Your adventurous, avid travelers, and are seekers of moments, not things.  You yearned for an EXPERIENCE, not just a wedding day, right?

< Enter in the idea for a destination wedding >

Then the brainstorming began of where would have endless adventures, dynamic landscape for wedding photos, and be affordable for the majority of your wedding guests…

< Enter in Iceland >

Then you stumbled upon the idea of having an adventure wedding in Iceland… BRILLIANT. DONE. SOLD.  Woohoo!  Now that you’re planning a wedding in Iceland  with guests (and not eloping in Iceland), you need to devise a plan so that your Iceland wedding day is going to go down as: THE WEDDING OF THE YEAR.  So how do you do that successfully with or without an Iceland Wedding Planner?

Step 1:

Create a wedding website with useful information that makes it easy for your guests to make the decision to come (IE, Why you chose Iceland for your destination wedding location, Accommodation Room Block Information, Rental Car Info, Things to Do, How to Drive in Iceland, What to Pack, What to Wear to an Iceland Wedding Day, Best Hot Springs, Your Iceland Wedding Day Schedule, Pre/Post Wedding Itinerary, Gift Registry, etc).

Step 2: 

Get Your Guests EXCITED to come!  How?  Send a little “gift” with your invitation (like a map of the island, Icelandic candy, etc).

Step 3:

Send a newsletter update via email at the 9, 6, 3 and 1 month away marks to formally connect with your guests (also helps you track your room block information, meal choices, and reminds your guests that you care about them having an unforgettable time when they come to your Iceland wedding!).

Step 4:

Take your honeymoon 3-6 months after your wedding in Iceland so that you can design an epic pre and post wedding adventures WITH your guests in tow.  After all, you CHOSE Iceland for some fantastic reasons, so show them the best of the island (your way)!  Even if many your guests are not as adventurous as the two of you, they will live vicariously through you and feel honored to participate at different points.

Step 5:

When your guests check in to your Iceland wedding hotel, have welcome bags for them (either have the front desk give to each guest at time of check-in OR ask your fabulous Iceland Wedding Planner or Hotel if they can put them into each guests room).  Iceland Wedding Welcome Bags can have things in it like… Water, Tissues, Antacids, Tylenol/Advil, Hangover Kit, Hand Lotion (check out Soley products), Hand Sanitizer, Pepto-Bismol, Breath Mints, Shout Wipes, Chapstick, Eye Mask and Earplugs (if getting married in Iceland during summer solstice), Snacks (peanuts, cliff bars), Umbrella / Rain Poncho, Local Icelandic things like (dried fish jerky, licorice, chocolate, a wool item, map, or other awesome party favors).

Step 6:

Hold a “Welcome” Dinner or Cocktail Hour the day before your Iceland wedding day.  It gathers and focuses people.  Plus, it builds the anticipation of embarking on your adventure wedding day in Iceland!  Have a signature drink, either Icelandic (or American) appetizers OR a full sit-down 3 course meal.  If doing appetizers and drinks only, I suggest a 5-6pm timeframe.  If doing dinner, then start at 7pm (30 minutes per course).  NOTE: It’s important for people to GET SLEEP, so be mindful of this.

Step 7:

At the beginning or end of the welcome event pass out a physical Timeline Card/Schedule to each guest.  This is critical so that everyone is fully aware (no excuses) of when and where they need to be.  No one wants to be “that guy/gal” who shows up late, holds everyone up, or ruins an itinerary.  Set your guests up for success (and less stress) by communicating the schedule to them.  See here or here for an example Iceland wedding timeline card.

Step 8:

Allow us to design a full day adventure for your Iceland wedding day.  The landscape is unforgettable and being able to explore it with your guests is unlike anything they will EVER experience.  Imagine yourself saying “I do” at a private waterfall with zero tourists, discovering secret caves, marveling over massive glaciers, green mountains, trekking through canyons, and secluded black sand beaches with stunning rock formations!  Say what?!  Um yeah, seriously.  Your guests will be left speechless by the end of the day.

Step 9:

Seat your wedding guests during your Iceland wedding ceremony.  Nothing worse for a guest than having to stand through a ceremony in the cold/wind/rain, etc.  So be kind and courteous to their needs since they came all that way!  See HERE for more information on that topic.

Step 10:

Have an Unplugged Wedding Ceremony.  Why?  See our previous blog post HERE to understand better.  It encourages your guests to be PRESENT and in the moment WITH YOU.  Your guests may be miffed for a hot second but in the end, it will prove to have a larger impact on them, I promise.

 Step 11: 

Keep Guests Comfortable.  If going forward with an adventure wedding in Iceland, then you need to make sure (if you haven’t hired us as your Iceland Wedding Planner) there are scheduled bathroom breaks, a bathroom on the bus, or you have porta potties in tow.  Also be sure to have lunch and/or snacks available to your guests throughout the day (IE, fruit, snack sized chips, cliff bars, waters, sodas, etc).  This will avoid anyone getting “hangry.”

Step 12:

Have a scheduled “bail out” point if needed during the day (if your guest list includes any children under 10, over 70 years old or just in general less adventurous fair weather folks) AND a designated “rest” time between the adventure portion and the reception dinner.  At least an hour is needed for guests to be able to rest, refresh, and catch a second wind.  They will thank you later for this!

Step 13:

Introduce your Iceland wedding guests to some cultural elements!  Craft your wedding menu to have some local delicacies such as the following: Mushroom Soup, Icelandic Meat Soup, Langoustine, Scallops, Arctic Char, Reindeer, Lamb, or Skyr Cake.  Adding in an Icelandic Wedding Cake is a fun option as well!

Step 14:

Save any speeches or toasts for after the main course.  Toasts are best enjoyed by everyone on a full belly.

Step 15:

Have an open bar (unless there are sensitive circumstances as to why you cannot).  It’s not very pleasant for a guest to have travelled thousands of miles to find out their “friends” cannot buy them a glass of wine or a beer.  But know it’s okay to have curved limits like stating on the bottom of your menu “Beverages: Sodas, Coffee, Tea, Beer, and Wine” which implies cocktails or hard liquors are on the guests’ dime.  Or telling the hotel it’s okay to have an “open bar” if bottles or 30-year-old whiskies, etc are not included.  Just be tactful about it and not tacky to save a few bucks.

Step 16:

Be sure (if you have not hired us as your Iceland wedding photographer) you specifically ask your Iceland wedding photographer to take candid and posed photos (of the couples).  It’s a nice keepsake for you and the couples to have and remember later!

Step 17:

Schedule some post wedding day awesomeness for you and your Iceland wedding guests.  Maybe an activity like Inside the Volcano? Glacier Ice Climbing or Hiking? Horseback Riding? Scuba or Snorkeling between the famed tectonic plates?  Or how fun would it be for you all to caravan with walkie talkies throughout the Golden Circle and end the day in some secret hot springs?!  It would be an unforgettable end to your wedding events!

Step 18:

Send “thank you” notes to your guests regardless of them sending you a gift or not.  That simple.  If they came to your Iceland destination wedding, they deserve to be “thanked”  for coming formally.  Do it within 6 weeks after your Iceland wedding day.

Following these easy straightforward steps will ensure your guests are happy during your wedding day in Iceland and them remembering yours as THE BEST DAY EVER!

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

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

The post 18 Steps to Planning an Iceland Wedding Your Guests Will Never Forget appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Do you ever get those?

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

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

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

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

Weddings in Iceland with us equal adventure, that simple.

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

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

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

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

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

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

During their last few days of their journey through the land of fire and ice, they spent a day with us exploring the dynamic and colorful Icelandic wintry landscape!

They hiked.  They climbed.  They even said “yes” to my request for them to repel down into cave through a snow tunnel!

True adventurers who were after an unforgettable honeymoon!  …and they got it! ?

Thank you Maegan and Jesse for choosing us and Your Adventure Wedding to plan and photograph such a gorgeous honeymoon session in Iceland!

With a smile, Ann Peters (Iceland Wedding and Honeymoon Photography)

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

The post Iceland Honeymoon Adventure | Maegan + Jesse appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

I am firm believer in being in the right place at the right time.  I’m also always fascinated by the fact that is exactly how the best love stories begin.  …and our clients, for some reason, always seem to have this theme in common and especially since adventurous folks tend to find each other.  This week’s fabulous featured destination wedding couple, is no exception.  Sarah and Alex met in Sydney, Australia’s market square one random Saturday morning, which then led into several years adventuring together conquering, discovering, pushing their limits and comfort zones through travel and unforgettable experiences!  This pair was also lucky enough to win our/Brides Without Borders 2015 Nordic Elopement Contest.  Please check out their super fun video entry and love story below to understand why they won!

Sarah and Alex began planning their Nordic Elopement with us, shortly after the contest close, in March 2015 and were open to being married in all of the Arctic countries and wholeheartedly embraced the adventure wedding concept, the unique challenges and scenes each country presented!  Our team at Your Adventure Wedding, presented many unforgettably unique itinerary options in the following countries: Lapland (Northern Finland), Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Lofoten Islands (Northern Norway), and the Faroe Islands.  In the end, Sarah and Alex craved the extreme snow, Northern Lights, and the very distinct activities the Lapland route held.

So it was then, that Alex and Sarah very enthusiastically decided, they would elope on Tuesday, December 1^st 2015 in Lapland!  This timing also coincided to be at the beginning of their month long holiday to discover Europe!  Neither one of their families knew about their secret entry to the Nordic Elopement Contest or their plans to take their relationship to the next level, but were thrilled to see the stunning images our sister company, Photos by Miss Ann captured afterwards!

The trek to Lapland begins in Helsinki, Finland and then you take a Finnair flight to Ivalo (approx. 2 hours).  The magnificent Kakslauttanen Igloo Village was chosen as the Lapland adventure wedding host hotel and resides an easy 40 minute drive from the Ivalo airport.

The morning of the wedding began at 6:30am with Sarah and Alex getting ready in their comfy Kelo-Glass Igloo Cabin and by 8:15am they were in route to their romantic wedding ceremony!  …and boy were they surprised when they arrived!  A beautifully lit glass teepee stood out in the early morning darkness!  (Side Note: There was only 1.5 hour of daylight during this specific day so time was needed to be planned and used wisely).  As they walked towards the teepee, candles and rose petals summoned them to come inside. The dreaminess doubled as they opened the door… Thousands of multicolored rose petals (compliments of Flyboy Naturals) and tea lights overtook the floor.  Your Adventure Wedding, honestly made it look like a romantic scene from a movie!  Sarah glided over them all smiles as she met Alex at the end!  They were married by a Scandinavian Civil Authority in a sweet little elopement ceremony and continued on with their epic adventure in Lapland!

We whisked them away to a path that led down to the famed glass igloos we have all had on our token “bucket list” and then onto a snowy quite cabin area nearby the national park and had a passionate toast to their newly wedded bliss!  They trekked around hand in hand in the knee high snow after for the perfect winter wedding portraits!  As the sun set and the darkness crept in, it was time for their afternoon adventure wedding activity, dog sledding!  Sarah and Alex bundled up and savored every second of their intoxicating journey mushing the dogs through the Lappish wilderness!  The action packed schedule, still allowed for a little break to warm up, relax, and catch their second wind too.  5 o’clock brought a visit to Santa’s Village, because after all how can you visit Lapland, the origin of Santa without paying the man a visit, right?!

Nighttime wedding portraits officially began and Photos by Miss Ann was fully equipped to create some amazing images that night.  A gorgeous bridge outside of Santa’s home provided the essence of the snowy backdrop that Sarah and Alex yearned for as you’ll see below.   They ran around together laughing and exploring the Igloo Village for about another hour then it was time for their sweetly styled (by us, Your Adventure Wedding) reception for two!

As they entered into their private luxury elopement reception space, they noticed the beautiful rose petals from Flyboy Naturals accented the table and transformed the floor into a magical space!  Finnish handmade reindeer His & Hers scarves served not only as their party favors for the night but also their chair ties!  A “Love” marque sign set the background of their sweetheart table.  Other Nordic wedding reception details they found where Mr. + Mrs. Burlap accented glasses, and slate colored napkins which were tied with a triangle mountain “bride” and groom” napkin ring.  Swoon-worthy details!

During their last course of their delicious 4 course dinner and conversation, the Northern Lights faintly appeared!  Perfect timing too as it was time for the last portion of their 16 hour wedding adventure through Lapland… a horse drawn sleigh ride through the fresh snow that fell throughout the day’s expedition!  Nothing like ending your whimsical Nordic elopement snuggled up in a sleigh together!  Half way through the ride we were able to stop the horse for some snowy and faint Northern Lights wedding photos!  What a grand way to end such a magical unforgettable day in Lapland!  Please enjoy Sarah + Alex’s Finland wedding portraits at the Igloo Hotel & Village below (compliments of  Photos by Miss Ann)!

See Sarah & Alex’s video entry and love story adventures here!

PS- Make sure you check out the beautiful feature (and more photos) Huffington Post and Brides Without Borders did on this gorgeous wedding!

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

© 2016, Your Aventure Wedding / Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved

The post Wedding Adventure at Kakslauttanen Igloo Hotel appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Welcome to the Weekend Brides and Grooms to be!

I hope this blog post finds you well and super excited to be planning your Iceland destination wedding!  You have officially started an amazing Iceland wedding adventure and we’re ecstatic you have consulted us here at Photos by Miss Ann (the “Iceland Wedding Planner“).

Where are you in your wedding planning process?  Have you committed to Iceland as your destination wedding location and now find yourself overwhelmed with next steps?  My husband and I were there once, so don’t worry you are in good company!  It is really interesting to see how the wedding industry in Iceland has not evolved as elaborately as it has in North America and Canada.  Iceland is such an amazing country offering perfect wedding photo locations, fresh foods and flavors, incredibly kind and generous people, epic adventure, stunning scenery, and is really not as far away as people think!  More brides and grooms should consider Iceland as their destination wedding location. …or we should all keep this our gorgeous little secret!

If you have not sent us a note about our Iceland Wedding Planning or Iceland Wedding Photography services, please contact us for more information on how we would be an asset to your special day!  We have established partnerships with the best in the country to ensure your Iceland wedding day is flawless.

Today, we would like to share with you some of the “general” Iceland wedding ceremony locations you could choose to to say “I do” at.  ….we typically plan off-the-beaten-path spots for our own clients!

Please Note: We no longer plan or photograph at the main stream locations we talk about below. We would rather take you on an adventure away from typical tourist locations via super jeep or helicopter for you Iceland Wedding Day or intimate Iceland Elopement! Please contact us for more details!

1. Iceland Wedding Location: The Blue Lagoon

2.  Iceland Wedding Location: Cape Dyrholaey

The most Southern point in Iceland

3. Iceland Wedding Location: Country Church in Budir, Iceland

4. Iceland Wedding Location: Country Church in Hellnar

The Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland (Iceland church by the sea)

5. Iceland Wedding Location: Dimmuborgir

(The area is composed of various volcanic caves,

rock formations and amazing for Iceland Wedding Portraits)

6. Iceland Wedding Location: Godafoss Waterfall

(Incredibly powerful and stunning for Iceland Wedding Photos)

7. Iceland Wedding Location: Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon

(Who else will have Iceland Wedding Photos with glaciers in them?! You!)

8. Iceland Wedding Ceremony Location: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

(One of our favorite Iceland wedding photography

locations where you can go behind the waterfall too!)

9. Iceland Wedding Location: Skaftafell National Park (Stunning traditional turf houses in the Sandar region of Iceland)

10. Iceland Wedding Location: Skogafoss Waterfall

(A very powerful waterfall where double rainbow wedding photos are abound!)

11. Iceland Wedding Location: Svartifoss Waterfall

(In the Skaftafell National Park- Sandar region of Iceland)

12. Iceland Wedding Location: Thingvellir National Park

(The path along Almannagja where the American and European

continental plates drift apart. Married at the Tectonic Plates…How unique!)

13. Iceland Destination Wedding Location: Vik Beach

(Black sand, a cave, basalt rock formations all equal an epically

romantic Iceland wedding photography location)!

Our post today is only a small representation of the most frequented Iceland wedding ceremony locations.  The country has many more beautiful locations to make your Iceland wedding photography incredible, so please contact us for additional details in planning your dream wedding in Iceland!

Stay tuned for our next post topic: Destination Wedding Etiquette

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

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

The post Iceland Wedding Locations appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.