A Winter Storm, a Black Gown and Sólheimajökull: Emelyne & Bishal's Glacier Wedding

Emelyne and Bishal got engaged in Iceland on 8 February, so for the wedding date, coming back almost to the day felt right. On 7 February 2025 they got married in front of Sólheimajökull glacier, with a small group of their closest family and friends around them. The day had everything a real Icelandic winter can bring: a storm that rewrote the plan, wind that brought drama to every photo stop, and complete calm when it mattered most. Add a black sparkly gown, a burgundy suit and vegan treats all day long, and you have one of the most atmospheric weddings we have planned. Photos by the wonderful Matej Kmet.

Plan B, and a beautiful day for it

Hótel Borg lit up at night, red neon sign behind bare winter trees

The original plan had everyone staying on the South Coast the night before, with a slow morning, a stop at Reynisfjara and a picnic before the ceremony. Then a winter storm rolled in, and the whole group was stuck in Reykjavík the day before the wedding.

This is the part of planning no one sees, and it is exactly why we always have a Plan B. We told Emelyne and Bishal that everything would be fine, that we would make a new plan and that they would not have to worry about a thing. Then we turned the whole day around. They got ready at Hótel Borg in Reykjavík, we drove south in the morning, and we saved the black sand beach for the end of the day. KEA Hotels, one of our favourite partner hotels, were so flexible and helpful in bringing the new plan to life.

And the weather played along. The storm eased on the wedding day, the wind added atmosphere at every photo stop, and the picnic and ceremony were wonderfully still.

The look was all theirs. Emelyne and Bishal knew exactly what they wanted: dark, moody and romantic, with a black gown, a burgundy suit and flowers in deep reds, pinks and purples. We loved every idea they brought, and so did Blómahönnun, who were thrilled to work with such an unconventional palette.

Getting ready at Hótel Borg

1/2 | Bride in black sparkly gown helped into her dress, seen through a doorway

1/2 | Bride in off-shoulder black gown smiles over her shoulder in a black marble bathroom

1/2 | Bride laughing with three women in blue and silver gowns on a curved staircase

1/2 | Bride on Hótel Borg staircase, long black sequinned train spilling down the steps

Emelyne and Bishal got ready at Hótel Borg, a beautiful Art Deco hotel in the heart of Reykjavík. With its sweeping staircase, glamorous lounge and cosy library corners, it was the perfect setting for their dark, elegant style, and a lovely place to start the day after the storm. Once they were ready, they met for their first look in the hotel lounge, a quiet moment just for the two of them before everything began. Then our planner picked them up, and we headed out of the city and onto the road.

Bride peeks round a hotel room door, smiling at groom in burgundy suit

1/3 | Couple kissing in front of softly lit wooden bookshelves at Hótel Borg

1/3 | Couple laughing on a leather sofa beneath a large framed painting

1/3 | Seated bride in black gown with groom behind her at a hotel bar

Bride and groom laughing together in a warmly lit library with bookshelves

Couple holding hands as they walk out through Hótel Borg's revolving door

A snowy side road and our private waterfall

On the way out of the city we spotted a snowy side road towards Bláfjöll, and we just had to stop. Snow blowing across the road, hair everywhere and the two of them laughing about it. None of it was planned, and that is exactly why we love it.

1/2 | Wind whips the bride's red hair and black gown on a snowy roadside

1/2 | Couple laughing hand in hand on a snowy road in blowing wind

Bride and groom walk hand in hand down an empty snowy road near Bláfjöll

Next came a picnic at our private waterfall, far from the crowds. Warm carrot and coconut soup in ceramic mugs, vegan cinnamon rolls, berries, hot chocolate and a prosecco toast before the ceremony. Emelyne and Bishal were so happy to have vegan treats waiting for them all day.

1/2 | Couple in winter coats clink ceramic mugs of warm soup at their picnic

1/2 | Bride and groom feed each other vegan cinnamon rolls at a waterfall picnic

Pink Iceland team serving hot drinks and bubbles at a picnic table with cinnamon rolls

1/2 | Couple embracing below a tall waterfall in a mossy canyon

1/2 | Couple walk hand in hand away from a waterfall, gown blowing in the wind

The ceremony at Sólheimajökull

Small wedding ceremony on black sand in front of Sólheimajökull glacier and lagoon

From there, the group walked together towards Sólheimajökull. It is an easy walk of around 20 minutes, and with every step the glacier and its lagoon appear a little more in front of you, until the blue and white ice is right there. After a morning of wind, everything went still.

Bjarni Snæbjörnsson from Siðmennt, the Icelandic Humanist Association, led the ceremony on the black sand in front of the glacier, with their family and friends gathered close around them. Emelyne and Bishal shared their own vows, and when the ceremony ended, everyone came together for one big group hug by the ice. Small, personal and exactly right.

1/2 | Couple smiling as the officiant reads, glacier and mountain rising behind them

1/2 | Bride and groom hold hands during vows, officiant and glacier ice behind

Family and friends stand in a circle around the couple during the glacier ceremony

On the ice, and back to the black sand

While the rest of the group enjoyed glacier views and a short introduction to the ice from their guide, then went sightseeing, Emelyne, Bishal, Matej and our planner strapped on crampons and helmets and hiked out onto the glacier. Among the ridges of blue ice streaked with black volcanic ash, the black gown and burgundy suit looked right at home. Bishal works in film and loved seeing the day through a mood and film lens, and the dramatic weather fitted their style perfectly.

1/3 | Groom hugs bride from behind, long black train on dark glacier sand

1/3 | Drone view of the couple and small group in helmets on Sólheimajökull

1/2 | Groom holds bride close, her red hair blowing over a deep red bouquet

1/2 | Close-up of the couple's hands and rings, glacier ice blurred behind

Couple share a kiss on the glacier, bride's red hair caught by the wind

The day ended where the original plan began, on the black sand at Reynisfjara, now in soft, misty evening light, with everyone together for one last group photo.

Wedding group stands on Reynisfjara black sand beach in soft misty evening light

1/2 | Bride in white faux fur cape looks back while walking with groom on the beach

1/2 | Groom rests his head against the bride's on a windy black sand beach

Dinner and dancing at Hotel Katla

Long dinner table with deep red flowers, black taper candles and dark plates

Back at Hotel Katla, there was time to rest and change before dinner in a private room upstairs. Emelyne had one more surprise. She changed into her mother's wedding dress and surprised her mother with it in the evening, which brought out a few tears of joy.

Dinner was a three-course vegan dinner at one long table, dressed with white linen, deep red flowers and black candles. Dessert was a plate of bright sorbets and fresh berries, followed by a cinnamon roll cake made by Junedy at Velvet Baking Studio. Then the shoes came off and the dancing started.

1/2 | Bride in ivory lace dress laughing at a candlelit dinner table

1/2 | Plates of bright vegan sorbets and fresh berries carried to the table

Couple in evening outfits, ivory dress and blue suit, grinning between grey curtains

1/2 | Groom lifts bride on the dance floor as guests watch and film

1/2 | Bride and friends dancing with arms in the air at Hotel Katla

Kicked-off wedding shoes with pearl details under a dinner chair on wooden floor

Always an adventure

Winter weddings in Iceland are always an adventure. The weather has its own plans, the days are short, the light is soft and moody, and there is always a Plan B. It was so much fun to plan a fully vegan wedding, from hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls by the waterfall to a three-course dinner and a cinnamon roll cake in the evening. And there is nothing quite like strapping on crampons and climbing a glacier in your wedding clothes. Thank you, Emelyne and Bishal, for trusting us with your day.