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

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

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

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

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

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

To Paul + Marc:

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

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

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

The post Scottish Icelandic Cave Wedding: Marc + Paul appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

Hey hey hey Woohoo for the day!

I hope this finds you well!  A few blog posts ago, we planned, photographed, and featured our 30th birthday party and we’re happy to share today that it was featured in the Emma Magazine, check it out here!

::Warning::

Since this post was originally written in early 2013, tourism has grown to an unruly amount.  The space has changed and the amount of tourists coming here each hour is out of control.  We do not suggest this waterfall as an Iceland wedding location if wanting any sort of intimate feeling ceremony.

Now back today’s awesome topic… Waterfalls are one of the most majestic natural wonders on the planet.  To be married at one adds in an extraordinary amount of romance and a great start to happily ever after.  Waterfalls have symbolized the source of life giving water in many countries.  These traits are similar to the symbolic nature of a wedding ring because in many cases it symbolizes the lifeline to a marriage.

Iceland is suited for waterfalls because of the consistent snow and rain the country encounters during the year.  But the good news is that awesome precipitation adds to the magnificent waterfalls, gorgeous rivers, lakes, and glacier pools that are found throughout Iceland.  These elements set the scene for Iceland to be an unforgettable wedding location.

Those endless amounts of waterfalls, cliffs, canyons, glaciers, ruggedly unique terrain, and coastlines all create the perfect backdrop for your wedding photos to be unlike any other.  Imagine yourself in front of this distinctive landscape saying your vows.  It is truly dreamlike!

Today, we begin another fabulous 3 part series on Iceland Waterfall Weddings.  First up is our personal favorite, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall.  Enjoy!

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall is ideal for an adventurous outdoor  wedding, engagement session, or simply a post wedding adventure visit.  Directions: Once you have passed the city of Hella in Southern Iceland you have about 15-20 minute drive to the waterfall.  It lies between the city of Selfoss and Skogafoss.  To help pinpoint it, here are the Seljalandsfoss GPS Coordinates: 63°36?57?N19°59?34?W. 

You will begin seeing her splendor emerge from the cliffs as you enter from the west on Route 1 (Or Þjóðvegur Road), on your left hand side and if coming from the east you are surprised by it on your right hand side. Once you park the excitement starts…

Consumed by its greatness, you’ll be in awe for a moment or two because you’ll look up and be greeted with 196 feet of sheer natural wonder.  Finding yourself completely astounded by the jagged cliffs, grass landings and a cute little bridge.  However its greatest secret is a small pathway that leads you up and around the back of the waterfall.  If you continue to follow the path, it will loop you around and back to the front of the waterfall.  See a view of our Iceland wedding being setup at Seljalandsfoss from the very top waterfall viewing point in the below photos.

A few words of advice as you venture in and around this waterfall: If heading behind Seljalandsfoss, shield your camera and bring your raincoat.  One gust of wind charging in from the nearby ocean will get you soaked from head to toe.  Have your Iceland wedding photographer or Iceland wedding planner scope it out first and direct you.

The pros of getting married at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall:

·       Gorgeous backdrop for a wedding ceremony and endless unique spots for your Iceland wedding portraits!

·       It is directly off of main road, Route 1.

·       You can walk behind this waterfall.

·       You can marry right in front of the waterfall.

·       Beautiful scenery around the waterfall.

·       There is a cute little stream that runs under a bridge offering a stunning view of the waterfall.

·       There are no fees or special permission needed to marry here.

·       The 5 senses experience! < See below>

The Cons of getting married at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall:

·       The noise the waterfall creates.  Consider having an Iceland DJ or some sort of sound system in place.  Otherwise your guests will not be able to hear your wedding vows or ceremony over the sound this powerful waterfall creates.

·       The waterfall is a public attraction so you may have other tourists in your wedding photos.

·       This spot is also first come first serve, there is no reserving a specific area for your wedding ceremony.

·       If holding your ceremony near the front of the waterfall there may be mist and you might get wet.

·       If you go behind the waterfall you may get wet and the bottom of your dress dirty.

Remember how a few blog posts ago I talked about how my husband and I had these “somewhere in time moments” during our magical wedding weekend in Iceland?  Well you can add Seljalandsfoss to that list!  Both of us will never forget the sound and feel of this waterfall as we said our Iceland wedding vows.  Even though we had 40 guests watching us it felt like it was just Chris, myself, and this enormous waterfall as we stated our forever promises to each other.  Even over a year later, I remember vividly that Seljalandsfoss provided a total 5 senses experience to us and our guests.  Hearing a waterfall now anywhere brings me back to that moment in time.  I can even recall how the sun and waterfall mist felt on my skin that day, the earthy smell, and the raw desolate visuals of the landscape that corners the waterfall.

Choosing to have your wedding in front of a waterfall in Iceland is a tall order.  Luckily, we’re here to help you –We have firsthand experience!  My husband and I were actually married at Seljalandsfoss waterfall on April 14th 2012 (our Iceland destination wedding even made the news, see here).   As a husband and wife team, we have wonderful packages that combine Iceland wedding planning, Iceland engagement photos and full day Iceland wedding photography.  So please feel free to contact us if you are interested in more details on getting married in Iceland!

With a smile, Ann Peters

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

The post Iceland Wedding Location: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.