There are only a handful of locations that I’ve been to where I have felt at harmony in silence and extreme compulsions of excitement all at the same time and East Iceland definitely brought that out! 

Why?

One reason is because of the rich folklore that follows this area… Like the sea-worm monster (Wyrm or Lagarfljotsormur) hiding in the famed Lagarfljot lake area (which happens to be the deepest lake in Iceland) and many spots within the mountains and fjords being enchanted by elves.  I love Icelandic folklore =) The second reason is for the abundance of secret waterfalls both cold flowing and geothermal heated (Which is total heaven for me, being a huntress of secret waterfalls!).  Plus as a bonus, there are uniquely shaped mountains and secluded caves I have never ever seen before.  All of which would make a magical and unforgettable backdrop for your Iceland wedding photos!  Are you sold yet?

My most recent adventure to Iceland’s East Fjords:  I started my trek East from Vik after a gorgeous April wedding, so it was about a 7 hour drive (so from Reykjavik about 9-10 hours straight through or could have been a short 1 hour flight) and it was one of the most beautifully inspiring drives I have done within Iceland, especially once I got into the flowing fjord areas.  As I drove (even in the rain), I encountered tons of rolling hills through the mountains and I was side by side to the ocean, seeing reindeer jump alongside, and the landscape somehow became more vivid and rugged as the drive continued.

The urge I had to pull into every fjord town was uncanny.  …I kept thinking what amazing locations are down that road?  I.MUST.GO.  But sadly, being early April, many of the fjord towns were closed because the walls of snow are so big (even too big for super jeeps to get through).  Fun Fact: The town’s people (like in Mjóifjörður), often have to sail by boat to get their weekly grocery provisions through the months of November and May.  Being such a remote area as well, locales also say they often see Northern Lights shinning from late August to late April.  #WorthIt

Extreme sports junkies will get their fill in summer or in winter by exploring the landscape via super jeeps, ATV’s, snowmobiles, or going on winter hikes to isolated waterfalls and caves.  If you are a lower key adventure seeker you can kind solace in natural hot springs, bird watching, learn about what life was once like from an Icelandic farmer or fisherman, enjoy the silence of the earth under the stars (or the Northern Lights), or spend the day relaxing in one of Iceland’s best spa’s!

While out discovering East Iceland, you’ll find some of the most dynamic fjords I’ve ever seen, with names I can actually pronounce too =) Iceland’s deepest canyon also calls home to this area, which might one of the areas brightest most interesting gems.  The famed Vatnajokull Glacier can also be accessed from this side and you’ll also notice that the glacier seems whiter, the greenery is a vivid green I never knew existed and the black sand throughout this area is a shade of black I’ve never seen before.  Purity at its best lives in East Iceland.

The town of Egilsstadir and surrounding fjord towns, are one of the oldest areas of Iceland and vaunts some of the most amazing elements and hiking areas I’ve seen, all within 30-60 minutes or less of the town center.  There are also several restaurants within the town I found myself totally addicted to eating at, so rest assured if you visit, you’ll be well fed and appreciating in the locale delights!

Can you imagine yourself holding your Iceland Wedding or dreamy Icelandic Elopement, in one of Iceland’s largest forest areas?  Chasing secret waterfalls?

…Or what about romantically eloping by venturing up to the amazingly shaped pristine Snaefell volcano mountain and having herds of reindeer as your guests?  It’s possible and we’d love to hand craft some dreamy options for you to fill your adventure wedding desires!  Please contact us for more information on planning a wedding or elopement in East Iceland.

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

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

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…Today is my 31st birthday so I thought I would share something super duper fun with all of you!

Over the next couple of weeks we will be featuring Tara + Landon.  They are an amazing couple from Calgary, Alberta Canada, are both Geologists by trade, and seek out adventure!  So coming to Iceland to elope was a no-brainer and frankly, an ideal location. They held an epic 18 hour thrill seeking Iceland wedding day which began on top of the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier (on the Southern rim of Katla Volcano).  We had so much fun and seriously cannot wait to share with you their gorgeous Iceland wedding photos!  But in the meantime, here is a sneak peak of their day through their Iceland wedding video – Enjoy!

** This Iceland Wedding Video can also be shared from here. **

Stay tuned next time for Tara and Landon’s exciting Iceland Engagement Session (Iceland E-session or Pre Wedding Session in Iceland) and Elopement in Iceland!

The post Iceland Wedding Video | Tara + Landon appeared first on Iceland Wedding Planner.

This week, we received the nicest letter in the mail (Yes, in the mail, who doesn’t love getting things in the mail still?).  One of our Iceland bride and grooms-to-be writes us saying:

“Ann & Chris,

Deciding to have a wedding in Iceland we thought was one of our best decisions we have made as a couple, until we found and then met you both!  Our engagement session was so fun, thank you for flying to DC and for having endless creative ideas.  The portraits you took in our favorite spots around the city capture us.  You guys are such a great husband and wife photography team.  You impressed us already with your blog, responsiveness, thoroughness, portfolio, but frankly your attention to detail is extraordinary and still is blowing us away.  By holding the highest standards and consistently exceeding them, you have helped us achieve an unforgettable plan for our Iceland destination wedding.  Because of you, our wedding is going to be flawless.  Thank you for your outstanding work!  Forever Grateful, E & M ”

Aww, shucks, we really have the best clients!  We are beyond excited for the upcoming Iceland weddings we have on our Photos by Miss Ann books.  Each bride and groom is from a diverse part of the world, brings different Iceland wedding locations, unique style, and a distinctive vision for their wedding adventure in Iceland and that is REALLY exhilarating for us as Iceland wedding photographers.  Okay, okay, okay, enough gushing and more Iceland wedding planning!

Our topic this week: Iceland Wedding Ceremony Music

Figuring out your music selections for your Iceland wedding ceremony can be overwhelming in your destination wedding planning.  It can be a lot of pressure.  After all, you want your guests to be excited, in awe, and inspired while taking in the dynamic scenery, finding their seat and anticipating the bride and grooms wedding vows.  Phew, tall order, or at least we felt it was when we were planning our Seljalandsfoss Iceland wedding!  Have no fear, today’s blog post will give you some ideas for doing just that because having an Iceland wedding ceremony music plan helps set the scene even more so.

If you’re planning to have your Iceland wedding at Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Snaefellsness Peninsula, Vik Beach, Lake Myvatn, or Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon and have more than 6 people in attendance, my advice to you is that you need to rent a sound system for the courtesy of your guests.  Holding your wedding ceremony in one of the stunning natural wonders Iceland offers is incredible but do not forget your guests!  One of the frustrating things at times for outdoor wedding guests is that they cannot hear readings, vows, the exchange of rings, etc and they really want to be a part of it!

As Iceland wedding planners, we can help you secure an Iceland DJ for your event that will setup battery powered sound system with speakers, wireless microphones, and an IPOD connection.  That way, your guests will be able to hear your Iceland wedding music, understand your officiant, listen to your wedding vows, and have fun background music while you take your stunning Iceland wedding portraits!  Now that you have figured all that out, your big question is now, “What kind of music do I play for my Iceland wedding ceremony?”  We have found that our bride and grooms have had the most success thinking in terms of words and the feelings songs exude.  So think about what inspires you and your soon-to-be and in the meantime, here are a few more ideas to get that creativity flowing!

Before Ceremony Music:

• Inspirational, Light, Dynamic and Exciting.
• General rule is to begin playing 30 minutes before the wedding ceremony.

Bridal Entrance Song Ideas:

• Dreamy and Transcendent (like you’re walking on clouds).
• You can easily choose two songs for this, one for the parents to be seated, groom, and bridal party to walk down the aisle and the other for the bridal entrance.
• No music played during the Iceland wedding ceremony (unless doing a sand/knot ceremony, partaking in communion, or you see a need for filler music for another part of the ceremony, etc).

After Your Iceland Wedding Ceremony Music:

• Bouncy, Fun, and Starry-eyed!
• Typically played for 45 minutes after the wedding ceremony in Iceland.  Songs that are fun to exit the ceremony hand in hand and greet guests too. This is also enjoyable for guests to listen to while you take your dazzling Iceland wedding photographs!

So right about now, I’m sure you’re dying to know what music Chris and I planned for our Iceland wedding at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, right?  Our Iceland ceremony music picks follow below:

Before our Seljalandsfoss Wedding (Ceremony Playlist):

“Hellelujah” by The Canadian Tenors

“Color My World” by Chicago

“You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban

“Annie’s Song” by John Denver

“Feels Like Home” by Chantal Kreviazuk

“Marry Me” by Train

“The Wedding Song” by Kenny G

Aisle Walk and Bridal Entrance:

“Somewhere In Time” by Maksim Mrvica (Such a romantically dreamy song!).

After our Wedding at Seljalandsfoss Ceremony we played:

Bride and Groom Exit Song: “Better Together” by Jack Johnson

Greeting Line & Iceland Wedding Photographs Background Music:

“We’ve Only Just Begun” by the Carpenters

“Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes

“My Girl” by The Temptations

“One Fine Day” by The Chiffons

“How Sweet It Is” by Marvin Gaye

“Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations

“Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest

“Earth Angel” by The Penguins

“Wishin’ And Hopin’” by Dusty Springfield

“Tell Him” by Exciters

“Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” by Solomon Burke

“Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me” by Mel Carter

“Be My Baby” by The Ronettes

** Stay Tuned for Part II of this topic in our next Iceland wedding planning post- Wedding Reception in Iceland: Music Ideas **

Keep Smiling and Iceland Wedding Planning,

Ann Peters

Expert Iceland Wedding Planner & Iceland Wedding Photographer

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

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It’s hard to believe a year ago I was sitting in this same spot as a Plymouth Michigan Wedding Photographer planning my own Iceland Destination Wedding from hundreds of miles away.  The thought had crossed my mind at that point… How was I going to photograph my own wedding?  Would Photos by Miss Ann need to hire another assistant?  Could I trust a local?  Do I bring in my own destination wedding photographer and trust they are as wedding detailed as I strive to be?  Many sleepless nights were spent contemplating this dilemma.  We contacted many folks from one person shows to married couples who said they would “knock our socks off and offer unlimited time coverage.”  Everyone claims to be an “experienced destination wedding photographer” so please be careful and aware as you search for your Iceland destination wedding photographer.  Here is a list of helpful questions to ask that may help you decide:

1)      How many destination weddings have you photographed by yourself and under your current business name?

2)      What countries and environments have you photographed in?

3)      Do you offer destination wedding weekend coverage or only “continuous” day coverage?  If so for how long and what are your limitations?

4)      What makes you more desirable than hiring a local photographer?

5)      What sort of lighting equipment do you bring?  Are you prepared for all types of conditions and photographing every detail we spent so much time planning?

6)      Do you travel with backup gear?

7)      Do you interact with the guests (IE, grouping couples together or being forward enough to group of friends/family together)?

8)      How detailed do you feel you are?  Can you give examples during a destination wedding? IE, May I see a full wedding gallery you delivered to a couple?

9)      Can you give me an example on how you exceeded a brides expectations?

10)  Can you give me an example when you disappointed a client and what the end result was?

11)  Do you carry travel and liability insurance?

12)  What happens if you miss your flight, a family emergency happens, or you are late to our wedding day?

13)  If it rains during our outside ceremony, how do you handle your gear?

14)  Do you carry an emergency survival kit?

15)  Do you photograph in RAW?

16)  Will I receive the high-resolution files in RAW or JPEG files?

17)  What is your processing workflow timeline once you have photographed our images?

18)  What is your turn around time from my wedding day?

19)  Do you offer a pre or post Iceland wedding session?

20)  What places would you suggest we photograph nearby our ceremony and reception location? IE, Have you photographed in our region of Iceland before?

21)  Do you offer nighttime photography and/or Northern Lights Wedding Photography to be done after our reception?

22)  Will you check in with us before you leave for the night and the weekend?

23.) Will you be following up with us once your service is complete?

24.) Will you be posting our images or using them in any way without our permission?

25.) Do you use off camera lighting?

26.) Is drone photography at our Iceland wedding locations an option?

Asking those types of questions will allow you understand and gauge their experience level in photography, customer service, travel, and how they could be an asset to your wedding day before, during, and after.

Deciding on a wedding photographer is on the same level of picking your wedding date.  After all, those are the two things is all you’re going to have once the day is over outside of the actual memories!   We chose Saturday, April 14th 2012, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall for our ceremony location and Hotel Ranga for our beautiful 5-course reception dinner.

For our destination wedding in Iceland, we unfortunately did not have a positive overall experience with our hired wedding photography team from Toronto Ontario.  Their technical quality was disappointing and their lack of attention to details was an even bigger problem.  They basically left with having to edit our own wedding portraits and recreate just about all of our wedding day details to ensure they were properly documented.  So please, please be careful out there as you choose your Iceland destination wedding photographers!

At Photos by Miss Ann, we thrive on adventure (details!) and love… We also strive to be your premiere Iceland wedding photographer by always exceeding your expectations and creating portraits you will love for a lifetime.  So whether you are getting married at the stunning Seljalandsfoss waterfall like Chris and I did or at the hundreds of other gorgeous Iceland wedding photography spots we would love to be your destination wedding photographer and destination engagement session expert!

Yours in Iceland wedding planning and Iceland destination wedding photography,  Ann

Please visit: Photos by Miss Ann for more information!

© 2002-2012, Photos by Miss Ann, All Rights Reserved

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