A Beautiful Reykjavík Wedding Day, Their Way: Rowanne & James

Rowanne and James got engaged in Reykjavík in 2023, so when they started planning their wedding, Iceland was the obvious choice. On 5 December 2025 they married in the old reading room at Safnahúsið, with their closest family and friends around them. It was cold and clear, with the soft, low light you only get here in winter.

They didn't try to fit everything in. They booked a photographer for half a day, skipped the getting-ready photos and kept the dance floor off camera. The day was relaxed, personal and very them. Winter here is short on daylight, but it doesn't have to be short on anything else. Rowanne and James kept the plan simple and let the season do the rest: soft low sun, Christmas lights all over the city and a warm room full of people they love.

Wedding party gathered in the grand doorway of Safnahúsið in Reykjavík at dusk

Start with what matters

When we first spoke, they gave us three priorities. A relaxed day that ran smoothly, real time with the people they love, and a chance to show their guests a city that means a lot to them. Good food and good music (disco and funk, please) came a close fourth. Every decision went back to that list.

The reading room at Safnahúsið already has tall arched windows, dark green panelling and the original wooden chairs, so it didn't need much. Rowanne carried white calla lilies with a long ribbon, and each bridesmaid had a single stem. The building was already dressed for Christmas, with fairy lights on the staircase and fir garlands with red bows.

Instead of getting-ready photos at the hotel, they did a first look and the bridal party photos at the venue. That kept the afternoon calm and made good use of the daylight.

Bride in white satin dress arriving beside a white Land Rover outside Safnahúsið

The first look

James waited at the bottom of the grand staircase while Rowanne came down behind him. His face in the photos says everything about how that moment went.

1/2 | Bride appears on the fairy-lit staircase behind the waiting groom at Safnahúsið

1/2 | Bride smiling at the top of the fairy-lit staircase as the groom waits below

1/2 | Groom grinning as the bride touches his face on a chequered marble floor

Black and white overhead shot of the bride resting her hands on the groom's shoulders

1/2 | Bride twirling under the groom's hand on the chequered floor, in black and white

1/2 | Bride and groom laughing face to face beside the fairy-lit stair railing

The ceremony

The bridesmaids, in shades of chocolate brown, walked into a playlist of Icelandic and Welsh instrumental music. Rowanne followed to “Idea 10” by Gibran Alcocer, with her dad and stepdad beside her. Árni Grétar from the Humanist Association led the ceremony. Their nieces read two poems, “Mi Gerddaf Gyda Thi” in Welsh and “A Red, Red Rose” in Scots. Rowanne and James wrote their own vows, and the tissues came out more than once. They walked back down the aisle as a married couple to George Michael's “Faith”.

Bride walking down the aisle between her dad and stepdad in the reading room

Bride beaming at the groom during the ceremony, bridesmaids smiling behind her

Wide view of the ceremony in front of tall arched windows in Safnahúsið's reading room

The couple's nieces reading a poem during the ceremony at Safnahúsið

Bride wiping away a happy tear with a tissue during the vows

Groom smiling as the bride reads her handwritten vows in the reading room

Bride and groom share their first kiss in front of the reading room's tall windows

In their words

“Iceland is an extremely special place for us and after getting engaged in Reykjavík in 2023 we knew that we wanted to get married in Iceland alongside our closest family and friends. [...] Sara quickly understood our vision and the vibe we were after for our special day, helping us to make it a reality! [...] We genuinely feel like we not only had a wedding planner in Sara but a friend who we trusted to deliver our vision in the most perfect way. All our guests were so complimentary of the day and the way in which it went so smoothly thanks to Sara and the Pink Iceland team (extra shout outs to Kristín María, our amazing photographer, Árni Grétar our lovely celebrant and the wider team, even Húgó who gave us some cuddles when we were missing our own pup!) If you are thinking about planning your dream Iceland wedding, you should 100% go for it and there is no one we would recommend more than Pink Iceland. Diolch y galon, Rowanne & James”

Rowanne and James, on Tripadvisor

A walk through Reykjavík

After a group photo on the staircase (and one very dramatic dip), everyone walked to dinner together. The route went through the centre, past the Christmas lights and down the rainbow street, with Hallgrímskirkja lit up at the top. Showing their guests Reykjavík was one of their priorities, and walking it together in black tie did just that. Kristín María photographed quiet portraits in the reading room and the two of them arm in arm on the rainbow street. A proper Reykjavík romance.

1/2 | Bride and groom kissing beside antique card catalogue drawers inside Safnahúsið

1/2 | Editorial flash portrait of the couple by tall windows, bride holding calla lilies

Groom dips the bride for a kiss before the wedding party on the staircase

Newlyweds sitting on the fairy-lit staircase decorated with red Christmas bows

Couple leading the wedding party on foot through Reykjavík on a winter evening

Couple walking arm in arm down the rainbow street towards Hallgrímskirkja at night

The celebration

Dinner was at Skál! Rowanne and James had eaten there on a previous trip to Iceland and loved it, so it was an easy choice. Guests were welcomed with “Peel-ing the love”, the couple's own name for an Aperol Spritz, their favourite cocktail. Then came a run of courses from Skál!'s winter menu, with personalised menus at every seat.

One of the speeches was a take on the cue card scene from Love Actually, told with a stack of signs in Welsh and English. It brought both tears and laughter from the guests. The cake came from Velvet Bakery, and the couple brought a small figure of their dog Simba, in a top hat and bow tie, so he could be part of their day too.

After dinner the cameras were put away, and they ended the night in a private rooftop room at The Reykjavík EDITION, where funk and Christmas music came together on the dance floor. It was chic, relaxed and just for them and their guests.

1/3 | Personalised menu reading James and Rowanne, December 5th, Reykjavík, on a table at Skál!

1/3 | Four glasses of Aperol Spritz raised in a toast at the wedding dinner

1/3 | Tiny figure of the couple's dog Simba in a top hat beside the wedding cake

Bride arm in arm with two guests in the warm, low-lit dining room at Skál!

Guests seated along a long table at Skál! listening to a wedding speech

The whole room raising glasses of Aperol Spritz in a toast at Skál!

1/2 | Til hamingju með daginn card on the dinner table, groom smiling in the background

1/2 | Bride smiling over her shoulder with an Aperol Spritz in hand at dinner

Couple sharing a kiss in front of a glowing red neon sign at night

1/2 | Bride and groom cutting their vintage-style, cherry-topped wedding cake together

1/2 | Couple laughing as they pull apart a slice of their wedding cake

1/2 | Wedding speech with a bilingual Welsh and English sign reading Only Joking

1/2 | Guest laughing while holding up a LETS GO sign during the wedding speeches

Bridesmaid smiling as she listens to the speeches at the wedding dinner

Make it feel like you

We're sharing this wedding because it shows something we often tell couples. You don't need a full day of photography or a packed schedule to have a beautiful wedding in Reykjavík. Start with what matters to you and plan around that. Rowanne and James knew what mattered to them, and the rest followed.