Iceland Wedding // Alicja & Arnþór

We wrote our own story of this beautiful Iceland wedding, but with each draft, we realized Alicja wrote it so much better.

So below, you’ll read her story of the day. Big thank you to Geoff Lister for joining along for the adventure, and of course Hotel Hellnar for making the entire experience a breeze.

To view more weddings from Snæfellsnes, the magical region in where this Iceland wedding was hosted, check-out Sophia and James’ story, or maybe Celine and Ben’s.

Iceland Wedding

Words By Alicja

Our vision for our wedding was to bring our two separate worlds together for one big celebration.

Nestled in between a glacier and the roaring sea is a small village called Hellnar on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. It is a 3 hour drive from Reykjavik and there isn’t much but jaw-dropping scenery along the way.

Arnþór is from Iceland and I am from Canada so we decided gathering them all together at this magical location that is, quite frankly, in the middle of nowhere.

Our wedding weekend kicked off on the Friday night where we hosted a welcome drink for all of our friends and family to mingle and get to know each other. Then the party continued to a nearby café where both Icelanders and non-Icelanders watched Iceland win their way into the World Cup. Needless to say, that definitely brought everyone together.

The Windy Ceremony

On the day of the wedding the wind was blowing, but the rain held off (most of the time).

Right before the ceremony, everyone (except the bridal party) gathered in the lobby to take a shot of Gamel Dansk (a tradition snaps) to calm any nerves and warm the body before walking to the church. Then Arnþór and his father lead the party on the short but blustery walk to the church.

The church was packed from wall to wall, we even added chairs and filled in the aisles after I made my entrance! It was cozy, and intimate and unforgettable in the best possible way. We had musicians who were lead by Arnþór’s brother, and after he himself sang our favourite song, If You Knew by Nina Simone, there wasn’t a dry eye in sight.

Reception Vibes

After the ceremony, all the guests gathered back at the hotel for champagne and hors d’oeuvres that had been created to reflect the region.

The reception started in the evening and throughout dinner service we were delighted with the most heart-warming speeches by our friends and family. We were even surprise-serenaded with songs that got the whole hall singing along. We served the main course family style because we wanted to continue our theme of one big family and really love the idea of everyone sharing food.

The tables were decorated with greenery, Icelandic roses and snowberries as well as a mishmash of antique brass candlesticks that the mother of the groom had been collecting.

Party Time

We moved the party from the dinning room to the dance hall and we paved the way with a red carpet with candles that glowed along the path.

At midnight we lit up the sky with the most amazing fireworks and then had a burger truck grill burgers and fries. Our DJ kept everyone on the dance floor, and we are still unclear on what time the party actually ended.

What we loved most about our wedding was how many new friendships were forged, and how the whole weekend, our intimate group of 110 people was really one big family all celebrating our love together.

Alicja and Arnþór’s Iceland wedding is featured on Bride and Breakfast Hong Kong.