Eight of the Best Iceland Locations for Wedding Photos
While we were spending an incredible week in Iceland last month, we found some of the best locations to shoot some epic wedding photos! Our week long excursion took us to some easy to access spots as well as some un-charted territory. We almost got stuck in snow drifts, blown off the road by perilous winds, and nearly froze our you-know-whats off in freezing temperature waters, but it was all worth to to capture some images in these stunning places in Iceland. Throughout Reykjavik and the Southern coast through Vik, below we share with you some of our favorite locations for the BEST Iceland wedding photos! Here’s the list below ranked from easy access to for-the-adventurous-only:
There are several black churches in Iceland and they’re all pretty iconic, so you can pick whichever strikes your fancy. We decided to start our trip off nice and easy and visit the Hvalsneskirkja black church located near Keflavik (the main airport in Iceland) as our first location for some stunning wedding photos. This is an easy drive on a paved road and a 5 minute walk, tops. Even in snow, it wasn’t difficult, just watch of for hidden ice in the winter months. Bonus: the nearby Icelandic horses who came over to check us out!
Also not a far walk from the road or very challenging are the Valahnúkamöl cliff. The wind however, is aggressive and the drops steep. While beautiful, probably not somewhere where you would want to spend lots of time doing images. A bonus to the Valahnúkamöl cliffs is the Reykjanes Lighthouse and Gunnuhver Hot Springs you have to literally drive past to get here!
Skógafoss is one of Iceland’s most popular tourist spots, and not too far from Vik. There are several other waterfalls nearby that are worth a visit too. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, we recommend hiking to the top of the falls- PLEASE wear crampons if there is snow and ice! Will literally pulled a young woman back from the edge here. She was wearing sneakers to make the ascent. Safety first!
We visited Reynisfjara Beach THREE separate times on our trip and experienced gale force winds each time. I’m told this wasn’t normal but since it was the only place where I fell more than once, I’m going to mark it as more difficult. There is a paved road and walkways to the beach and basalt columns, but it is a tourist attractions, so expect some crowds!
The Brimketill Lava Rock Pool is an incredible natural phenomenon where the ocean crashes so hard on the black cliffs that water shoots dozens of feet high into the air, creating a geyser. It was very icey and slippery, but not far from where you park just off the main road between the airport and Grindavik. Just watch your footing and stay away from the water and you’ll get some epic images!
Will and I love caves and have gone caving all over the world. This lava cave far exceeded our expectations! Tons of blood red rock from all of the iron deposits, plus lots of karst windows that allowed natural light (and snow into). We were wowed by the beautiful ice “stalagmites” that are created each winter! Only about a mile, but uneven terrain and steps. The Lava Tunnel is a commercal tourist operation on private land but they do offer private tours and special events!
This is a must! The ice literally glitters in photos. The only way to safely access this cave is through a tour operator and we had an amazing experience with Katlatrack. The owner, Gudjon, put together a custom tour for us so we were able to experience it with no one else there. It’s a challenging hike through very deep snow in the winter, but this particular cave is also open in the summer! It was pretty windy the day we here there so we were lucky to capture this image of an avalanche at the front of the cave where we were only minutes earlier!
Adventurous couples only! Have you ever wondered what 2 degree water felt like? Well here’s your chance! If you make this dive/snorkel you’ll be able to say you swam between two continents! We used dive.is as our tour company. They outfitted us with drysuits prior to our plunge so our bodies stayed nice and dry. It’s not so bad…after your face and hands go numb you really start to appreciate the majesty of the intercontinental rift. The water is so crystal clear that it’s visibility actually surpasses what we can see with our eyes underwater! While this was physically and mentally challenging, we completely recommend it to any adventurous couple who loves the water and unique landscapes like we do!
Iceland is filled with incredible locations to take epic wedding photos! So many in fact, we’re heading back in the summer to check out some more fantastic places! If you’re ready to book your adventure or you want some assistance planning your epic Iceland wedding photos let us know! We will gladly hike or dive with you through Iceland, to capture your adventure!
