-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Caution: Sappy Personal Post Ahead.  The holidays always fill my heart with endless amounts of gratitude for situations that have happened, moments in time, and it’s a beautiful yet meaningful time to reflect and be with the ones you cherish most.  For those who have followed our blog since 2012, you know my history, my struggles, my growth both personally and professionally.  It’s been an incredible journey and today I can confidently say that I’m a wife to a man who is better than me and I am proud of (and love) it.

Davíð Geir Jónasson, looks at me the way all women want (and deserve) to be looked at by a man.  I’ve never laughed harder, never travelled farther around the world with anyone and still left smiling by the end of it.  To put it raw and frankly, I’m addicted to him. His energy, book to street smarts, risky wit, infinite positivity and the way he brings out the best in everyone he encounters.  He adventures at the same level as me (some might even say higher and I might agree).  Enough gush.  Go back HERE to read more about how we met (super GOOD story), our relationship and proposal.

But! Back to today’s topic: Meeting in Iceland to Having a Lofoten Islands Elopement Adventure.  We chose to elope.  Why?  It felt right for us.  Being an adventure wedding planner and photographer (and Davíð in the film industry), we look at wedding days way differently than most of the world.  Much like what my clients come to me for, we were looking for something DIFFERENT and a place that had enough beauty and adventure in it for us both.  Have you heard of the Lofoten Islands?  It’s a spectacular place in Northern Norway.

The shapes, the tones, the textures of the vivid mountains of the Lofoten Islands cannot be found anywhere else in the world.  They come chock full of mystery and unforgettable romance.  So come along with me today as I, my super talented friend (and colleague) Jean Smith and her brilliant cinematographer husband Travis Smith share with you the unbelievable documentation from our Lofoten Islands, Norway wedding day.

The winding roads of Norway, led us to one of the prettiest areas of the Lofoten Islands for our wedding adventure.

I’m a firm believer that even if you elope, you should still have gorgeous details to compliment your adventurous love story.  This also means I had to have a Norway wedding welcome bag for our photographer and cinematographer guests.  Having local treats (like chocolates, a guidebook, wool gloves, dried fish, etc) enhances the experience and makes people smile upon arrival!  Plus, um did you see the bag and the lunchbox?!  I’m still in cuteness overload!

Having an adventure wedding anywhere in the world, it’s a good idea to have two wedding dresses.  Mainly because you never know what the weather will be doing and one may look better better in rain or wind, etc.  Since I preach this every day to my adventure wedding clients, I actually planned 3 wedding dresses and 3 pairs of shoes/boots (and my husband brought two suits/shoes as well).

Fun Fact from our Lofoten Islands Elopement: Davíð handcrafted my destination wedding bouquet.  We actually filled up a suitcase full of flowers/ greens and this is in the end what my fresh flower bouquet looked like… Side Note: Having so many dresses, I actually had 3 wedding bouquets as well.  Having planned and photographed hundreds of weddings over the years, fresh flowers never withstand the adventure aspect of our weddings so it’s nice to have a backup or two that are fake, but real looking.  My favorite vendor who accomplishes this is Southern Girl Weddings.

Lofoten Islands Norway Elopement Tip: Leave superstition / tradition behind and get ready together.  It decreases the any stress you might have and gives you fun memories like these!

We scouted and chose our Lofoten Islands wedding locations very carefully because of the way the light falls on these magical mountains.  It falls fast, deep, and runs out quickly.  Each spot we chose not only had a meaning, but at each we held part of our Norway wedding ceremony.  Since we had already been “legally married” on paper in Iceland earlier, we could focus completely on each other, the meaning behind each part, and the adventure. First up was us reading our wedding vows.

We’ve moved mountains together, so naturally we have to dance around in front of them!

Entrance of dress #2: The beach was WAY too windy and the other dress would have looked lame!  Norway always provides a dreamy amount of wind for a wedding dress!

What Lofoten Islands Norway wedding would be without a token ceremony?  Davíð is not a fan of rings so we exchanged a watch (JS Watches Reykjavik) and a ring.

…and would a adventure wedding planner have a Lofoten Islands wedding ceremony without it being styled?  Nope!  Nordic Love is the inspiration on this setup.  Thousands of petals from my favorite folks at Flyboy Naturals.

We decided to incorporate our “first drink” together and have it be out of a Viking horn.  Champagne of course!

The beauty of the time of day when the light turns so quickly into darkness in the mountains is being able to have gorgeous Lofoten Norway wedding photos like these…

The day could not conclude without having a stylish dinner for two during our Lofoten Island elopement.  Our theme: Romance and Adventure Collide.

Hello Waffle Cake, You Look Delicious.  A must have for your Nordic wedding (or Lofoten Islands elopement)!

Beef filet and whale were on our Lofoten Norway wedding menu!

Words cannot properly express the emotions that stir when we watch this video (which is like everyday).  I strongly encourage you to find it in your budget to hire an adventure wedding photographer AND a cinematographer (not just a videographer) to forever document your love story.  Just do it.  It’ll pay dividends in happiness and forever newlywed status later.

Thanks for joining us on reliving our Lofoten Norway adventure wedding!  We hope it has provided you a little fun inspiration or at least made you smile!  Stay tuned next week for our Iceland Wedding Planner Best of Year End Review!

In the meantime, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

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

© 2016, Iceland Wedding Planner, All Rights Reserved.

The post Meeting in Iceland to Having a Lofoten Islands Elopement Adventure appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

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.

Topic of the week…. Destination Wedding Welcome Bags

When your guests receive that invitation to your epic destination wedding there is a level of excitement that continues to build until your wedding day.  So why not keep up the momentum with destination wedding welcome bags?

In our case, while planning our destination Iceland wedding at Seljalandsfoss, this idea was immediately put into our wedding budget.  We felt that our guests were traveling on average 1,000’s of miles to see us say, “I do” they needed a stunning and fun welcome bag that featured creature comforts, bare necessities, locale flare, and items that would emit positive feelings- like a great marriage!

Our Iceland Welcome Bags included the following items:

• Gorgeously styled “Welcome to our Wedding” canvas tote bag by Kate Aspen
• Icelandic tour book, adventure pamphlets, and local Icelandic maps
• Love Notes Tablet – A small notepad that guests could jot down notes, directions, etc
• Chapstick with SPF15 (which coined our color theme, wedding date, and wedding logo
• Sewing Kit
• An umbrella with a note attached, “In case You Encounter April Showers!”
• Hot-Hands (2 packs) to ensure our guests would be comfortable during our outdoor ceremony (we were anticipating 40 degree temps)
• Packets of Advil and Pepto-Bismol – just in case!
• Tissues: They were wrapped in a tulle case with rhinestone beads in the back.  The front stated, “Tears of Love; Tears of Laughter; Tears of Happily Ever After!”
• Icelandic Glacial Water with our wedding logo on them.
• Volcano Wafer Chocolates
• Draumurs – Icelandic milk chocolate with licorice straw inside
• Hraunbitar – Lava Bites
• Icelandic Mints
• Coffee Singles
• Rock Candy (to resemble glaciers!)
• Time Line Card for wedding weekend (see more details below).
• Pop Rocks and coloring books for the younger guests.
• Fish Bites!
• Icelandic Soda
• Icelandic Chocolates
• Iceland Hard Candy
• Iceland Atlas
• A special greeting and thank you to all of our guests.
• Please see our Iceland Wedding Photos of our Welcome Bag below (Compliments of Photos by Miss Ann).

The Unique Thought:

Even if you are not holding a destination wedding in the Iceland countryside it is still nice to remember that being thoughtful goes a long way.  Guests appreciate that you have their interest in mind and that you are trying to make the trip flawlessly fun for them.  Give it a little thought as you choose your destination wedding location – what items your guests may need while traveling, find unique/helpful, or make it a more memorable trip!  Guests still tell me how super cute and helpful the canvas tote has been- even 6 months later!

How to Transport:

Since shipping and duties were pretty expensive from Plymouth, Michigan to Iceland we had decided to pack our welcome bag items.  We had put together some of the creature comforts ahead of time and packed them tightly in one of our 5 suitcases.  But bags for 40 guests became a bigger project that we anticipated.  To ensure those items made it to Iceland was an adventure in itself!  Our recommendation: Let a professional handle (had there been an Iceland Wedding Coordinator when we were planning I would have hired her!)  So let Photos by Miss Ann (aka: Iceland Wedding Planner) handle that detail and worry for you!

When to give them out?

Having the welcome bags handed out at the front desk of the hotel is fun so that upon arrival the guests get a piece of home, know what’s going on and when, and have an instant piece of Iceland to try!  But handing them out individually at our Icelandic “welcome dinner” was even more special and added a connection of appreciation to our guests.  PS- Do not forget your Iceland wedding photographer too!  I am sure he/she/they will be gracious enough to receive one and take a photo of your detailed thoughtfulness!

Partner with Wedding Bathroom Basket:

During our welcome dinner and actual wedding reception at Hotel Ranga we had several “Wedding Guest Survival Kits” strategically placed throughout the hotel.  We had things like floss, cold medication, bobby pins, Band-Aids, Hollywood Tape, Wisps, combs, and other esstiantial emergency items!   I think we spent ~ $36 USD per basket but it had a lasting impression on our guests that we managed to think of every last detail.

Do I need a Destination Wedding Timeline Card?

My personal vote is always, yes you do.  There is nothing worse than a guest  saying “I don’t know where to be or what’s going on when.”  The card itself can be simplistic or fancy – professionally printed or on your home printer.  I think they are more critical in a destination wedding weekend than a ceremony program so please do it!  It is better to hand out a message to your guests and a wedding timeline to keep the guests in the know rather than spelling out who is who in the ceremony.

Wedding Agenda How To (Photo example below- compliments of Photos by Miss Ann below):

1. Card stock is important that weight to the paper allows easy finding by your guests and less chance of it being discarded.  We used Silver Metallic Card Stock 107# which shimmered in the light.  Gorgeous!
2. Have a 2 sided card designed – the more information to your guests the better!
3. Front can feature a “Welcome Message” and cutesy timeline for the actual wedding day with images above the times.
4. Back can be the schedule for the other events or activities that may be planned, a heartfelt wedding thank you from the bride and groom, etc.
5. Our Iceland Timeline Card provided a little snippet on our “Love Letter Ceremony” we were going to perform during the ceremony so guests would understand the uniqueness.
6. Once you have thought out what you want contact Pixels to Paper for the actual execution!  Mindy the owner does amazing work – crisp, clean, and only the best materials.  Order 3 months before your wedding date- We ended up having to order more before and after the wedding (for a keepsake) and she got them right out to us!

Local Thoughts:

If your guests are traveling more than 100 miles to your wedding day it is proper etiquette to supply them with a welcome bag if they are staying overnight.  After all, you spent X number of days, weeks, months, or years planning your incredible destination wedding why skimp with the guest details?

The destination wedding photography and details of your day are items that you should never skimp on.  Wedding Planning Advice: Please hire a seasoned destination wedding photographer!  Experience in ever-changing outdoor lighting and attention to detail are traits that are near impossible to find in many and 100% critical in a place like Iceland where weather changes instantly.  In the end, those two things are the only items that will allow you to go back in time and relive your day over and over again and also have your guests list uttering, “That was the wedding of the year!”

I look forward to sharing my next post with you: Alternatives to Sand and Unity Ceremony’s…. The “Love Letter Ceremony”!

Until then, many smiles! – Miss Ann

Thriving on Adventure and Love…

For more information on Iceland wedding photography or Iceland wedding planning please contact me directly here or visit: Photos By Miss Ann.  PBMA is a local & destination wedding photographer located in Plymouth, Michigan but loves and experienced photographing love worldwide.

© 2012, Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved

The post The Importance of Welcome Bags for Iceland Weddings appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.