10 Tips for Eloping in Iceland to make your elopement or wedding day a great success. We hope you will enjoy these tips helpful tips and your stay in beautiful and wild Iceland. Enjoy your time outdoors and embrace the weather and culture of Iceland. No matter what you see or do, the trip will be unlike any other so remain flexible and take advantage of the long days during spring/summer. The sun would rise at 5am and set at 10pm (in May) so there is plenty of daylight to do whatever you like. Be careful when sight-seeing as many spots can be dangerous and the wind can be very strong. Contact us for photography and videography packages in Iceland and worldwide. Take a look at our recent Iceland elopement here and photographer, videographer prices for a destination wedding.
- Weather is unpredictable and changes frequently throughout the day. Be sure to have a backup plan in case the weather limits your initial location. Stay safe and dress warm!
2. When picking a dress, I highly recommend a long sleeve gown because, even on a sunny day, the wind is very strong and you will be cold. I wore a long veil which looked beautiful in the windy setting.
3. Be prepared to hike. I wore white Timberland boots instead of dress shoes so that I could stay warm and be safe. I also wore tight nude leggings under my gown and had a large, white, warm coat which helped a lot. My photos never showed my leggings, boots, or coat so it’s well worth keeping warm.
4. When flying with my dress, I chose to pack it in my carry-on bag in case there were any issues with my flight. I used a portable steamer at the hotel to press the dress and it looked perfect on my wedding day. Be sure to check the restrictions on carry-on bags if flying on Icelandair. The personal item space under the seat is very small and they have a size limit for overhead bin bags that’s different than what our local Airlines allowed.
5. When you land in Keflavik, there is a duty-free store before you get to baggage claim. Almost everything is expensive in Iceland and alcohol is no exception. We purchased 4 bottles of wine, a bottle of liquor, and 2 packs of beer and spent $200 at the airport. Later in our trip, we bought 2 bottles of wine and a pack of beer and spent $100. There’s no need to convert your cash because every place takes credit card.
6. When it comes to picking your hotel, I recommend selecting their “apartment-style” locations so that you can have a kitchen and refrigerator. It made staying there for an extended period of time much easier and we were able to go to the grocery store and make ourselves a few meals to save money. I stayed at the Black Beach Suites in Vik and LOVED it. If I ever visit again I am definitely going to stay there. If you want to spend time in the city and country, you should think about staying at two separate places. Vik is close to a lot of the south coast attractions (waterfalls, diamond beach, glaciers, canyon, and black sand beach). Reykjavik is the largest city in Iceland and is where you will find super nice restaurants, bars to go out to, lots of shopping, and a few attractions (church, sun voyager, concert hall, Perlan museum, and is convenient to the Golden Circle).
7. Must-See Sites:
Vik and near by: Fjadrarfljufur Canyon (beautiful mossy green canyon complete with waterfalls and gorgeous viewpoints)
Ice Caves (Katla Ice Caves are more snowy/volcanic and Vatnajokull showed more blue in color; I did the Katla Ice Cave tour and it was amazing with awesome guides; this hike was very easy too for everyone in my group and is mostly flat)
Seljandafoss waterfall (gorgeous waterfall that you can walk behind and after take the hike to Gljuabui waterfall which is a hidden GEM and well worth the time…it was my FAVORITE)
Skogafoss waterfall (huge and gorgeous but very popular and not far from Seljandafoss; walk to Kvernofoss after for another hidden waterfall with less tourist)
Diamond Beach (this is quite a drive from Vik—about 2.5 hours—it’s beautiful and unlike anything I’ve ever seen but depends on what time of year you go…if it’s too warm then there won’t be much ice on the sand)
Reynisfjara Beach (this is the black sand beach with the hexagonal columns up the mountain; you can see the stacks from here and it’s also very close the Dyrholaey Promontory that looks out over the entire coast)
Westman Islands (you can see puffins on this island and take a boat toar to see elephant rock; there’s also a cool volcano museum and it’s just a ferry ride away from the main coast near Seljandafoss)
When staying in Reykjavik:
Sky Lagoon (this was the most decadent experience of my trip; I recommend getting the Sky Pass and having a private shower/locker area and then completing the Ritual they offer. You are allowed 3 beverages at the bar located within the lagoon and you can pace yourself through the ritual and stay as long as you like. Ritual includes: warm lagoon soak in infinity pool overlooking ocean, cold water soak, hot sauna with large window overlooking ocean, cool mist shower, body scrub, steam room, shower, and finishes with the warm lagoon. After your lagoon experience, there is a delicious bar and restaurant you can visit)
Golden Circle
Pingvellir National Park is gorgeous with waterfall and beautiful viewpoints; while here you can snorkel at Silfra where the American and European tectonic plates are splitting—it has the clearest and bluest water in the world (if you go snorkeling be sure to wear tight clothes like leggings and a t shirt to wear under the dry suit; there is no privacy when changing)
Gulfoss Waterfall is a must on this tour and you will pass the Geyser on the way.
Hallsgrimkirkja Church (this is the large, gray church that is the centerpoint of the city. Sun Voyager Statue is on the coast just a walk away from the main downtown area. You can also see the Concert Hall the same day and, if you’re up for it, take a trip to the Perlan Museum for a view of the entire city…if you want to go inside there is a $20 fee for tickets)
Public House Gastropub (this is a small restaurant on the main downtown street that was the BEST meal of my entire trip. Delicious drinks and tapas-style dishes)
Brikk (for a quick lunch there are two locations where you can grab the most incredible soup and fresh sourdough bread in the area; this is the only restaurant I ate at more than once)
8. What to bring:
Wedding day: bring fake flowers/bouquet, leggings, comfortable shoes, warm coat, umbrella, speaker if you want music
Adventure days: Comfortable/warm hiking shoes, leggings/undershirts to wear for cold weather, beanie, warm coat/windbreaker/waterproof (rains frequently and unexpectedly), long-sleeve shirt (I work flannel shirts that I usually camp in), waterproof pants (I wore snow pants but my husband wore jeans mostly), backpack, water bottles (tap water from Iceland is so yummy and there’s no need to buy bottled water), snacks, scarf, waterproof winter gloves
I was able to limit what I packed and never did laundry though there were laundry facilities on site at Black Beach Suites. If you use travel bags when packing it helps to limit the size of your bulky coats and pants
Rick Steve’s travel book for Iceland was a huge help and we also brought a street map from National Geographic to help navigate. Sometimes reception is touch-and-go so it’s good to have backups. The travel book gives lots of history, trip ideas, and safety/planning tips to remember.
9. When making travel plans, try to book your flight in advance because prices can change dramatically if you wait. They doubled in price by the time my parents got their flight. Also, plan on renting a car (this will be expensive but I highly recommend a 4-wheel drive vehicle and paying for insurance; lots of the roads are unpaved and the weather can be very windy and unpredictable which, for us, included snow and hail). Be sure to obey traffic laws because there are hidden cameras along the street and a speeding ticket equates to $600. Before you leave, give yourself time (no more than 24 hours) to take a covid test – the previous day before arriving to the airport!! At an approved testing site or you will be unable to check-in. Currently still required May 2022 but check with your airline for return flight restrictions.
10. Lastly, book a professional photographer and videographer team. We spent close to 2 days with them traveling and exploring multiple locations. We saved money by booking both the photographer and video from the same company and we couldn’t be happier.