Iceland Weddings are the stuff of fairytales – in fact, you might actually stumble across fairies or elves in Iceland while exploring on your wedding day 😉 For real though, this Iceland wedding was everything we ever dreamt it would be while we were planning it from across the Atlantic. If you’re wondering what it’s like to elope in Iceland or have a wedding there, keep reading. We promise you’ll be longing for an Iceland Wedding of your own by the end of this post!
Iceland wedding tip: Book a modern icelandic cottage for your elopement
Iceland is PACKED with adorable little cottages that are oozing with beautiful Scandinavian design. It’s one of the things we love most about getting married in Iceland. Who doesn’t want a little luxury on their wedding or elopement day?
Krystal and Ryan had planned to drive the whole Ring Road in Iceland during their wedding trip, so they rented a camper van as their main vehicle. This is also an awesome way to experience Iceland during your wedding trip. But for their wedding day, they wanted a little more space to get ready. So they booked an amazing spot with glass walls that we still can’t get over. How cool is this thing?!
The glass house allowed them to take in all of Iceland’s beauty 24/7. If you get married in Iceland during the right time of year, you can even watch the Northern Lights from the comfort of your bed. Which is convenient because it can get preeeeeetty cold at night.
Even if you can’t snag one of these sweet all-glass cottages, there are literally countless other Airbnbs and modern hotels all over Iceland. We didn’t stay in a bad spot during our entire trip in Iceland.
bonus tip: incorporate some icelandic wedding traditions into your day
Krystal and Ryan wanted to add some authenticity to their Iceland Wedding. So instead of getting a standard wedding cake, they opted for a traditional Icelandic wedding cake, called a Kransekake (yes, Paul Hollywood challenged bakers to make one of these in the Great British Bake Off). It was so cute and DELICIOUS! We strongly recommend dipping the cake rings in some coffee.
Love this planning idea? Check out our Top 3 Elopement Essentials
or stop by one of iceland's craft stores to find authentic goods by local artists
While road tripping around the Ring Road prior to their wedding day, they also stopped at a few Icelandic craft stores. These craft stores are found all over Iceland and are marked with a snowflake symbol. They are full of goods made by local Iceland artists, so your money spent on gifts and souvenirs is going to the right people. You can even get a tax refund at the airport if you keep your receipt from any purchases! Krystal and Ryan bought a Reindeer hide that was oh so soft and cozy. It’s going to be their dog’s new bed back home 🙂 But it also made for some beautiful wedding details photos.
the iceland wedding adventure begins
After Krystal was done getting styled by our good friend and amazing artist, Anne Timss, it was time for the first look. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to photograph it than outside the glass cottage. With Iceland’s most active volcano, Hekla, looming in the background these two checked each other out in their wedding day attire for the first time. Obviously Ryan was knocked out by Krystal 😉 We’re OBSESSED with the white fur coat she paired with her dress too. It was the perfect way to stay warm all day during photos because it matched so perfectly with her gorgeous dress.
first stop: an ancient icelandic viking farmstead
After the first look, it was time to kick off the wedding adventure. Krystal and Ryan loaded up in their camper van and we hit the road with a full itinerary of stops planned. Iceland is loaded with incredible views, often right off the road or just a short hike. This makes Iceland such a great place to elope or have a wedding because you can pack so much variety into your wedding photos throughout the day.
Continuing with the Iceland wedding theme, we had to check out one of the old viking ruins. This style of building with a grassy roof is called a turf hut and they can be found all over Iceland. We wandered up here to explore the old farmstead and felt transported back in time. The intricate carvings on the wood doors and ornate details are so cool to experience up close. It’s fun to imagine a viking wedding might have even happened here way back in the Iceland Viking era over 1000 years ago.
next up: a wedding ceremony beneath one of iceland's tallest waterfalls
Iceland is the land of waterfalls. Even the most mundane Iceland waterfalls are some of the most scenic waterfalls we’ve ever seen. Seriously, you’ll be driving along the road and there will be this random little village with its own waterfall cascading behind it all epic like. It’s ridiculous!
So when it came to deciding on a location for their wedding ceremony, it’s little surprise Krystal and Ryan were drawn to one of the most incredible waterfalls in Iceland.
We snapped photos as we hiked down into the canyon to stand at the base of these powerful falls. As elopement photographers who spend a lot of time in stunning landscapes, we gotta hand it to Iceland. We thought Iceland might be overhyped by the many, many photographers who have traveled out here to capture this place. Nope. Iceland 1000% lived up to the hype and more. It was creative overload!
These are some of our favorite wedding/elopement photos we have ever taken. And this was just one of the stops of the day, let alone our whole trip out here! We have SO many more spots we’re dying to come back and photograph (Iceland just might get a permanent spot on our travel schedule). But we digress….
We hiked all the way to the base of the biggest waterfall where we found the perfect spot to have their wedding ceremony. With a gentle mist and the rush of water in the air, these two got married in one of the most amazing places we’ve ever experienced.
an icelandic waterfall wedding
There was a gentle mist circulating for most of the ceremony, but right at the end of their vows, just as they were going in for the first kiss, a gust of wind picked up and sent a little more than a “gentle mist” their way. Ryan ended up taking the brunt of it got fairly soaked! Okay, we get that you would rather stay dry on your wedding day, but these reaction photos are some of our favs!
Luckily these two were all about the experience and laughed about it. We got some really cute pics from the whole affair and Ryan was soon dried off and warmed up by his now wife. It was almost as if it was Iceland’s way of blessing the marriage haha.
Want to see more waterfall wedding goodness? Check out this Bend, Oregon Elopement
final stop of the wedding day: a volcanic moonscape in iceland's high country
For the final stop on this epic wedding adventure, we all piled into our 4×4 rental to drive deep into the Iceland Highlands in search of natural hot springs.
Pro tip: definitely rent a 4×4 vehicle when traveling in Iceland. A lot of our favorite spots were found at the end of rugged dirt roads.
Well, Mother Nature had different plans for us on this particular day. A storm was blowing and it started to snow. Then, just a couple miles shy of the hot springs, the road became completely buried in the white stuff.
But it didn’t really matter that we couldn’t make it to the hot springs, because the landscape we found ourselves in was wild enough. It looked like we had been transported to the moon in this crazy volcanic landscape. The white snow contrasting against the black dirt and rocks was incredible.
We had fun for a while running around and trying to catch snowflakes in our mouths. Krystal twirled in her dress while Ryan watched and we all just laughed at how ridiculous fun and freeing this adventure was. This is the stuff adventure weddings and elopements are made of.
the elusive Iceland northern lights
Actually, the day wasn’t quite over yet. After the sun set and we made our way home, we had planned to try and get some shots with the northern lights. Unfortunately, some clouds had rolled in and we weren’t able to see any this night. BUT, we did stop at yet another waterfall and created a pretty cool night shot.
It was cooooold by this point, but Krystal and Ryan bundled up in their jackets and held real still for us while we captured the long exposure photo. By the end of the wedding day, we were all exhausted from the insane amounts of adventuring we did. But at the same time it felt like we could all keep going. We were all just so inspired and having so much fun. Iceland will forever hold a special place in our hearts.
Later in our trip, we did manage to catch the northern lights. It was unreal!!! Nothing compares to experiencing them in person, but we’ve included a few of our shots here to give you a little idea.
Pro tip: If you want to see the Northern Lights during your Iceland Wedding trip, the fall is one of the best times to visit. There is still enough darkness to see the northern lights and the weather is generally better than the coldest winter months.
a few final thoughts on weddings in iceland
If you want to get married in a place that will take your breath away, make you feel like you’ve been transported to another world, fill your cup of wanderlust to the brim, and leave you with an experience that you and your partner will be wistfully reliving through stunning photos the rest of your lives, then it really doesn’t get much better than Iceland.
This was just one elopement day here. We shot another wedding in Iceland shortly after this one and went to completely different locations, but it was an equally unforgettable experience. We’ve just scratched the surface of this magical country.
Oh, and we didn’t even mention the food, which is DELICIOUS. Or the adorable Icelandic Horses that stand like statues with their emo mane bangs blowing over their eyes. Or the fluffy sheep that dot the green countryside everywhere you go. Or all the hot, geothermal baths you can soak in. Or the fact that everybody that lives here is the kindest person ever. Can you tell we love it? You will too.
Discover more wild elopement destinations: Check out our Best Places to Elope
