There’s a reason I keep finding my way back to Iceland. Black sand beaches, glaciers that glow blue, waterfalls you can stand behind, and that feeling of being the only two people on earth, it’s everything an elopement is supposed to be. After photographing elopements for 20 years, Iceland is still the place I’d tell almost any couple to run away to. Here’s everything you actually need to know to make it happen.
New to elopement planning? Start with my complete step-by-step guide on how to elope, then come back here to plan the where.
Why Iceland is one of the easiest places in the world to elope
Most destination weddings come with a mountain of foreign paperwork. Iceland doesn’t. It’s genuinely one of the simplest countries in the world for foreigners to legally marry -your marriage is recognized worldwide. There’s no residency requirement; you just need to be legally in the country on your wedding day.
How to legally get married in Iceland
You have two clean options.
Option 1: Marry legally in Iceland. You’ll submit a few documents ahead of time: both birth certificates, a certificate of marital status issued within four weeks of your date, and a marriage notification confirming there’s no legal impediment. Everything needs to reach the District Commissioner about two weeks before your wedding day, and you’ll need an officiant and two witnesses. The civil marriage fee is tiny, roughly 11,000 ISK (about $80), and your international marriage certificate arrives a couple of weeks later.
Option 2: Keep it stress-free (my favorite). Do the legal paperwork quietly at home, then have your real ceremony in Iceland with zero bureaucracy. Because I’m ordained, I can perform your ceremony and photograph it, so it’s just the two of you, your vows, and the landscape, with no extra officiant to hire or coordinate. This is the route most of my couples choose.
Do you need a permit to elope in Iceland?
For the ceremony itself, almost never. You can stand on a black sand beach or a mossy hillside and say your vows without a single form. No church required, no venue required. That is a big part of why Iceland is so easy.
Where it gets more complicated is the photography. Protected sites and national parks, Thingvellir and Vatnajokull especially, have their own rules for commercial shoots, and a paid photographer counts as commercial even when it is just the two of you and me. I handle those permits as part of planning. You should never be the one filling out a form for this.
Drones have their own rulebook. Any camera drone has to be registered with the Icelandic Transport Authority, third party liability insurance is required, and flying inside a national park without written permission is banned outright. If drone footage matters to you, tell me early, because it changes which locations make sense.
The best time to elope in Iceland
There’s no single best month, it depends on what you want to see:
- May-June: the sweet spot, long days, softer crowds, better prices, everything green and waking up.
- July-August: the only window the highlands fully open. Best for hiking to remote spots.
- September & October: my favorite, far fewer tourists, and the Northern Lights start to appear.
- Winter (February-March): the most dramatic, aurora overhead and blue ice caves, though access is limited and the weather is wild.
The best places to elope in Iceland
A few of my favorites:
- Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach: floating icebergs and chunks of glacier scattered across black sand.
- Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach: basalt columns and roaring Atlantic waves near the village of Vík.
- Skógafoss & Seljalandsfoss: towering waterfalls and rainbows; you can actually walk behind Seljalandsfoss.
- Snæfellsnes Peninsula & the highlands: mountains, moss, and a little of everything Iceland.
What it costs to elope in Iceland
Plan for three buckets: travel (flights, a rental 4×4, and lodging), the legal piece (around $80 if you marry in-country), and your photographer and experience. Iceland rewards couples who give it a few days, the best light and most remote spots are worth building a small trip around rather than rushing in and out. Reach out and I’ll help you map a plan that fits your budget.
Iceland elopement packages and what they cost
My elopement packages are the same wherever we go. Iceland, Alaska, the Redwoods, Barbados. The country changes. What I do for you does not.
Packages start at $6,000.
That covers a lot more than a photographer showing up with a camera. It covers the planning, and in Iceland the planning is most of the work. Scouting locations around weather and light and how many tour buses are parked at the waterfall that morning. The commercial photography permits, which I file, not you. A timeline built around golden hour and the real drive times between places instead of a guess. Backup locations for when Iceland decides to do all four seasons before lunch, because it will.
Where couples land above the starting number usually comes down to two things: how many days you want covered, and how far off the road you want to get. A single day on the South Coast sits at one end. Several days spanning the highlands and a glacier sits at the other.
Iceland itself is expensive and I would rather you hear that from me now than find out during a hotel booking. Flights, a 4×4 you will genuinely need, lodging, and food all cost more here than most places. The legal ceremony is the cheapest part of the entire thing at 11,000 ISK, roughly $85.
Tell me what you are picturing and roughly what you have set aside, and I will tell you straight whether it works. I would rather have that conversation early than sell you a day that is not the one you wanted.
Where to stay for your Iceland elopement: hotels and Airbnbs
There are Airbnbs all over Iceland and plenty of couples use them, but hotels work perfectly well here and I have never regretted booking one. You are not going to be in the room much anyway.
What matters more than the type of lodging is where you put yourself on the map. Where you sleep decides how much of Iceland you actually get to see. A quick note before the list: I have not personally stayed at every one of these, so read recent reviews before you book. This is the lay of the land so you know what exists and where it sits.
Near Keflavik and the airport
This is the practical choice, especially for a short trip, and it is where I tend to base myself. Courtyard Reykjavik Keflavik Airport, Aurora Hotel, and Konvin Hotel are all within easy reach of the terminal.
The Blue Lagoon properties sit out this way too, including Silica Hotel, The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, and Northern Light Inn. One thing to know: this stretch of the Reykjanes peninsula has seen repeated volcanic activity since 2023 and access can change with short notice. Check current conditions before you book anything out here, and do not build your whole trip around it.
The South Coast
This puts you inside reach of the waterfalls and black sand that most couples are picturing when they say Iceland. Around Hvolsvollur you have Hotel Loa, Hotel Laekur, and Hotel Selja. Seljalandsfoss Horizons rents self catering cottages about a kilometer from the waterfall itself, which is about as close as you can sleep to one of these.
Closer to Vik, which puts Reynisfjara black sand beach and the Dyrholaey cliffs on your doorstep, look at Hotel Kria, Black Beach Suites, and Vik Cottages.
Snaefellsnes
The one I push when someone wants the whole country compressed onto one peninsula with fewer people in the frame. Fewer big hotels out here and more guesthouses and small properties, so book further ahead than you think you need to.
Reykjavik
Fine if you want restaurants and a city night on either end of the trip. Just know that everything worth photographing is a drive away, and those drives eat the good light.
On Airbnbs
They shine when you want a kitchen, a hot tub, or somewhere remote with no hotel nearby. The tradeoff is that check in is on you and rural Icelandic internet can be moody. If you are getting ready somewhere before the ceremony, look for big windows and light coloured walls. It matters more to your photos than anything else about the place.
Book earlier than feels necessary either way. Iceland gets a lot of visitors and does not have many rooms.
What to wear & planning tips
Layers, always, Iceland can hand you sun, wind, and rain in one afternoon. Bring a dress you can move in, real shoes for the walk to your location, and a statement coat for the cold shots (they’re always the most dramatic). I help every couple plan the timeline around the light and the weather, so you’re never guessing.
Common questions about eloping in Iceland
Is it easy to elope in Iceland?
Yes. Iceland is one of the simplest countries in the world for foreigners to legally marry, there’s no residency requirement and the paperwork is straightforward, which is a big reason couples choose it.
How much does it cost to elope in Iceland?
The legal civil marriage fee is small, roughly 11,000 ISK (about $80). Your larger costs are travel, lodging, and your photographer. Most couples build a short multi-day trip around the elopement to reach the best light and locations.
When is the best time to elope in Iceland?
May-June and September are the sweet spots for weather, light, and smaller crowds. July-August open up the highlands, and winter (February-March) brings the Northern Lights and blue ice caves.
Do you need an officiant to elope in Iceland?
For a legal Iceland marriage you’ll need an officiant and two witnesses. Many couples instead handle the legal paperwork at home and have a symbolic ceremony in Iceland, and because I’m ordained, I can perform that ceremony and photograph it.
Can US citizens get legally married in Iceland?
Yes. US couples can legally marry in Iceland and the marriage is recognized worldwide. You submit your documents, birth certificates, a certificate of marital status, and a marriage notification, about two weeks before your wedding date.
Ready to elope in Iceland?
This is the part I love most, helping two people turn “someday Iceland” into a real date on the calendar. If you’re dreaming about it, let’s start mapping it out together.
Inquire About Your Iceland Elopement
More from this Iceland elopement
Her name is Suzy. Her name is Johanna. They met in nursing school in 2017 and were best friends first, straight through college, before either of them called it anything else.
After graduation they moved to Indianapolis together to start their careers, and somewhere in that move the friendship became the thing it had probably always been. In their words: “It was difficult trying to explain our relationship to many, but as time went by we realized that nothing mattered besides us. We put the negativity behind us and displayed our love for everyone and anyone to see.”
They got engaged in July 2022. They eloped in Iceland on October 21 of the same year. Three months, start to finish, because once they knew a traditional wedding was not their day, there was no reason to spend a year proving it.
Johanna wore a suit. Suzy wore two dresses, a Baltic Born lace maxi first and an Eddy K second. There were hiking boots involved, because Iceland does not care what your shoes cost.
And then there was Skógafoss. I did not tell them where we were going. Sixty meters of water coming off a cliff, loud enough that you stop trying to talk, and it soaks you long before you decide whether you want to be soaked. There are stairs up the east side if you want the view from the top. Jon Snow and Daenerys flew dragons past it in the last season of Game of Thrones, if that means anything to you.
“Our most favorite memory from the wedding was the massive waterfall location that Brit surprised us with. We were NOT expecting to be completely soaked in any location, especially being in Iceland but we are SO GLAD we did. It was the most fun we have had in a long time. The moment felt so freeing and magical. It truly felt like we were in a movie and could be ourselves. We did not want the moment to end. It is truly something we are going to remember for the rest of our lives. Brit and her assistant, Madelyn, made us feel like they had been our friends for years and were truly our number one supporters that day.”
Their advice to anyone planning this: say yes to everything. The day goes faster than you think, and the little things you are worried about right now will mean absolutely nothing.
If you elope with me, expect to get wet. Consider that both a warning and an invitation.
Iceland Elopement Packages: What It Actually Costs
If you have been searching for iceland elopement packages, here is the honest version. Some curated two-day packages out there start at $22,000. Mine don’t, because I build yours custom instead of selling you someone else’s itinerary.
My destination collections start at $6,000 (Wanderlust) and $8,000 (Adventurer), plus travel. Every package includes the stuff that actually makes iceland work: location scouting and a custom presentation of spots matched to your budget and bucket list, permit handling, season and timeline planning, and me as your legally ordained officiant if you want it to be just you two. Waterfall ceremonies, black sand beaches, ice caves in winter, and super jeep days are all on the table.
See full details on my destination elopement packages page, or reach out and tell me what you are dreaming about.
Iceland in winter means a shot at the aurora over your ceremony, and yes I know how to photograph the northern lights. Come talk to me about Iceland. I will not shut up about it and that is a promise.
A Sample Iceland Elopement Day
Early start at a black sand beach before the tour buses. Vows at a waterfall with nobody around. Lunch of gas station hot dogs, which I promise is an authentic Icelandic delicacy. An afternoon exploring sea cliffs and hidden canyons. Dinner somewhere warm, and if the forecast cooperates, we go back out at night and hunt the aurora in your wedding clothes. That last part is the photo your grandkids will fight over.
Will the Northern Lights Show Up for Your Ceremony?
Nobody can promise the aurora, and anyone who does is lying. What we can do is plan in season, keep our nights flexible, and chase the forecast together. I have stood in a lot of cold dark fields, and when it hits, it is worth every single minute. Here is how I photograph the northern lights when they do.
Want to see everywhere else I shoot? Browse my destination elopement locations, or come tell me your Iceland dream.
Not ready to reach out yet? Steal my free Destination Elopement Starter Guide: the exact first steps I walk every couple through, from picking your place to the legal shortcuts nobody tells you about. Grab the free guide here and start dreaming with a plan.
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