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.

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.

Do you remember their stunning Iceland wedding last April?  It was magical.  If you cannot recall right away, I encourage you to go back HERE or to Destination I Do  Magazine to swoon over their dreamy Iceland wedding day!

Bethany + Richard, we wish you an endless amount of more anniversary’s to share and we welcome you back to Iceland anytime =)  …savor this amazing time together!

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

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

The post Idyllic Iceland Wedding Anniversary 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.

Today, you’ll find Shira + Matan‘s amazing Iceland adventure wedding celebrated on Destination I Do Magazine!  Go check out the amazing feature, here!

PS- Come back next week because we have on tap one of our BEST Iceland Wedding Blog Posts EVER (yes I dare to say that, for real)!

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

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

The post Iceland Wedding Adventure Featured | Destination “I Do” Magazine appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

I can hardly believe it’s been a year today that Paul + Marc held one of the most memorable adventure weddings I have had the pleasure of planning and photographing!  These two endured one of the windiest and wettest wedding days EVER.  Best Part: They did nothing but SMILE and LAUGH their way through it!  They along with their 50 guests were brilliant adventurers throughout the incredible 18 hour adventure wedding day!

Do you remember their amazing Iceland wedding in a cave or how about their frigidly awesome Iceland Pre-Wedding Session?  You may also recall their wedding was also featured by MyWedding.com, Scottish newspaper: The Sun, and was also voted into the Top 5 Real Weddings for 2015!  See here =)

Gentlemen,  Happy Anniversary!  I know you’re already Iceland addicts, so I look forward to seeing you again soon on your next visit to the Land of Fire + Ice! ?

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 Winter Wedding Anniversary appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Woohoo!!!  Kim + Chris, Happy 1 Year Wedding Anniversary!  …Now, I beg you to come back to Iceland and do it all over again! …Or at the very least browse through your epic Iceland wedding day images again =)

Do you remember all of the amazing blogs that published their fab Iceland summer wedding?  Brides without Borders was the first and then came The Frosted Petticoat!  You may also see many of their stunning images on our Blog… Go back to their wedding ceremony at Reynisfjara Beach, their dreamy wedding portraits at Skogafoss Waterfall here, Dyrholaey Cliff wedding photos here, and their GORGEOUSLY styled Iceland wedding reception here.

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

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I hope this finds you well and super excited for the upcoming weekend!  So where does an adventurous bride who loves mountains and earthy wonders go to plan her wedding or elopement?  Well if she is anything like us, she heads over to one of the top wedding blogs out there, the prestigious Mountainside Bride!  Farid + Vanessa’s enticing Iceland elopement is showcased on their wonderful blog today… take a sweet second and check it out here! 

With a smile, Ann & Chris (Iceland Wedding Photographers)

The post Iceland Elopement Featured on Mountainside Bride appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Thanks for joining us this week!  We had the pleasure of photographing our first Lebanese-Ecuadorian wedding earlier this month.  The wedding was rich in cultural elements that we just loved!  The gorgeous venues were the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, Wildwood Manor for wedding portraits and Central Park West for the reception.  Emad (Lebanese) and Melanie (Ecuadorian) actually met during medical school in Ecuador and held a friendship of 5 years before they ventured down the path of newly wedded bliss!  Both coming from very opulent cultures, they decided to plan a wedding that not only featured their love and commitment, emanated two cultures, but also celebrated the combining of two families.

The bride, Melanie brought in several traditions from Ecuador, such as her family made wedding dress and Latin music.  The groom Emad, with his strong roots in the Lebanese culture,  brought traditions such as an Islamic wedding ceremony (signing of contracts), elaborate entrance to their reception,  Dabke dancing (a type of Arabic group folk dancing), and a tossing petals exit.  This wedding hands down was one of the joyous and most energetic wedding days I have ever had the honor of being a part of.  My cheeks hurt from smiling by the end of the night!

This remarkable wedding leads perfectly into our topic today… Culture + Weddings!  Incorporating your cultural sparkle into your wedding day can really add meaning for both you and your guests.  It doesn’t have to be the entire tradition either; it could simply be a portion.  There are several different ways you can adapt a cultural tradition to complement your wedding day so I encourage you to think outside the box!  Even if you’re not having an Iceland destination wedding you can still think about adding in a few of these elements you admire or to embrace your ethnic backgrounds.

Several of our favorite cultural wedding traditions are featured in the list below:

• African Wedding Traditions: “Jumping the Broom.”
• Asian Wedding Traditions: Both the bride and groom wear white.
• English Wedding Traditions: Putting a sixpence under the brides shoe (lucky left) to signify good fortune and prosperity.
• Dutch Wedding Traditions: Create a “wish tree” as a guest book.  Your guests pin a happy note or valuable piece of advice to its branches.
• French Wedding Traditions: The groom walks his mother and mother-in-law down the aisle to be seated at the ceremony.
• Hungarian Wedding Traditions: The bride shares a dance with her mother and grandmother.  (This is actually a tradition we had at our own Seljalandsfoss Iceland wedding).
• Icelandic Wedding Traditions
• Indian Wedding Traditions: Mehndi art is performed, which is the intricate painting of the bride’s hands and feet. Most Indian weddings also span over several days.
• Irish Wedding Traditions: Incorporate a Celtic love knot or a “tying of the knot” ceremony.
• Italian Wedding Traditions: May include having Jordan Almonds as a wedding favor (representing that marriage is sometimes bittersweet).
• Lebanese Wedding Traditions: Sacred ceremony with family members only, Dabke dancing, and extravagant entrances/exits.
• Spanish/Latin Wedding Traditions: Guests form a circle around the bride and groom while they partake in their first dance as husband and wife.
• Scottish Wedding Traditions: Include some of my favorite traditions such as having flower petal aisle way, a bagpiper for ceremony music, and a hand fastening ceremony.
• Swedish Wedding Traditions: The bride often has 3 wedding rings to represent following: engagement, marriage, and future outlook to motherhood.

Below, you will find a few more ideas that are embraced across many cultures during wedding planning…

Traditions to Consider While Planning Your Iceland Wedding:

• A special headpiece instead of a typical veil.
• Carrying a handkerchief made from your/husband-to-be’s christening gown, mothers, MIL’s, or sister’s wedding dress. (Iceland Wedding Planner Tip: If you’re not a fan of holding it…The fabric could easily be pinned on the underside of your dress or fused into your wedding bouquet).
• Plan an Iceland Welcome Dinner for your guests the evening before your wedding day.  In many cultures they turn the wedding day into a wedding weekend so it truly feels like a really special once in a lifetime event.
• Our favorite Old English rhyme for a lucky wedding day: “Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, a Sixpence in Your Shoe.”
• Having two wedding dresses (Iceland wedding ceremony dress and an Iceland wedding reception dress) can really add an element of glamor to your wedding day.  Many cultures have the bride changing throughout her wedding day.
• 4 Words: Day of Wedding Gift!

Iceland Traditional Wedding Ceremony Ideas:

• Keep the surprises going and do not see each other before the wedding ceremony! (Iceland Real Wedding Example: Chris and I stayed together the night before but then we parted ways after breakfast.  That way, his first look at me was down the aisle.  This moment turned out to be the most adoring smile ever!
• Both parents giving the bride and/or groom away during the ceremony.
• The bride and groom walking down the aisle way together at the start of the ceremony.
• Cultural decorations such as having certain flowers, lanterns, archway, or a special canopy.
• Special Blessing or Poem in the native language.  Can be said during your Iceland wedding ceremony, used as a toast, or simply on display at the reception.
• Petal Toss (Showering the bride and groom with rose petals on an entrance or exit).
• During your wedding ceremony in Iceland, incorporate having a meaningful Love Letter Ceremony.  Years later we are still so excited we did this!  So much that we have decided to write a letter to each other every year on our Anniversary.  See our Love Letter update post here.

Iceland Wedding Reception Ideas for Cultural Traditions:

• Food (having several served courses or a certain type of ethnic food).
• Serving a dessert that is different than a traditional wedding cake (Example, an Icelandic wedding cake is traditionally a Kransakaka.  We personally decided against both of those items and served our guests chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream).
• Memorial station or flowers in remembrance of those who have passed.
• Carrying the bride over the threshold.
• A wedding favor that incorporates your culture in some way.
• Several cultures have the breaking of plates, glasses, or vases during the reception to signify “new beginnings.”
• Incorporate your parents/grandparents wedding memento (such as champagne flutes).
• A special dance to your countries customary music.
• Releasing wish lanterns at the end of your wedding night.  Each guest makes a wish for the newlywed couple!

We hope today’s you have fallen in love with a few of these traditions and they got you thinking about possibly incorporating them into your own local or destination wedding in Iceland.   We leave you today with Emad and Mela as our wedding photo inspiration!

Emad & Mela, thank you for choosing Photos by Miss Ann to tell your wedding day story!  As we said above, your wedding was one with so much energy, love, and excitement it will forever be one of our favorites.  We hope you are able to relive your wedding day through our images now and in decades to come!  Enjoy…

With a smile,

Ann & Chris Peters

Experts in Weddings in Iceland (Feel free to contact us here).

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

The post Cultural Weddings appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Thanks so much for joining us for our second installment of 20 tips for planning your Iceland wedding!  If you missed the first half of this series, feel free to go back and delight in it here.  As having been married in Iceland ourselves, we know firsthand how crazy awesome it is as a destination wedding location.  We also know how difficult it can be planning a wedding if you are unfamiliar with the country, so feel free to contact us!  We’d love to hear from you!

We hope these tips prove to be a helpful tool in deciding if an Iceland weeding is in your future!

11.  Before you embark on your journey, request that your Iceland wedding official/celebrant sends you the full service in print so you and your fiancé can review and make changes if needed.  If writing your own vows or having a unity ceremony make him/her conscious of this ahead of time.  Many of the priests and magistrates in Iceland are unfamiliar with North American wedding customs.

12.  Have your wedding budget detailed out in your own currency and in ISK (Icelandic currency).  The exchange rate changes daily.  When budget planning 12 months out from your Iceland wedding date, fluctuations in the rate (and VAT increases) can have a significant impact on your overall costs.

13.  Do not be afraid to ship in your own wedding details ahead of time to ensure they meet your standards and vision.  We imported over 16,000 freeze-dried rose petals for our Iceland destination wedding at Seljalandsfoss.  For more information on this topic, please see our blog post on Importing Your Iceland Wedding Details.

14.  Having a wedding Iceland wedding timeline card (schedule) available when your guests check-in to the hotel is a great way to help keep your guests on track.  This extra detail will let everyone know what festivities are in store during their stay.  Not sure what to include or why? Don’t fret!  We wrote a great post about Wedding Issues you can check out to ease your mind.

15.  For an extra special wedding welcome, provide your guests with an Iceland Wedding Welcome Bag.  They made the trip to Iceland to see you get married, now spoil them with some local super sweet luxuries to use during their stay.

16.  Take your Iceland wedding dress off the bridal store’s hanger and say no to plastic hangers!  Bring a personalized wooden one that says your future name (Example: Mrs. Smith), or “The Bride,” “Love,” “I Do,” etc!  This is a delightful detail for your Iceland wedding photographers to capture.  Example of what that looks like, here.

17.  Do not be afraid to talk with your photographers candidly about your vision and what you need captured, it’s important to make that clear.  See why this topic is so important in our previous blog post, here.

18.  Understand that you may not have an ideal weather day for your wedding in Iceland and just accept it.  The day might bring rain, sleet, snow, be cloudy, or be blazing with endless sunshine, who knows!  Storms approach and blow through quickly.  You may just have to wait 15 mins or so.    Above all, have a feasible “Plan B” option if holding your wedding ceremony outside.  Our advice to you is to either an indoor locale on standby or umbrellas for each guest readily available.

19.  If having guests attend your Iceland destination wedding, plan a fun post wedding day group activity that all ages can participate in.  Idea: We designed a self-drive highlight tour of the Golden Circle, Seltun/Krýsuvík Lava Field, and the Blue Lagoon the next day with our guests.  Check out our previous blog post here on that topic.

20.  Make your honeymoon a separate trip and enjoy your trip to Iceland with all who have come to share it with you.  We actually waited 6 months to take our honeymoon and were so glad we did!  Check our Bali Indonesia Honeymoon Portraits here.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed today’s post and it has provided you with some better insight into the many things to consider when planning your destination wedding in Iceland.  Think this may be for you?  Talk to us today on how Iceland Wedding Planner and Photos by Miss Ann can complement your wedding day in Iceland!  Please feel free to contact us directly here.

Today’s wedding day photo inspiration comes from a gorgeous wedding we had the pleasure of photographing on Saturday, September 7^th on the esteemed Infinity Ovation Yacht.  Beth and Jarret have become very dear friends to Chris and I over the past few years.  We were honored and super excited when they asked us to photograph the most important day of their lives!  They are a pair who is very adventurous, challenge each other, and they have a relentless love and admiration for each other that is unmistakable.

Beth was already one of the most gorgeous women I know, but to see her as a bride on her wedding day took my breath away!  Oh man and Jarret…in his bow tie, suit, and perfect smile -so handsome!  The Day:  It was an ideal moment in Saint Clair Shores with early fall temperatures and endless blue skies overhead for their ceremony.  Chris and I spilt up for an early morning start to this amazing event.  Beth and her ladies started at the MGM Casino and Jarret and his groomsmen began their day right around the corner from the Jefferson Beach Marina.

The 11am ceremony brought all who love them together in celebration.  The captain of the boat married them and the horn of the yacht blew in announcement of the newlywed Mr. and Mrs.!  How fun, right?  After the ceremony, all of the guests boarded the boat to enjoy an afternoon cruise.  A strolling gourmet lunch was served while the yacht boasted amazing views around the Detroit River including the historic Ambassador Bridge!  Jarret and Beth, we hope these images speak to you and forever seal that marvelous moment in time for you!  Thank you for choosing Photos by Miss Ann to tell your wedding day story!   Now please delight in their wedding day BLISS below…

Lots of Smiles and positive planning vibes, Ann & Chris Peters

Husband and Wife Iceland Wedding Planning & Photography Team

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

The post 20 Tips for Planning Your Iceland Wedding (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.