!  Shape your Iceland wedding ceremony walk exactly to what you are comfortable with; it is your big entrance!

Issue #3:  How do I honor my parents during the Iceland wedding weekend? 

Now I know you have heard me say this before, but Chris and I typically do not embrace tradition…  We did however; feel as though our parents needed to be honored in some way during our Iceland wedding planning process too.  So we let each of our mothers choose a wedding reception song.  It was super special and a moment I know our mothers will always remember.  The typical wedding dance practice is for the bride share a dance with someone special (i.e. father or grandfather) and then the groom dances with his mother or (or grandmother).  Others we have seen choose to have each set of each parents join in the bridal party dance.

If you wish to not go that route there are other ways you thank them.  This could be as simple as a card or gift.  After our wedding was completed we created a special flush mount Iceland wedding album (we use the professional print lab: Millers) as a keepsake for our parents.  We had photos spanning from our Kauai engagement session, a few images we could salvage from our hired photogs (there were many mistakes they made that we personally had to edit out, and lots of details/candids were unfortunately missing), Iceland wedding detail photos we recreated ourselves when we returned from the trip, candid photos gathered from friends of our Iceland wedding, and some post wedding trip photos.  Giving your parents an album of your wedding day allows them to relive the big day too =)

Issue #4:  A death in the family close to your Iceland wedding day:

Sadly, I have experience on this topic too.  Literally the morning we were all driving from Plymouth, Michigan to the Toronto airport (YYZ) to catch our Iceland wedding flight (KEF) I received word that my grandmother had passed away.  I had 7 family members down in Ohio instantly affected and they called me debating on whether or not they would be coming.  I had a selfish bridezilla moment… Here I was 2 days away from saying “I do” in the land of fire and ice, why did this have to happen?!

Unfortunately, it’s at this point where you have to pick up and be a family “rock.”  I felt terrible in that moment saying this at the time, but the death had happened and there is nothing to do to change it right now.  I literally remember telling my mother, “Plans need to continue, grandma would not want for us all to stay here to bury her and grieve.  You need to see me get married in Iceland mom.”  If someone passes away that close to your wedding day it is hard for people to refocus and find the joy in your day, but I promise you that they will once they arrive at your stunning Iceland ceremony site.  We even found a way to turn the sadness into a positive.  For instance, each time we saw a picture perfect spot or a rainbow during our wedding weekend in Iceland we all said it was my grandma who had brought it to us.  Doing that really made her a part of our day and made the tragedy easier to cope with.

Overall it was really sad that it had happened so close to our wedding day, but in the grand scheme of things, life is filled with losses and I think wedding bliss and births are the things that balance them.  I’ll be honest though, if this happens to you, you will have no time to grieve.  For months after we returned I still hadn’t given myself a proper chance to grieve because Photos by Miss Ann went right into high wedding season upon our return from our wedding in Iceland.  It wasn’t until this past Jan-April that my grandmother’s death really hit me.  It was then, I finally had given myself time to grieve and honor her.  At the end of the day, you need to do what is best for you so stay strong!

Issue #5:  Someone is late to your Iceland destination wedding events: 

This one is frustrating and rightfully so.  Not 10 minutes late either… I am talking about 30+ minutes which can really have an impact to the meticulously planned wedding day itinerary.  Regrettably, this specific issue happened to us both during our Iceland wedding rehearsal (Iceland wedding welcome dinner) and at our actual destination wedding reception too.  My best advice to you is to stay positive when this actually happens, you can only change what is in your control.  Be gracious even though your first instinct will be to be upset at their inconsideration.  People do get distracted, get lost, lose track of time (especially in such an amazing locale as Iceland!), under estimate how much time it takes to get somewhere and then again there are also those folks who are always notorious late for everything.

So you’re wondering how do you combat this potential wedding problem and ensure you set him/her up for success?  Your best bet is to personally provide them with an Iceland wedding timeline card, a destination wedding schedule, or a very detailed outline/itinerary of where they need to be and when.  This detail is especially needed if this person is one of the wedding VIP’s (ie, parents, bridal party, people that affect the overall events).  We had wedding timeline cards given to the guests at time of check in at Hotel Ranga and also in their wedding welcome bags.  But looking back on our Iceland wedding weekend, I still wish I would have provided a nitty-gritty outline for our wedding VIP’s of where and when to be the day before our Seljalandsfoss wedding day.  It may have made that portion of our planning a tad bit smoother and less maddening.  Worst case scenario also would be telling that person who is particularly late, that the time to meet is actually earlier (IE, they must be present by 4pm instead of 5pm).  Then hope for the best because you have done all you can do!  If they are late, move on without them because the rest of your event and guests should not have to suffer.

Issue #6:  Either set of parents are too involved in your wedding planning or you are worried they could potentially cause an issue during:

Woohoo, we actually didn’t have this problem!  My wonderful mother, Chris’s mother and father were all very hands off when it came to our wedding plans.  After we were engaged, they merely assumed that we would be planning a destination wedding somewhere and just prepared for an extreme location.  Ha, my mom new it was going to be somewhere out of the ordinary and I think Chris’s parents hoped for a destination wedding in Australia.  Little did they know that Chris and I had already preliminary decided on just about everything even before we told them Iceland.  The things we finalized with them was the date, guest list (family addresses), any must haves they felt needed to be included, and what time-frame they would like to stay.  Later on we did finalize our 5 course wedding menu with them but luckily there were no objections to all of our hours of planning and research.

Conversely, I know of many destination wedding couples where the parents are tremendously involved and almost to a suffocating amount.  Here are a couple of mini issues that may come up within this larger issue and how you can possibly respond:

a)      Situation:  The parents are not contributing to the wedding budget and are insisting on making decisions (and/or having their names on the invitation).  What to do:Make it politely clear that this event is being funded by you and therefore all direction also is led by you.

b)      Situation: Parents insist on inviting all of their friends, co-workers, and acquaintances that you do not know.  What to do: Circle back to the root of why this event is happening, the two of you and your love.  Let them know you are uncomfortable with inviting people that you do not know and that you want this lifetime event to be one you can look back on fondly celebrating with all the people you love and adore.

c)      Situation: Your mother or mother-in-law wants you to wear her wedding dress or use mementos from her wedding day.  What to do: If you like them, use them!  Many times those items can be your “something old or borrowed.”  If not, kindly decline saying that you had a specific vision for that items role in the wedding (or you would rather not travel all that way with something so special to her) but do express your immense appreciation.  Or if you feel totally obligated to use the item (IE, like a garter, ring, or handkerchief) at least put them out for your Iceland wedding photographer to take detail photos of as you are getting ready.  Many times brides in this situation will also use the item in a different way.  Example, one of my brides pinned the handkerchief to the inside of her wedding dress and another wore the grandmother’s ring at the wedding welcome dinner the evening before (versus on the wedding day so it did not compromise her style).

d)       Situation:  <In a separated family context> One parent threatens to not attend the wedding if the other parent attends (or a certain family member).  What to do: Call his/her bluff.  It is foolish he/she would give you such an ultimatum on the most important day of your life.  It is important to make it clear that kind of behavior during your wedding weekend will not be tolerated.  This wedding is about your love and the celebration of it and he/she must put their differences to the side during.  One thing you can do to rest their worries is to let your Iceland wedding planner know to not seat them together for any of the weekend events and that there may be confrontation.  Also, let your Icelandic wedding photographer know ahead of time that there is an issue and to not put that group of family together for any wedding portraits.  Sometimes we are used as a buffer to ensure everyone behaves!  This information helps to make your big day flawless.

e)      Situation: The parents purchase items (without your input) for your wedding and they do not go along with your overall wedding vision.  What to do:  Lead by gratitude by thanking them for their continuous consideration but that you had a specific vision on that detail that you had already planned on incorporating.  If you feel obligated, try to incorporate that item (or wedding favor) into your bridal shower, bachelorette party, or wedding welcome dinner instead.

f)       Situation: Someone cannot responsibly handle alcohol.  What do to:  Make your destination wedding planner aware so they may make the reception locale aware to limit service.  You must do something about it or else you are enabling your family member to possibly cause a disruption to your lifetime event.

Iceland Wedding Planner Tip: 

Advice to parents who have children planning a destination wedding in Iceland:

• Don’t convince the couple to change their mind on their wedding location.  Iceland may sound cold, unattractive, and not on your bucket list at first to you but it will not disappoint, I promise!  You will love every second of your trip and return renewed, revived, and refocused in life.  The beauty you will experience in the Icelandic people, food, countryside, and incredible natural wonders will leave your life changed for the better.
• Remember the wedding weekend is about your child getting married!  No matter the external/internal family issues that are happening they should not be of concern during this magical time for your son or daughter.  Please put those worrisome things aside and embrace the excitement he/she is feeling.
• Offer to help.  Even if you cannot offer something financially, offer to help with the small tasks like folding invitations, putting together welcome bags, carrying the brides wedding dress while traveling, folding napkins, labels on water bottles, etc.  Any genuine thought is appreciated, I assure you.
• If you have decided to help your son or daughter financially with their Iceland destination wedding in some way, please tell them early!  Budget management is something we specifically work on early with our couples so we can stay on target to narrow or expand on “must have” and “would be nice to have” lists.
• Please do not wear the colors white, ivory, champagne, red, or polka dots.  Solid and/or neutral color tones are best in family portraits and do not detract from the bride and groom or the dynamic Iceland landscape.  Examples would be black, browns, grays, lavender, muted silver, light/royal blues.
• Give the bride and groom a heartfelt card.  Not only give them a card but write a message in there to them.  Ideas: How excited you are for them, welcoming the bride or groom to the family, marriage advice, how amazing they are together, or how proud you are.  This goes a long way now and later, I guarantee you.  Chris and I still have our cards from our parents in our Iceland love letter ceremony box.

Phew, that was a long one =) Now onto the photos of the week!  In honor of this blog topic, our parents, belated Mother’s Day and upcoming Father’s Day, please enjoy some of our family portraits!  We hope you have found this Iceland Wedding Tips Blog Post helpful as you wedding plan.  No matter if you are planning a wedding at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, Snaefellsness Peninsula, Vik Beach, Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon or another stunning part of Iceland we can help you secure locations, plan every detail, keep the peace between family members, and capture every detail with our experienced Iceland wedding photography skills.  Please feel free to contact us directly to chat more about your big day in making!

Lots of Iceland Wedding Smiles,  Ann and Chris Peters

Expert Iceland Wedding Planners and Iceland Wedding Photographers

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

The post Protocol for Family Issues & Iceland Destination Wedding Advice for Parents appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

With wedding season in full swing, we are in photography heaven with our bride and grooms so far this year.  They have chosen stunning dresses, DIY details, and been really amazing to work with.  Especially Photos by Miss Ann‘s most recent couple who was willing to take an adventurous walk to get to a pretty weeping willow tree!  Check out the striking Plymouth, Michigan wedding portraits of Traci and Jimmy Meyers below and may her DIY wedding details inspire you to have sparkly niceties of your own!

Our destination wedding in Iceland topic of the week is all about your reception music options.  Iceland has disc jockeys (dj’s) to be the MC of your event, many Iceland hotels also offer a speaker system throughout their banquet rooms that you can plug an IPOD into, there are a few Icelandic bands also available for booking.  But, my challenge to you is… Think about the wedding receptions you have been to throughout the years, did you love or hate the music?  Annoyed by the DJ?  Were you greeted with bellowing Frank Sintra songs? Songs about love and marriage? Disney themed songs?  An earthy harpist? Orchestra music?  A poppy band?  Celebrity impersonators?

A couple questions you need to ask yourselves as you consider what kind of music you would like to have played during your Iceland wedding reception:

1. What kind of music do you and your fiancé love?  Genres, vibe, tone, lyrics, etc.
2. What kind of music is enjoyable to your VIP’s (parents, bridal party, family, etc) and guests?
3. Do you want to have formal dances?  If so, you may want break the music into sections to build the energy of the event.  Example: Cocktail Hour, During Dinner, Formal Dances, and Fun/Dance Songs.
4. Are there songs on your “do not play” list?  This piece is important if hiring an Icelandic DJ for your wedding day.
5. Is there a speaker system at your Iceland wedding host hotel?  Can you plug an IPOD into the sound system?  <This is a wonderful Iceland wedding cost savings if you can. Which means you can allocate more to your Iceland wedding photography fund, woohoo!>
6. Who will you designate to run (or check in on) the wedding IPOD playlist during the event?  They will also need to be the person who ends up with the IPOD at the end of the night (if you and your hubby leave the reception early).

When planning for our destination wedding in Iceland reception music at Hotel Ranga we took a bit of an old school approach.  We wanted a formal event that still had fun laid back elements to it.  We’re not big “dancing fools” so we wanted to have some older genre easy-listening songs that would make people smile, reminisce, and laugh to.  The music would be more background music to us than anything else because our reception was focused on the 5 courses, conversation, the location, and our newly wedded bliss =)  Without further delay, here is our inclusive list of our Hotel Ranga wedding reception playlist we played from our IPOD:

Iceland Wedding Cocktail Hour Music:

“Can’t Smile Without You” by Barry Manilow

“Strangers in the Night” by Frank Sinatra

“When I Fall in Love” by Nat King Cole

“You are so Beautiful to Me” by Joe Crocker

“When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge

“Georgia on my Mind” by Ray Charles

“What the World Needs Now is Love” by Jackie Deshannon

Hotel Ranga Wedding 5 Course Dinner Music Playlist:

“Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol

“Lost in Love” by Air Supply

“You Light up my Life” by Debby Boone

“Blue Eyes” by Elton John

“Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elivs Presley

“After All” by Cher & Peter Cetra

“Whenever I Call You Friend” by Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks

“That’s What Love is For” by Amy Grant

“True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper

“My Love” by Lionel Richie

“September Morn” by Neil Diamond

“Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor

“She Believes in Me” by Kenny Rogers

“Oh Girl” by Paul Young

“Lady” by Little River Band

“Love of a Lifetime” by Firehouse

“Something” by The Beatles

“The Lady in Red” by Chris Deburgh

“You Got it All” by The Jets

“Hey Jude” by The Beatles

“Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx

“Eternal Flame” by The Bangles

“Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen

“Crazy for You” by Madonna

“Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers

Even though we were not participating in anything traditional during our 5 course wedding reception in Iceland, we felt it was important to share 3 special dances of honor in front of all we love and adore.  Our first dance was together as husband and wife, the second was shared between Christopher and his mother Donna, and the third was shared between myself and my mother, Irene.  All were super special and I am thankful we honored our parents.  Here are the song choices we picked for our Iceland wedding dances at Hotel Ranga:

Iceland Wedding Formal Dances:

Chris and Ann’s 1^st Dance Choice:  “Don’t Know Much” by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville

Chris & His Mother’s Dance Choice: “A Song For My Son” by Mikki Viereck

Ann & Her Mother’s Dance Choice: “Anyám Lánya” by Agi Szaloki (Yes, we have very strong Hungarian roots!)

After Dinner Music for Our Iceland Wedding Reception at Hotel Ranga:

“Slow Dancin’” by Johnny Rivers

“Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer

“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

“All She Wants to do is Dance” by Don Henley

“Take Me Home Tonight” by Eddie Money

“Power of Love” by Huey Lewis & The News

“Old Time Rock & Roll” by Bob Seger

“White Wedding” by Billy Idol

“Pink Cadillac” by Bruce Springsteen

“Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton

“The One” by Elton John

“Thank the Lord for the Night” by Neil Diamond

“Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys

“Young Americans” by David Bowie

“We’ve Got Tonight” by Bob Seger

“The Finer Things” by Steve Winwood

“Stuck on You” by Lionel Richie

“Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand

“Midnight Show” by The Killers

“Stars and Boulevards” by Augustana

“New Year’s Day” by U2

“You Need Me” by Anne Murray

“Save the Best for Last” by Vanessa Williams

“Tonight Tonight” by the Smashing Pumpkins

“Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco 3

“Sharp Dressed Man” by ZZ Top

“The Longest Time” by Billy Joel

“Counting Cars” by Dishwalla

“Wonderwall” by Oasis

“Beautiful Day” by U2

“Shout by Tears” for Fears

“Heros” by the Wallflowers

A couple of you lovelies have also inquired and asked what our playlist was also for our Iceland wedding welcome dinner (or some call it our Iceland Wedding Rehearsal Dinner).  I would love to share that Iceland wedding weekend playlist with you too!  Our wedding welcome dinner was held at Hotel Ranga from 7-11pm.  We had a cocktail hour, 3 course meal for our guests, had a “welcome” and “thank you” toast, celebrated our best man’s 29th birthday and also handed out our Iceland destination wedding welcome bags to each couple/person.

Our IPOD Playlist for our Iceland Wedding Welcome Dinner at Hotel Ranga (Hella, Iceland):

“Get Closer” by Seals & Crofts

“Close to You” by the Carpenters

“Nobody Does it Better” by Carly Simon

“Lonely People” by America

“Everything I Own” by Bread

“Don’t Make My Brown Eyes Blue” by Crystal Gayle

“Fire and Rain” by James Taylor

“I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song” by Jim Croce

“Midnight Blue” by Melissa Manches

“Silly Love Songs” by Paul McCartney

“Your Love has Lifted Me Higher” by Rita Coolidge

“I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher

“In My Life” by The Beatles

“Sailing” by Christopher Cross

“More than Words” by Extreme

“Angel” by Jon Secada

“You Make it Real” by James Morrison

“All I Want is You” by Barry Louis Polisar

“Oh My Love” by John Lennon

“Morning has Broken” by Cat Stevens

“Mad About You” by Belinda Carlisle

“Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes

“The Next Time I Fall” by Peter Cetera & Amy Grant

“Endless Summer Nights” by Richard Marx

“Stay” by Lisa Loeb

“Just You and Me” by Zee Avi

“Sweet Pea” by Amos Lee

“The Luckiest” by Ben Folds

“Dearest” by Buddy Holly

“Truly” by Lionel Richie

“Straight from the Heart” by Bryan Adams

“Making Love out of Nothing” by Air Supply

“Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper

“Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney

“To Be With You” by Mr. Big

“Do You Remember” by Jack Johnson

“Everything” by Michael Buble

“You and I Both” by Jason Mraz

“This Will Be Our Year” by The Zombies

“Little Shadow” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

“12 Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips

“Love Never Fails” by Brandon Heath

“Making Memories” of Us by Keith Urban

“I Go Crazy” by Paul Davis

“Can’t Take My Eyes of You” by Frankie Valli

“Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts

“Fallin’ In Love” by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds

“You Decorated My Life” by Kenny Rogers

“Linger” by The Cranberries

“You Gotta Love Someone” by Elton John

“She’s Like the Wind” by Patrick Swayze

“Perfect Girl” by Sarah McLachian

“Only Time” by Enya

“Masterpiece” by Atlantic Starr

Phew, that’s a lot of songs!  Hopefully you’ll find yourself grabbing a few of these songs (or from our previous post Iceland Ceremony Music Ideas) to create your own amazing Iceland destination wedding reception music or Iceland wedding IPOD playlist!  I know all of these little details may be overwhelming especially making it all happen in Iceland, but that is exactly why we are here to help you smooth out those overwhelming bumps!  Please contact us at any point to help you plan and also be your awesome photographers for your unforgettable destination wedding in Iceland!

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 Iceland Destination Wedding Reception Music Ideas appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

This past week was a perfect example of April showers bringing May flowers.  Three days of rain suddenly brought green grass, blossoming trees, tulips, engagements, weddings, and babies!  Crazy amounts of sweet newborns have come through our home studio in Plymouth, Michigan for newborn portrait photography (hello 2013 spring baby-boom!).

This week, we’re backing up to update you on one of our previous posts… Several of you ladies have emailed us to get more background on why we chose to have a Love Letter Ceremony when we held at our Iceland wedding at Seljalandsfoss waterfall in April of 2012.  Good news, we wrote a fabulous Iceland blog post on this last year entitled, “Alternative Unity Ceremony Idea: Love Letter Ceremony,” so please check it out first!

In the meantime, I will give you a little more background and an update to that post!  You see, when we were planning our Iceland destination wedding, we tried finding Icelandic traditions to possibly incorporate.  Although neither one of us is from Iceland or any of our guests, we definitely wanted to bring in the uniqueness of the country being nothing like any other.  It is seriously unlike any other country you will visit, so embrace it!  Most of the Icelandic traditions involve having very simplistic wedding plans like holding the ceremony at a local country church and reception at the bride’s family’s home.  Nevertheless, we did come across three Icelandic traditions we did want to integrate into our action packed wedding day at Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Vik Beach, with a stop at Thorvaldseyri Farm (at the foot of the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano that famously erupted 2 years before- exactly to the date of our wedding day), and Hotel Ranga, follow below:

1. Holding a wedding welcome dinner the evening before our Iceland destination wedding.  Icelandic natives turn their weddings into a span of a few day celebrations.
2. Providing our guests with a 5 course wedding meal.
3. Love letters: In early Iceland, we found that love letters were the foundation of courtships.

From everything my husband and I read, researched, and have experienced we have found that the Icelandic culture loves the outdoors no matter the temperature, celebrates with fresh foods, smoked meats, strong drinks, and camaraderie.  Very much in tune with what we were after for our Iceland destination wedding.  So along with planning and providing a 3 course “welcome dinner” the evening before our wedding day for all our Iceland wedding guests, we also felt it was important to have a 5 course Iceland wedding reception meal so that our guests could partake in the unique, fresh, and memorable food Iceland had to offer.  The third thing that was Iceland inspired for our wedding day was integrating the love letters, by adding our own unique twist.  We made the letters tradition a part of our Iceland wedding ceremony at Seljalandsfoss waterfall and had that be the foundation of our unity ceremony.  It was a unique alternative to the other unity ceremony options we see every weekend.  Feel free to read our Iceland blog post on this topic for specific details and wording for the unity letter ceremony.

If you’re a weekly visitor of ours (thank you!), you know that Chris and I just celebrated our first year wedding anniversary on April 14th with an Iceland inspired couples session last month, check it out here if you missed it!  After we took photos inspired by our Seljalandsfoss wedding and the gorgeous Vik beach cave and rock formations, we said our wedding vows to each other again, and then we also did an update to our original Love Letter Ceremony.  Okay, so we actually didn’t “lock” our love letter ceremony box when our Iceland wedding officiant closed it during our Iceland wedding ceremony because we had to stuff more things inside of in order to pack efficiently.  When we returned home we did just as the ceremony said, we displayed it in a prominent spot in our home (our china cabinet we pass by many times throughout the day).  But the more I thought about the meaning behind the ceremony itself and how much our lives have changed in the last year, I thought it would be important to do an update and write another letter to our future selves.

Now selling my husband, Chris on the idea was tougher (lol).  Lucky me though, he sees the value in it.  So on the actual day our wedding anniversary, April 14^th we opened up our last bottle of our Iceland wedding champagne from Domaine Chandon, pulled out our last Papyrus stationery card, and wrote a new letter to each other.  I personally wrote about how much I have struggled with finding the right balance. Most of the married couples that have come back to us through the years for Plymouth, Michigan portrait photography all say the first year is the hardest, and I must agree.  Mainly because you are finding that balance for communicating, domestic chores, planning and cooking meals, working crazy schedules, idiosyncrasies and still finding the time to go out on dates!   So! Chris and I toasted to another great year, sealed the letters together and wrote on the outside of the envelope “Written on our 1^st Anniversary.”  How fun, right?  I think this is an awesome addition to a love letter ceremony tradition, so much that maybe we’ll do this every year on our Iceland wedding anniversary!  Gives me chills just thinking about the impact all these letters will have on our future selves!

Have you thought about what sort of unity ceremony you will have for your Iceland destination wedding?

Our destination wedding style in Southern Iceland (Hella, Iceland) was very adventurous, action-packed, romantic, energetic, and very particular about food and drinks (in quality, quantity, and menu uniqueness) for ourselves and our guests.  It was important to Chris and I to plan an Iceland wedding reception that was focused on those elements versus “partying” or dancing.  So if you’re thinking of a comparable focus for your Iceland wedding, please contact us to be your inclusive wedding planners and photographers!

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 Icelandic Wedding Traditions: Love Letter Ceremony Update appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Outside of holding our Iceland wedding ceremony at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, one of my favorite “gives me goose bumps” moments from our Iceland wedding planning was arranging my husband, Chris’s day of wedding gift.

So many of you might be scratching your head right now wondering what I mean… So you ask, “Ann, what is a day of gift?”  A day of gift goes both ways: Bride surprises her soon to be and groom surprises the bride with a gift, showing the enthusiasm and anticipation of their wedding day.  This can be simplistic or elaborate; it’s all in how you are as a couple.  I’ll paint a picture for you on how we planned and exchanged our wedding day of gifts in Iceland so you may understand better.

Chris and I in a nutshell are “Type A” personalities in case you haven’t figured that out yet.  We are crazy detailed, thrive on adventure and we really seek it out in our travels and everyday life.  Fun fact: This is exactly why our Photos by Miss Ann tagline was coined years ago as, “Thriving on Adventure and Love…”  As cliché as it sounds, we truly do live life with no regrets and strive each day to do so as we build our personal lives together and individually, our businesses, and our bucket lists.  That being said, buying gifts for each other is really hard!  Neither of us wears jewelry nor have a burning desire for a specific tangible good, but we do both enjoy a challenge that is near to impossible.  So when we talked about whether or not we would exchange “day of gifts” on our wedding day in Iceland, we both agreed it would be fun and then swapped sneaky smiles!  Our marvelous challenge for Iceland wedding day of gifts commenced!

I racked my brain for a few days on what sort of everlasting sweet gift I could give Chris that could forever hold an impression on our marriage, make him tear up, and then it came to me!  One of our all-time favorite movies on the planet is “Somewhere in Time,” (circa 1980).  It’s a mushy time traveling film with Jayne Seymour and Christopher Reeve that is about two soul mates finding each other despite there being generations of time between them.  The catalyst of the time travel is a pocket watch from the early 1900’s and that simple element ignited my memory!  Chris had inherited one from his great grandfather decades ago, that he had always talked about getting restored to its original glory, just never had.  It was in really bad shape i.e., missing glass, hands, internal components, and needed heavy refinishing, so it took several months for the clock shop to find parts.

A week before we were leaving for our Iceland destination wedding, I picked up the pocket watch gift and was in total awe.  My gift to Chris was going to be time…Why?  Time is something we all run short on when we fall in love.  It seems like once we say, “Yes!” to “Will you marry me?” life gets jammed on the fast forward button and goes faster than we wish.  I think as couples in love, we forget to keep “dating” each other and do not always savor those small moments in the midst of all those big upcoming life moments.  Does that make sense?  Truthfully, I am not a woman of many emotions, but seeing and holding that watch, knowing what it represents, and then putting it inside the engraved box, immediately brought tears to my eyes.  The outside of the box was engraved simply with, “Today, I promise to love you until the end of time.”  There was no way I could have chosen a better wedding gift for him, it was truly priceless.  To top it off, I did add a super sweet card to his wedding day of gift that I had planned to hide in his tux pocket that playfully said, “I cannot wait to see your smile down the aisle!”  I packed everything in my polka dot carry on that night and did not even think about that he was going to give me a gift too!

Fast-forward to barely a week later, we had made it to Iceland, got our marriage license, checked out our wedding ceremony location at Seljalandsfoss, saw some rainbows at Skogafoss, and ran around Vik Beach just to make sure all three were our final choices for the following wedding day adventure.  After we finished, all of our to-do’s and were awaiting the start time of our Iceland wedding welcome dinner.  Chris suggested then, that this would probably be the last quite moment we would share together before the hustle and bustle of the wedding weekend had begun.  We decided to give each other our wedding day of gifts the evening before our wedding day.  I grabbed my special gift to him and gleamed with excitement as I handed it to him.  Chris gave me a curious look but still had no idea as he unwrapped the gift and read the outside of the special box.  Once he opened the box and saw his grandfather’s watch in its pristine glory, he instantly got choked up and shed a few tears even!  <Success! Bridal happy dance!>

After a few minutes he collected himself and told me to close my eyes <Eeeeek, I hate surprises, grrrr!> it was the longest 5 minutes ever!  I heard him fumbling around but didn’t really realize what he was doing until he said, “Open!”  Chris had spent months tirelessly building Photos by Miss Ann a new website from scratch, no templates, no predesigns, only him and the world of coding!  How incredibly thoughtful and such a unique surprise for him to give me!  All those months before our Iceland destination wedding, I had just thought he had been gaming on his computer until the wee hours of the night (Ahem, while I Iceland wedding planned, LOL) and really he had been doing a labor of love for my photography business!  <3

Chris and I dislike traditional things for the most part, but one thing in our wedding planning we did keep was ensuring he did not see me in my wedding dress until I walked down the aisle to him.  So after breakfast the morning of our Iceland wedding at Seljalandsfoss, we parted ways.  The really sweet thing was that we had saved exchanging cards until the morning of when we were both getting ready at Hotel Ranga.  I was getting my Iceland wedding dress on in the Royal Honeymoon Suite with my maid of honor and Chris was getting ready in another room with his best man.  Reading his card once I had my Iceland wedding dress on made it even more real and made me blaze with even more excitement!  Chris went to put his antique pocket watch in his inside tux pocket and was surprised to find my card while he and the rest of our guests loaded the bus for our surprise Iceland wedding ceremony location: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall.  Sharing our Iceland wedding gift moment with Chris, will be forever be that “somewhere in time” moment for us!

In our opinion, day of gifts set the tone of the wedding weekend or wedding day.  Every bride wants her groom completely enamored with her on their destination wedding weekend especially in Iceland!  This little detail of gift giving before your wedding day expresses the appreciation you have for each other and exciting captivation you both have for saying “I do!” that day.  We’d love to share with you some ideas for your day of gift to your soon-to-be:

Day of Gift Ideas for the Bride:

• A Heartfelt Card.
• Red Roses or her favorite flower!
• Diamond earrings or her birth stone (whichever she may prefer).
• A Bracelet or Necklace (ladies do not feel obligated to wear it on your wedding day).
• An item to complete your home (Example, A small bistro set for the porch or backyard to have dinner or coffee on together).
• Book an exclusive dinner for your Honeymoon (Example: Like what we did on our honeymoon at the Ayana Resort in Bali Indonesia: Pesta Lobster dinner on their private jetty).
• Something from Tiffany & Co.
• A sweet Souvenir from the destination wedding location you have chosen (maybe something that goes along with an inside joke you guys have?).
• Have the wedding night suite furnished before your arrival with a rose petal pathway, champagne, and fresh fruit (all the fabulous hotels we work with in Iceland offer this as an add on)!

Day of Gift Ideas for the Groom:

• A Heartfelt Card.
• A Basket of His Favorite Things.
• A Watch (Feel free to totally steal our pocket watch idea- just make sure you have your Iceland wedding photographer take a photo!)
• Book a surprise adventurous activity for your awesome honeymoon!
• That “must have” electronic he has been eying.
• An item to complete your home or to support his favorite hobby (Example, A workbench for him to build projects on).
• A World Map of your Travels Together (past, present, and future)!  This was actually Chris’s first gift he ever gave me.  Three years later, we still love plotting our travels on it, so much fun!
• Have a sweet saying engraved on the inside of his wedding ring. (Ideas: “Forever,” “Better Together,” “Fire & Ice,” “A Perfect Fit,” “Remember When…” “I Choose You, Every Day,” “Love Never Fails”).

If you’re having a destination wedding in Iceland and the wedding gift is too big, bulky, isn’t tangible to bring, it’s totally okay to print out a picture of your gifted item, put it in a small box, and wrap it for him/her to open.  In the end, it’s all about the thought and adding to the excitement of your wedding day!  We hope this blog post featuring our destination wedding in Iceland tip: “Day of Gift” has encouraged you and your soon-to-be to exchange special wedding day gifts!

Epically Yours as Iceland Wedding Photographers and Planners,

Ann & Christopher Peters

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

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