Iceland Elopement Survival Guide | Iceland Elopement Photographer & Planner
Even though this is an Iceland Elopement Survival Guide, the process of eloping in Iceland isn’t as complicated as you might think, if you have the right tools to guide you!
It amazes me how my life and business have changed since I’ve been living in Iceland as an Iceland Elopement Photographer and Planner. A few years ago, Iceland elopements weren’t as crazy popular as they are now, and big weddings were dominating the wedding industry. But in the last couple years, I’ve seen more and more of my couples steer clear of traditional big wedding commitments to opt into a turnkey elopement—where they hire me to plan the entire thing and they just show up, ready for their I do’s and some rad adventures.
That being said—and no matter how much I try to prepare my couples—there are still times when some show up without being as prepared as possible for their Iceland elopement and ensuing adventures. So I thought it was high time I put together this Iceland Elopement Survival Guide for not only my couples, but anyone who’s planning to elope to Iceland and doesn’t know exactly how to dial it all in.
Once you know that you want to elope to Iceland, there are many important steps you’ll need to take to make sure you get the most out of the entire trip.
Iceland Elopement Survival Guide
BEFORE YOU BOOK YOUR ICELAND ELOPEMENT
Explore Iceland Through Images
Yep, the landscapes and terrain in Iceland are vastly different as you travel around, with coastline, highlands, mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, hot springs (like, everywhere), and pretty much everything majestic and outdoorsy your mind can conjure (well, except perhaps warm palm trees and tropical breezes 🤣).
So the first thing you want to do to plan your elopement in Iceland is to look at images on the interwebs of all the different places and areas. When you find images that make your head spin and your heart soar, jot them down (or screenshot them) as possible places to get hitched so you can talk to your elopement photographer or elopement planner about them.
Adventure Elopement or Chill?
Once you’ve got a good idea of what kind of landscape you’d like to get hitched in, it’s really important to decide whether you want an adventure elopement or just a chill, walk-over-to-a-waterfall kind of elopement.
Many of the places couples fall in love with in images are actually a bit of a grunt (aka “a really tough hike”) to reach. Others can be as simple as stepping out of a car and walking two minutes down an easy path. Keep that in mind as you start saving images that speak to your soul. If you’re up for an adventure elopement, it can be a wild, but hella wonderful ride (or, er...hike)!
Choose The Time of Year To Elope
What time of year is best to visit Iceland? Truth be told, I have no answer for that because every season offers something unique that the others don’t. No matter what season you choose for your Iceland elopement, know that the weather here is always a bit wild, so you’ll still have to be prepared for anything. Also, there’s a bit of a joke that we Icelanders share that there are really only two seasons in Iceland: Winter and Winter Lite. LOL. Regardless of our little jokey jokey, it’s beautiful here all year, regardless of the weather.
The peak season for tourism is summer (June-August), when it’s bright and a bit warmer. The perk is that, since the sun stays up almost all day and night, you can hike all day and into the evening, and surround yourself with summer blooms and gorgeous late summer evening light that just goes on and on and on. Summer in Iceland is also a big time of year for festivals and fun attractions. However, keep in mind that the population of Iceland swells from 360,000 to around 3 million in the summer months, so expect A LOT of people around, potentially messing up your epic, big-sky image dreams and considerably shrinking that truly “Icelandic feeling” of expansive isolation. Iceland is also a lot more expensive in summer because it’s peak season. (Cha-ching!)
Although fall and winter are colder, with basically crazy-ass weather (I’m talking snow, rain, wind, and sun all in an hour), they have wayyyyy less tourists and you have the chance to see the northern lights when the conditions are mint! Less tourists also makes for better opportunities to get those juicy, romantic, isolated shots with empty stretching coastlines, mind-blowing waterfalls and the like. Keep in mind, too, that the fall and winter have a lot less daylight (only a handful of hours each day) so adventure elopements have to be carefully planned (either with short excursions over a series of days or just one short adventure on the day of your elopement).
Spring is somewhere in between those, with sometimes cold and sometimes unexpectedly warm weather, but still with all the possibilities of rain, snow, wind, and sun. Spring is also peak season for waterfalls, so if you have your heart set on some epic waterfall adventures and images, spring is a good gamble. Just be prepared to get, well, REALLY wet ☔️.
Aside from your elopement, you’re probably going to want to travel around and see the country, so here’s more info about things to do in the different seasons in Iceland.
Find a Photographer (or a Photographer-Planner 😉)
I’m definitely biased about this one (obvs), but if you’re going to spend the money and the time and the effort to create an elopement trip of a lifetime, hiring a photographer is essential. Human memory is not as amazing as we like to think it is and it’s a given that, with time, your memories of your elopement will fade.
Hiring a photographer-planner is even better. Finding someone who lives in Iceland and knows the entire island inside and out—AND can not only shoot your elopement, but also help you plan it—is a guaranteed way to make sure you can look back on your Iceland elopement for a bazillion years and remember EVERYTHING like it just happened yesterday. Not to mention that someone who lives here and explores every inch of the place, like myself, also knows ALL the most beautiful, off-the-beaten-path, secret places that you’ll never see on your own.
AFTER YOU BOOK YOUR ICELAND ELOPEMENT
Budget Accordingly
Once you figure out which part of Iceland you want to elope to and what you want to do while you’re there, it’s time to plan the logistics and pay attention to the money sitch.
Do you want to rent a car to cruise around or are you cool with using taxis and buses? Do you want to stay in luxury accommodation, camp everywhere you go, or roll on a tight budget?
To give you a basic idea, here’s a cool tool for a breakdown of typical cost per day for two people, with choices for cheap, mid-range, or luxury. Once you have that, make sure you factor in the cost of your elopement too and add in a little extra for “just in case” and you should be good to go!
Remember, too, that if you hire a planner, they will be able to help you organize and plan your trip, including the elopement, and give you a good idea of what the entire trip will cost. They’ll also know which places to stay that best fit your budget and even the nicest places to stay that the average tourist won’t even hear about! #winning
Pack Properly
Remember up there 👆, where I joked that Iceland has two seasons...it wasn’t really a joke. It never gets truly warm here and it’s seldom that you’ll see people walking around in tank tops and shorts, even in summer. There is almost always a cool breeze or a light rain, even in the warmest months, so packing properly can make or break your Iceland elopement. Let’s face it, unless you’re a lady in your mid-late 50’s going through the change, you probably don’t enjoy freezing weather, so packing for the weather of Iceland is dang important if you want to enjoy your trip.
Here’s a list of the essentials for the entire Iceland trip:
Backpack for day or overnight hikes (depending on whether you choose an Adventure or Chill elopement)
Warm, rain and snow-proof jacket (highly recommend a Triclimate jacket (by NorthFace or Arc’Teryx) because it has layers and is warm, lightweight and portable)
Waterproof hiking boots or shoes
Long-sleeved, warm shirts
Lined pants (even in summer, the nights can get fairly cool)
Extra warm socks (enough pairs to always have a warm, dry pair on hand)
Warm PJ’s (if you sleep in any!)
Gloves or mitts
Credit Card (and call into your carrier before you travel to let them know you’ll be in Iceland to avoid the card being frozen...much like your fingers will be if you forget gloves)
Vow books (if you want fancy books instead of your phone or hotel stationary in your pics)
Tights to wear under your dress or suit pants (especially in winter)
Long underwear
Water bottle (Iceland has clean water, basically everywhere, so no need to buy bottled water)
Here’s a list of resources for the Iceland elopement part of the trip:
style guide for grooms (and less feminine-presenting folk)
wedding dress tips for the ladies
alternative dress tips for those who don’t want to be traditional
Now that we’ve covered all the bases in this Iceland Elopement Survival Guide, you should have everything you need to get started with your planning and make sure your trip is a success, but, just in case you need more, check out these extra tidbits of wisdom that will make your Iceland elopement next level:
How to Hire an Iceland Elopement Planner. Full of info on how the process of hiring an Iceland Elopement Planner works.
Best Tips to Plan Your Iceland Elopement Part III. More info about time of year, exchange rates, and fun things to do after your Iceland elopement.
And, after all that, if you are just starting out on your journey to book an elopement in Iceland, I’d love to chat with you and share my insights. Hit me up!