Thingvellir Wedding // Matt & Matt

Thingvellir Wedding

This Thingvellir wedding at Ion Adventure Hotel was a proper highlight. Matt and Matt brought the team from Pink Iceland on board, and working alongside those legends made an already great day even better.

Inspired by Iceland

Recent weddings in Iceland, such as Alice and Arnþór’s wedding in Snæfellsnes, have continued to inspire us and keep us eager to return to our favourite little island. With each wedding, a new experience and insight into Iceland happens which is quite exciting as the country looks different with every visit.

Venues

Matt and Matt held their ceremony at Úlfljótsvatnskirkja, a small church set between Selfoss and Ion Adventure Hotel. Ion hosted the reception later that day. Between the two locations, the visual range was hard to beat.

Úlfljótsvatnskirkja Ceremony

The ceremony took place at Úlfljótsvatnskirkja, a small church that sits alone on the shore of Úlfljótsvatn lake within the Thingvellir National Park area. The church is one of the most scenic ceremony locations in Iceland, with views across the lake to the surrounding mountains. Matt and Matt exchanged vows inside this intimate space, surrounded by close family and friends who had travelled from abroad for the occasion. The church’s isolation and the stillness of the lake created an atmosphere of quiet significance that matched the importance of the moment.

Ion Adventure Hotel

After the ceremony, the celebration moved to Ion Adventure Hotel, a design-led hotel built into the landscape near Thingvellir. The hotel sits on the edge of a lava field with floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the surrounding terrain. The reception space looked out over the Icelandic highlands, and as the evening progressed the light shifted across the mountains in a way that made the backdrop change constantly. Ion is one of the most architecturally striking wedding venues in Iceland, and Matt and Matt’s celebration made full use of the space. The combination of the intimate church ceremony and the contemporary hotel reception gave the day a satisfying contrast.

The portraits from this wedding moved between the hotel grounds and the surrounding landscape. The lava field behind Ion is covered in thick Icelandic moss, and the textures and colours shift depending on the season and the light. In summer, the greens are vivid and the long evening light creates a warm contrast against the dark volcanic rock. Matt and Matt were relaxed and natural throughout, which made the portrait sessions feel easy and unforced. The best wedding photographs come from couples who are comfortable in the moment, and these two were exactly that.

Planning a Thingvellir Wedding

Thingvellir National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the historical seat of the Icelandic parliament, making it one of the most culturally significant locations in the country. The park sits on the rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, and the geological drama of the landscape is visible in the deep fissures and exposed rock faces that run through the area. For couples considering a Thingvellir wedding, the park is approximately 45 minutes from Reykjavik, which makes it accessible while still feeling remote and wild.

Matt and Matt’s wedding was planned by Pink Iceland, who specialise in LGBTQ+ weddings and elopements across the country. Their expertise with both the legal requirements and the logistics of Icelandic weddings made the entire process smooth. If you are planning a wedding in Iceland, whether at Thingvellir, Ion Adventure Hotel, or elsewhere, get in touch and we can share our experience of the best locations and vendors. For more Iceland wedding photography, browse our Akureyri wedding, Hótel Búðir celebration, Alicja and Arnþór’s Icelandic wedding, and South Iceland elopement.