Secret Geothermal Pools in Iceland

A trip to Iceland, the land of fire and ice, wouldn't be complete without a few hot pool visits and Iceland has some of the most incredible, natural geothermal pools. Trust me, there’s a lot more to it than the Blue Lagoon so today I'm sharing 4 of my favorite pools, and 6 that are still on my wish list. 

Hot springs are scattered around Iceland, some not accessible and others on private farmland but some are welcome to the public and you really should make a visit. I love relaxing in a hot pool, taking in the geothermal waters of a local spa, or rewarding myself with a soak in a hot river after a hike, and Iceland sure offers you these treats. My favorite pool is still Seljavallaug because the water here is algae and so so good for your skin. The dreamy and very romantic Blue Lagoon, a world know spa, will always have a place in my heart as it's where my Viking took me on our first date but I do find the water very drying on my skin. The Secret Lagoon is a great find if a little touristy but the water is always hot and fabulous. And finally, the hot river at Reykjadalur is a pretty damn unique experience and one everyone should do if they can. 

1. BLUE LAGOON

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It’s the most obvious one so let’s start here. The Blue Lagoon is everything you have imagined it will be. It’s a truly relaxing experience and can be a very romantic one too. Located near Keflavik International Airport, it’s an ideal stop on your way to or from the airport. Recently extended in size with a new swim-up bar and in-water massage area, the Blue Lagoon is a great welcome to Iceland. The distinctive blue hue of the water comes from that sulphur, so it’s a good idea to remove copper or silver jewellery before bathing as it can cause discolouring. Swim around in the calming blue silica waters, try out the waterfall, steams rooms, cave, and algae or silica masks. Enjoy a refreshing drink at the swim-up bar whilst your mask works its magic. With a rather large price tag and appearing on almost everyone’s bucket list, keep in mind that there are other options. 

2. REYKJADALUR

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Located an hour’s hike from the town of Hveragerði (45min drive from Reykjavik) is a hot river that welcomes you after a pretty stunning hike. The landscape is beautiful and changes from bubbling brown mud to green moss, steam billowing from the ground and rising from the algae-filled waterfalls. Reykjadalur, meaning steaming valley, is the first of our completely natural (and free) recommendations. Once you arrive at the section popular for bathing, you’ll notice there no changing huts. Strip down to your swimming costume and brave the few steps into the water. Access has been made easy by a manmade boardwalk with steps into the river. There are some screens to shelter behind and change but this is a pretty wild experience, especially if the weather is wild too, though it's an unforgettable one. Walk or paddle upstream for hotter water, lie by the small damns and take in the views. 

3. GAMLA LAUGIN / SECRET LAGOON

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This pool is a great introductory pool with easy access, changing facilities, and a shower. The Secret Lagoon is a unique natural hot spring, the oldest swimming pool in Iceland, built-in 1891. It’s a large pool that was once used by local women to wash clothes in and was the local swimming pool where children learnt to swim until 1947. The water holds at 38-40 Celsius (100-104 Fahrenheit) all year round. Here you can swim and float around using the noodles provided to find the hottest part of the lagoon. Once you are warm enough, take a short walk around the lagoon to see the beautiful landscape, original changing hut, natural geysers heating the lagoon and the nearby greenhouse. There is a cafe here for a hot chocolate or snack afterward too.

4. SELJAVALLAUG

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Seljavallalaug is an algae pool located in a very dramatic setting at the base of the famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano. It’s relatively easy to find but is quickly changing from a local, secret pool to one being visited by tourists. On the south coast and just a short drive from Seljalansfoss waterfall is Seljavallalaug. Park at the car park by the guesthouses and make your way up through the valley following the river path. It’s a short 15-20min walk on rocky terrain, crossing one waterfall, but is relatively easy and kids will manage. The pool is manmade and built into the rock face. There is a small but basic changing hut where you can change and leave your belongings. The pool is naturally heated but can be a little cooler if it has recently rained or snowed. The tap feeding the pool is located at the top of the pool, where everyone gathers but hot water also trickles down the rock face. This is an algae pool so can feel a little odd but is amazing for the skin. Lie back and enjoy the landscape, imagine the activity of the mighty Eyjafjallajökull and the history of this pool. 

This pool is cleaned by volunteers annually and you can make a donation by the entrance to the changing hut. Please enjoy but respectful of the pool and its landscape, leave no trace. 

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still on my bucket list:

MÝVATN

The Blue Lagoon of the North, though a lot smaller, Myvatn was developed in 2004. Located on the sloped of Dalfjall, the baths have a beautiful backdrop of ochre-coloured hills. Dalfjall is home to Iceland’s first geothermal power station. The milky blue colour of the water comes from 25 metres below you. The perfect place to enjoy a long hot soak in the 38-40 ̊C water or a seat in a sauna after hiking and travelling. There’s a cafe here too.

Landmannalaugar

Set in some of the most stunning and dramatic scenery Iceland has to offer, this geothermal bath is located in Landmannalaugar, the highlands of Iceland. The landscape changes with the movement of the sun, a truly unique place surrounded by over 500-year-old lava fields and mountains of yellow, blue, white and more. Enjoy the pool, the water here is 36-40°C all year round. Stay in one of the local cabins or camp and hike the many treks. You will need to join and tour or self drive a 4WD here, though access in the winter can be very challenging. 

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) Guide

The first time I went on a Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis, hunt we found nothing, in fact, it took me three visits to Iceland before we spotted them. One night, at home in the apartment, Ingimar had popped into the bedroom and was pulling down the blind. He hadn't turned on the light so spotted the Aurora and called me from the bedroom. He covered my eyes and took me out onto the balcony. Stretching across the entire sky was a bright green line in the sky, between the stars and shining so magically. It's hard to describe what they're like to see. They don't seem real, almost like something from a Disney movie but when you see them really dancing and changing colour then that's when the real magic comes!!

watch the vlog

If you've never seen them before, try to imagine the sky with a huge green rainbow stretching from horizon to horizon. It's like something out of the Polar Express movie, but real. I am lucky enough to have seen them quite a few times now. Last November the forecast was to be very high and so the city organized to turn off all the lights and asked homes to join in. This reduced light pollution in the city so the Aurora could be seen much more clearly. Often the Aurora can look like an odd cloud, a long greenish cloud but if you drive outside the city, away from artificial lights, then you really see it glow. 

You have to be careful though as the Northern Lights can be a little distracting. We hear of tourists driving the south coast and driving off-road accidentally as they looked up to see the Aurora Borealis. I can totally understand how this happens as I often saw them whilst driving to or from roller derby practice but please, pull aside and safely watch them. They are amazing but not worth risking your life for!!

So, armed with loads of pictures and video clips to remember them by, I am going to share some tips and tricks on how to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. 

What Are The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)?

The Northern Lights in Iceland, sometimes referred to as Aurora Borealis, is a magical display of light in the sky that can only be seen in wintertime (September - April, when it's dark). It's scientific and a little technical but basically they are caused by the sun. The sun is a huge ball of hydrogen and other gases which fuse away in space. The sun has storms called solar storms. 

Imagine the sun like a huge ball of plasma. All the plasma swirling around within the sun makes a huge magnetic field that's under a lot of pressure. Sometimes the lines of force within these magnetic fields meet and leave the sun’s surface as hot gases and charged particles, and enter the earth’s atmosphere (solar flare). Once these flares reach Earth (solar winds) they can be extremely dangerous but our planet produces a magnetic field to help protect us (earth magnetosphere).

Earth’s magnetic field has two weak spots, the North and South Poles, which means a small amount of the sun’s charged particles can reach Earth’s atmosphere. These solar winds collide with the oxygen and nitrogen atoms of Earth's atmosphere, this enhances their energy. The atoms release this newfound energy in the form of particles of light (photons) and this light is known as the Aurora or Northern Lights. 

The colours of light you see depend on the different types of gas particles being released and colliding with the charged particles entering the earth’s hemisphere, i.e. Oxygen = green, Nitrogen = blue, red. Here in Iceland we mostly see a green light but it's possible to see blue or purple at the edge of the green. Last September was an amazing display where we saw a hint of pink, purple and red - it was as magical as it sounds.

• The Japanese believe that a child conceived under the dancing rays would be fortunate in life

• Vikings believed that the Aurora was a bridge of fire to the sky, forged by the Gods

• Scandinavian folklore describes them as the spirits of unmarried women

• The Inuit thought they were the souls of the dead

When Is Best To See The Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights season here in Iceland typically runs from the 1st of September, through winter, until around the 15th of April. This is when the local Northern Lights tours run. 

The sky has to be dark to see them so coming to Iceland in the summer months will make viewing the Northern Lights impossible. However the winter months bring a lot of wintery weather and with snow and rain, there are clouds. We have a saying here in Iceland “if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes” because if it’s snowing in the morning then it might be clear and frosty at night, so no clouds. The weather is a little unpredictable - recently we have had a warm snap with above freezing temperatures when we usually get -5’c. With this warmer weather, sometimes there is a lot of cloud coverage at night but the day is clear. 

It's best to wait until around 10 pm and, if you are able to stay up until the wee small hours, 1-2 am (don't worry, you can request an Aurora Northern Lights wake-up call from your hotel). Personally, I've spotted them the most in November, September, and March but I think that’s mostly because I was out and about. It sounds weird and we kind of take them for granted now but I often don’t even look up at the sky to check if they're there unless someones visiting us. 

Are The northern lights guaranteed?

The simple answer is NO. 

To see the Northern Lights you need 3 things:

1. Darkness - you won’t see them in the long, light summer nights

2. Clear Skies - if there’s a lot of cloud coverage, you won’t see the lights

3. Aurora Activity - they simply aren’t always dancing

A good mix of the above three things, plus a little luck, and you will have a very memorable night viewing the Northern Lights. Always check the Official Aurora Forecast before you head out Aurora Forecast to see what the next few days look like. This site rates how likely and how intense the lights will be Europe Aurora Forecast. There’s a fun video on this page SpaceWeather Enthusiast if you scroll near the bottom, it shows the Aurora Forecast and you can see the time the lights will be over Iceland. For a longer forecast, you can check 27 Day Flux Forecast which gives a 27-day outlook. 

Where To Best See Them In Iceland?

The Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis can be seen typically within the Arctic Circle. The South Pole also has a show of lights called the Aurora Australis. But for this post, let's focus on Iceland and Aurora Borealis.

You don’t need to go far out of the city to be in with a chance to see the dancing Aurora. If the sky is clear of clouds then head down to Grotto and wait patiently. If you have a car, drive out of the city and away from the light pollution to areas like Grotta, Mosfellsbaer, Seltjarnarnes, Perlan, where you can easily park. 

Further a field, head to:

• Thingvellir National Park

• Seljavallalaug

• Vík

• Eldborgahraun

• Djúpavík

• Westfjords, Eastfjords

• Ásbyrgi Canyon

• Hvammsfjordur

• Jokulsarlon

• Hvitserkur

• Siglufjordur

• Reynisvatn

• Öskjuhlid

• Kopavogur

• Kirkjufell

What Are The Advantages Of Booking An aurora Tour?

The main advantage is that your tour guide knows the forecast and has access to much more information than we do so if they go out, there's a good chance of spotting the Northern Lights. This means that if the forecast isn't looking good by 6 pm, they send out a message and your tour is cancelled for the night and you'll have another chance the following night (at no extra cost). This will happen every night until you see them. They provide transport and know the roads so can take you to the right spots. Some tours also include entrance to the Aurora Reykjavik Museum in the old harbor. The museum has loads of information about mythology and science, photographs, a time-lapse video shown on widescreen of the Northern Lights from all over Iceland. 

What Should I Wear?

It’s no fun standing around, freezing your butt off. So wrap up warm and wear some good hiking or snow boots. You might be heading out of the city and away from the shelter. It is Iceland and it is cold, the wind here is real!! So wrap up ready for it and be patient. Remember the layer rule: 

Base layer + Top layer + Outer layer = happy camper

And for those photographers out there, consider your poor wee fingers before exposing them to the freezing cold. Keep an eye on the weather in Iceland. It's also a good idea to bring your camera (obviously), a tripod for those long exposure shots, hand warmers, and a flask of yummy hot chocolate!!

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How Does The Northern Lights Forecast Work?

It's a little misleading as the green as the same colour as the lights in the sky but on this map: 

Green = Cloud

White = Clear sky

Head for the white areas, away from light pollution. The rule is, if you can see the stars then you have a good chance for the Northern Lights. Here's a video I made explaining how it works:

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How Do You Photograph The Northern Lights?

Of course, the best souvenirs are your own photographs, and what trip to Iceland to see the Aurora Borealis wouldn’t be complete without a picture to prove it. This is a hard one though, and takes patience but don’t worry, you don’t need to be a photographer to capture the Aurora. Your smartphone might not cut it. But it will be helpful if you download the Aurora Forecast & Alerts app.

DSLR You don’t need expensive equipment to capture your shot of the Northern Lights, if you have a DSLR camera then great. Set the camera to manual and play around with your ISO, aperture, and exposure settings. 

Tripod Though not essential, it is a good idea to use something to keep your camera still as you will be taking long exposure shots to capture the lights. Long exposure: 20 seconds

Aperture In your manual settings, go to aperture and set it as wide as your lens allows, i.e. f2/8, f1/4. This will allow the max amount of light to hit the camera sensor in the fastest time, allowing a lot of light in quickly. This means your ISO can be set lower to avoid a ‘noisy image (less grain).

ISO This is the level of sensitivity your camera has to the available light. In your manual settings, go to ISO and set it between 400 and 1000. A high ISO can give a grainy image. Try this out and play around with the settings until you’re happy. Mid-range ISO: 800 (depends on light pollution).

The other amazing thing about photography is that your camera will pick up more than your naked eye can. Try looking at the sky and then look through the camera, you will see the lights stronger and brighter through the camera lens. If you aren’t lucky enough to see the Northern Lights then here is a video I made of the Aurora Borealis dancing last year.

How Can I Avoid Disappointment?

I get so many questions from people saying they have dreamt of seeing the Northern Lights their entire life, how can they see them. Well, the truth is that the Aurora Borealis is a natural phenomenon and so you just can’t predict them when planning a trip to Iceland. The best time to plan your trip is obviously in the winter months as the Northern Lights season runs from 1st September, through winter, until 15th April, typically but don't be too disappointed if you don't see them. It took me three visits here before I saw them. The best thing to do is plan your holiday in Iceland, see all the beauty of this country from waterfalls and glaciers to lava and moss. Then, if you get to see the Aurora dancing in the sky it’ll be the icing on the frozen cake. 

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this post was originally written in 2020 and has been updated

Our Engagement and Wedding Ring Story

The Proposal

Ingimar proposed to me on a cold winter night, the eve of Christmas Eve, back in Edinburgh. We had been out at the theatre and were going for drinks at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel with my Mum and her partner. The Waldorf Astoria is where he and his friends were staying that fateful night that we met. He was on a lads football trip and I was on a Hen Night, both celebrating at the Ghillie Dhu, just across the road from their Hotel. 

A few years, a number of flights, Facetimes, and relocations later we were heading for a glass of Christmas bubbly when Ingimar suggested we take a quick walk over to the Ghillie Dhu for old times sake. I said ok, but only if we were quick as Mum was waiting. Walking over, it was fun to reminisce about that night, meeting this strange bearded man from Iceland and wondering what life was like in such a country. We went in the back door and walked through the bar to head upstairs to the main hall, where we first met. Unfortunately, it was too early and the hall wasn't open yet. Not wanting to keep Mum waiting I said "let's go", and started to walk downstairs and out the front door. Knowing Ingimar wasn't behind me, I moaned "hurry up, what are you doing?" only to turn around and find him knelt down, on one knee, holding a small red box. I immediately shut up. 

I can't quite recall what he said but I knew what was happening and, just for a moment, I was speechless. He asked me to marry him and I managed to blurt out an "of course". We hugged and kissed, and cried a little. 

A very public spot, which thankfully was very quiet that night. We managed to have a few moments to ourselves before I remembered my Mum!! We walked over to a very nervously-excited Mother-in-Law to-be and shared the news. I called my brother and sister and staying very close by, my sister came to join us with her boyfriend. So that was us, all dressed in silly Christmas jumpers, surrounded by family, we toasted our engagement and started to dream of the big day. 

Happily engaged, we now wear matching Icelandic rings. It's an Icelandic tradition for you to both wear rings and so once you're married, the ring becomes your wedding band. I like that Icelandic men wear a ring to show they're engaged but I wanted a little of both cultures - and like many girls, I didn't want to miss out on my diamond so we got creative and agreed that my Wedding ring would be a diamond ring and the Icelandic ring would be my engagement ring. 

The Rock

Last November I found myself back in India, where a big chapter of my life happened. India means a lot to me; my parents happily holidayed there, I escaped a recession only to end up climbing the academic ladder there, I made some awesome friends and memories there, learned to ride a scooter, traveled a lot, attended more Indian weddings than western, fell in love Bollywood movies and well, all things bling. But the career part was a huge chapter of change for me and Mother India nurtured, guided, and gave me the confidence to really push myself. 

Between 2009 and 2012, I lived in Bangalore but India took a grip of my (as she does) and I managed to travel back and forth to Delhi and Mumbai with the British Council from 2012 to 2016 when I moved to Iceland (I know, quite the change). In the time I lived in India I had many visitors, one of which was my sister who came for a month and volunteered with two NGO projects. We managed to do some traveling too and flew up north to Rajasthan. This is where I fell in love with Udaipur, boasting some of the most impressive architectural details (especially windows) you've ever seen. It's a long story with many adventures but this story is about last November’s Diwali. 

Diwali is the festival of light. A beautiful, if a little OTT at times, the festival of candles and fireworks. Having celebrated many Diwali festivals whilst living in India, I was keen to escape the noise and head for somewhere a little quieter. Remembering the calming lakes and beautiful palaces of Udaipur, I booked my flight and flew north the next day. Arriving in the city at night, I was met with all the chaos of an Indian festival. Fireworks, flashes of colour, and loud bangs. There was to be no escape. 

I checked into a budget hostel and headed to my dorm. I always find when you are traveling alone, it's a good idea to book a hostel as you have more chance of meeting fellow travelers here and so company. The party was up on the roof and the Bollywood dancing had commenced. I got chatting with two English backpackers and we started exchanging stories. After a few hours, I headed off to bed. The next morning I went for a wander through the back streets, and not knowing anyone, it was a little odd when I heard my name being called from the doorway of a local jewelry shop. I looked back and saw the couple from the previous night. Now, experienced in Indian shops and the sometimes dodgy deals tourists get involved in, I had always stayed clear of them so I hesitantly approach. The couple was sitting in the shop, sipping on a cold beer and chatting about motorbikes. No one was shopping, no one was bartering, no jewels were even out on show so I joined them for a refreshing beer. A beer down, I jokingly pointed out that no one had bartered over anything yet and so I wanted to see his biggest diamond. We had a look and I asked about the price. They didn't think anything of it, why would they, after all, we were just a couple of hostellers enjoying a beer with them. I agreed to join them on a bike ride to a local lake and we headed off. 

For those alarmed at this random decision, I will try to reassure you that I knew what I was doing, but honestly, how can I do that?! Firstly, I trust my gut in situations like this, a skill that comes in very handy when traveling alone. Heading off on the back of a motorbike, with two other travelers I had only just met, driven by someone I didn't know, to a random secluded lake - I get you, but all was fine. Actually, it was a great day and we had a good laugh at my Hindi, freckles, and other foreign funniness. 

After the day trip, they dropped us back in the city and we walked to our hostel (as I thought it best they did not know exactly where we were staying). I messaged Ingimar to tell him of my day and mentioned the diamond. A little surprised at my adventures, he then asked about the diamond and it quickly got serious. He was sat in Iceland googling information on the 3Cs (cut, colour, clarity) whilst I sat on my top bunk in India messaging the jewelry shop owner to subtly start up a conversation about the rock. After a while I had developed a plan to meet up with the jeweler at his shop, I had explained my budget and that I had to still get the stone set into a ring from the money I had so I could avoid the bartering and make it a more pleasant experience. We agreed to meet.

Back at the shop, I met with the jeweler and his brother, they had brought food which is very typical of Indian hospitality. Neither of us wanted to rush this and so we chatted a little more. I looked at the diamond, sent a picture to Ingimar (along with a picture of his business card and a link to his Facebook page as some kind of reassurance of who I was with). After an hour or so, a beer and some delicious curry, I had met the brother, mother, sister, uncle, friends...and I had bought the diamond. No bartering, no-nonsense. I trusted my gut and it felt good. 

For the next two nights, I slept with the diamond in my bag, under my pillow, on the top bunk of a budget hostel. Hilarious. 

The Ring

I flew back with the diamond safely tucked into a zipped compartment of my purse, handbag glued to me. I took the stone to a local North Berwick jewelry designer, Patricia Dudgeon. Relief as she confirmed the cut, clarity, and carat. I wanted the ring to be unique, it had a good start already so I wanted to design something simple that would really show off the rock. Pat’s work is stunning and she made the process so easy. Ingimar and I visited her shop together and I explained what I was looking for. After a few sketches we agreed on a design and she modeled it in CAD. I was so excited to see and wear it. A few days later she called me to try it on and I loved it, it was exactly what I wanted; simple and elegant but really showed off the rock. It sits so well on my finger, right after the Icelandic rugged engagement ring. I wear it with pride, love, and loads of happy memories. 

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what's THE STORY BEHIND YOUR ENGAGEMENT ring?

My Wedding Hair and Make Up

Get The bridal Look

I wanted to have my hair up and out of my face, I knew I was now wearing a veil and so we kept the hair simple with a classic but chic loose knot style bun. I love this look, it’s all over Pinterest and I felt that it worked perfectly with my Mum’s, now re-styled, veil. Here are some other examples from my Pinterest board.

my bridal Hair

I went with local hair and makeup artists and was so happy with the final look. I've not really had my hair or makeup was done by anyone since prom so I was excited. Kirstie sat me down, with a glass of bubbly, and started on my hair. She was so professional and we had a really good laugh. I made sure to not wash my hair the day before so it wasn't completely clean, this makes it easier to work with and your hair will hold the style better. 

Separating my hair into sections, Kirstie curled them with a hot curling wand and then backcombed them slightly. We kept a small section of my fringe out so I had a side fringe framing my face. She then started to create the bun, pinning each curled section, working from the bottom up. It felt very secure and comfortable. She created some height at the crown of my head so this helped add shape and height for when the veil was added. The final touch was to spray with hair spray.

a classic Bun

I love the loose, classic style of this bun, it stayed in all day, even with all that dancing. 

my Veil

Once my makeup was done, Kirstie then pinned my Mum’s veil in place and I was ready to step into my dress and heels. I felt so calm and ready for this, it was wonderful knowing that I was about to get married to the love of my life - everything felt so right. 

Makeup

Having never really had my makeup done by anyone before, I wanted to do a trial to see how it felt and make sure I was happy with the look before the big day. I am not someone who wears a lot of makeup on a daily basis, certainly no foundation, so it was important that I felt and looked myself. Danni did my makeup and she was fantastic. After the trial, we only made a few changes to lighten the look but I was really happy with it. I loved my eye makeup and wearing the false eyelashes, which I have not done for at least a decade!! At the trial she made a note of the makeup she was using so I could look it up and buy it if I wanted. I got the MAC lipstick at duty-free on the way home. 

Before she started on my makeup, she treated my skin to a mini Neals Yards facial to moisturize and make sure the makeup lasted all day. The smell of Frankincense was so calming and really hydrating. She then opened her treasure-chest kit and put on her brushes belt - I was a little jealous of all the MAC products.

The make up I wore:

• Prolong Wear NC25 Foundation, MAC

• Prolong Wear NC20 Concealer, MAC

• Virgin, Naked, Buck, Dark Horse, Urban Decay Naked Eye Palette

• Black Track gel liner, MAC

• 3D Black Lash, MAC

• Pinch Me blusher, MAC

• Soft & Gentle Highlighter, MAC

• Soar Lip Liner, MAC

• Twai Lip Stick, MAC

The Final Look

I absolutely loved the final look and so did Ingimar. I felt comfortable and confident, relaxed and I really enjoyed the morning getting ready with my sister and best friend as bridesmaids. It was really fun having my Mum and sister-in-law pop in and share the morning with us too. And impressively we were actually ready a little early so had a little dance party before leaving the room to walk downstairs and down the aisle to become a Mrs. 

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photographs by: Maksym Gryshchenko + Robert Hoerenz

DIY wedding decorations on a budget

Searching Pinterest for some DIY wedding decorations on a budget and endlessly pinning beautiful images? The thought of decorating your venue might be exciting or it might be daunting, but I have some great ideas to share with you that are super easy to recreate and you can shop straight from this post. Here's what we did for our wedding decor, the wedding themes, and I promise you it's budget-friendly. 

those Pinterest hangers

I was in search of pretty Pinterest wedding decorations on a budget, like DIY hangers for the photographs of my dress so we ordered some wooden hangers and my sister, who does pyrography already, used this pyrography kit to write our names on the hangers. We did 'Bride', 'Groom', 'Bridesmaid' or you could do people’s names.

ring box, keepsakes + thank you gifts

To keep our rings safe before they were slipped onto our fingers, I found this little wooden box with a sliding lid which was ideal for the Bestman to hand over and Minister to get into. Again, I asked my sister to help and printed out our wedding crest and date so she could trace it onto the box. She then varnished it and we used it in the ceremony. We were going to pass it around and ask people to bless the rings but there wasn't really enough time on the day. The box is a lovely keep-sake and now sits on my dresser.

For thank you gifts, we stuck to our Iceland and Scottish wedding themes and got a bunch of personalized gifts and cards which we hand wrote. We also wanted to give a little gift to the people who had helped us throughout our wedding preparations, something small but on the theme for our Icelandic-Scottish nuptials. I found these cute golden deer broaches and ordered a load of them. I wrapped them in green tissue paper, matching all the other gifts, and found little wooden boxes to present them in. 

wedding hall decoration + wall hangings

Our wedding hall decoration needed to be done relatively quickly so took a bit of forward planning. For the tables, we kept things pretty simple and used a lot of ivy found on site, this didn't distract from our wedding themes but added simplicity to the decor and didn't cost us anything. The table linen was all white, we hired gold chairs with green cushions and everything was tied together with the wedding calligraphy font. The wedding room decoration had to conceal the large cupboards on all four walls so we looked into easy, budget-friendly ways of concealing them. I wanted to create a wall hanging to cover the cupboards and drape ivy down the sides, framing some calligraphy. The fabric was too heavy and worked out expensive so, after trying a few other options, we opted for paper. I ordered a large flip chart from Amazon and found some garden canes to hang the ivy from. Wedding room decoration is done.

First, the paper was taped over the cupboards concealing them, then we hung the canes from the ceiling on fishing wire and wrapped the ivy around them so it fell to either side, framing it. Using our wedding calligraphy font, I printed out some wedding-themed words and phrases to decorate the wall hangings and we stuck them to the paper. With a few extra pairs of hands, we had them up n no time - so simple, relatively inexpensive but very effective. 

the cake topper

The wedding cake, made by my wonderful sister-in-law, sat on a table at the top of the room with a wall hanging behind it. The three-tier marble cake, Ingimar, and my favorite were simply iced and decorated very with a few flowers to match my bouquet. The cake topper was a simple laser cut 'Mr & Mrs' sign and we added in some artificial thistles too. Around the cake sat my bouquet, the Icelandic drinking horn, ring box, and some horseshoes given for good luck.

our table plan

The table plan was displayed on a table as you entered the reception. Guests’ names were typed onto a list, under their table number, and this was stuck onto small blackboard signs. As an architect and lover of model making, I designed the table plan to look like an abstract landscape of lava rocks brought from Iceland, dried moss from my Mum’s garden, and sticks from Netherurd. Scattered amongst the lava were little scale people tying in my love of architecture - the Icelandic and Scottish landscape - and a little bit of fun. 

table numbers

For the table numbers, we used these blackboard signs on sticks and a chalk pen to write the numbers on. These sat in the middle of the table alongside a lava rock with some dried moss glued onto it, a glass with some fun icebreaker questions or dares in, a circular length of Icelandic knitting, a branch of ivy, a reused wine bottle for water with our wedding crest as its label and a bottle of white and red wine. 

name place cards

As this is something I offer in my shop, I have a lot of experience creating other people’s wedding calligraphy so it was fun to now do my own. Our name place cards were written on kraft gift tags with little scale people glued on. I had written out all of the names and organized the scale people and tags per table a few weeks before the wedding so the day before, all we had to do was glue dots down the scale people to match the names.

Self-taught in lettering, I recommend the Nib + Ink book to help you learn calligraphy and brush lettering. 

polaroids + guestbook

Outside the main room was the bar area where people could gather and chat. This is where we put the guestbook and our 'photo booth' area for polaroid fun. I ordered a Paperchase kraft scrapbook for our wedding guestbook and hand drew our wedding crest onto the front cover and added the date of our wedding. People could take their own polaroid pictures and stick them into the book, signing with their wedding wishes. The props were leftover from my hen weekend so we put them out in glasses and left the FujiFilm camera (with spare film) out for people to use.

our fingerprint tree

Breaking away from the norm of a fingerprint tree, we had a fingerprint wreath which I drew and personalized with names in the middle and the date of our wedding day. Guests could add a leaf to the wreath by stamping their fingerprint and signing their name beside it. I bought two blocks of green ink pads for people to create their leaf - make sure to leave out some baby wipes so people can clean the ink off their fingers. 

a sweetie bar

The current trend at all weddings but we weren't going to say no to sweets. For the kids, and adults alike, we had a sweetie bar where you could pick-n-mix a selection of treats and take them away in a little paper bag. Aside from this, we had wedding cake, dessert, chocolate champagne truffles, and Scottish tablet - we covered all bases. 

It took a few lists, a couple of Amazon orders, a dining room full of boxes, and a few extra hands on deck to pull it all together but the end result was ace, we nailed our wedding decorations on a budget and loved it. It was everything we wanted, full of our own touches - so personal. 

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photographs by Maksym Gryshchenko + Robert Hoerenz

Our Scottish Wedding Venue

When it came to selecting a venue I knew in the back of my mind where I wanted to get married but Ingimar had never been and it wasn't a traditional wedding venue. We planned a trip back to Scotland and booked a few wedding venue visits. They are felt very much the same to me - planned, organized and easy. But this also felt like we were just selecting a package, a very pricey package, but something everyone else does. We wanted something unique, I guess many Brides do. I wanted to know I would be the only Bride there on the day, that our guests wouldn't have been to a wedding there before to compare it with, and that it meant something to us. We also wanted to feel comfortable there, as if it was like home, where the kids could run around and not be told off. A lot of the venues were very beautiful but they were too picturesque - like you didn't dare touch anything. That just wasn't us. 

After visiting many venues on the outskirts of Edinburgh we decided on Netherurd, a Girl Guiding House in the Scottish Borders. Netherurd is home to many of my childhood and young adult memories and a lot of happy times with family. My late aunt was the first Guider to hold an International Camp here and I have many memories camping in the field, doing crafts in the outbuildings, and staying over in the old Brownie House, now the Garden House. I went through the International selection here and I was selected to represent Scotland in a trip to Prague and then Great Britain in a trip to Uganda in 2002 - which possibly started all my travel bug adventures.

Netherurd house, West Linton, Scotland

I took my mum and sister, we walked around and agreed it was a great venue which meant so much to our family so I now had to convince Ingimar. On our next trip over we drove down to Netherurd. We were met by Janice and her charming hospitality of coffee and freshly baked shortbread - I think she won the Viking over right then!! She talked us through what kind of events they had done before and what they could offer us. Netherurd is a girl guiding venue where a lot of camps, training, and selections are taken place. They host different non-guiding events too but very few weddings, ours was actually the only wedding there this year. The main difference between Netherurd and the other venues we had visited was that they tailored the package to the bride - not the other way around. Walking around, it all felt perfect and I knew it was our venue. 

We decided to book out the entire site and I am so glad we did. We had the main house which slept all of the wedding party. We had the option of being married on the lawn, though the weather meant we married in the Scotland Room within the main house which was beautiful. We used this room for champagne and canapé after and then the Garden House for our Wedding Reception. We had planned games on the lawn and a mini Highland Games for the Sunday morning but Scotland decided to gift us some pretty torrential showers so guests happily stayed indoors and mingled instead.

On our Wedding Day, as our guests arrived, we had Michael Knott a piper (such handy friends we have) piping some traditional tunes which really set the atmosphere. It was lovely getting ready upstairs with my Mum and bridesmaids whilst guests arrived to the sound of the Scottish bagpipes. The rain really brought out the luscious green of the gardens and paths which framed the buildings beautifully. 

As guests walked into the main house, they were met by one of the ushers and given an Order of Service. My Mum had created some stunning flower arrangements and these were dotted around the house and the Garden House. I used this entryway to gather any Wedding Cards and Gifts in my Granddad's old leather suitcase. 

The Scotland Room was set up the week before the wedding and it was so exciting to see it all transformed. Pre-wedding day, walking down the aisle with my sister and best mate, before all the guests were there, was so much fun. We took some silly pictures and had a good laugh, just the three of us. 

On the morning of the wedding, Ingimar and his two best men made their way into the room for the nervous wait. I was still upstairs in the Bridal Suite where we had gotten ready. I was feeling calm, I was ready for this. We were actually 30mins early!! Walking down the wooden stairs in my beautiful - if a little challengingly high - Kate Spade gold glittery heels, I made my way to my Groom. I couldn't wait but also didn't want the day to go by too quickly. 

I met my Brother at the landing and took his arm, ready to walk down the aisle. The Scotland Room was beautiful and it was amazing to see everyone who we know and love, there to support and share on this very special day. I walked towards Ingimar, he lifted my veil and we turned to Alistair the minister for the ceremony to begin. There was a large gold framed mirror in front of us which meant the reflection connected us to our friends and family throughout the ceremony, I loved this. I was beaming, we were so happy. 

The ceremony was about 30 minutes long and it was just wonderful. All that planning, all the to-do lists, and excel sheets, the days counting down, we had done it - Mr and Mrs!! Walking back up the aisle and out onto the landing, we both let out a very excited and happy YAY!! and then looked at each other and laughed a little as we had done exactly the same thing. I can't put into words how happy, lucky and amazing that moment was. It's my favorite moment of the day.

After a few minutes alone, and then joined by our immediate family, we headed out (in between showers) to have our wedding photographs taken. 

Back to seek shelter from the typical Scottish rain, we were driven the short distance over to our reception in the Garden House. Guests followed, led by our piper. This gave us a few minutes alone to enjoy a little bubbly as husband and wife before joining everyone for the Wedding Breakfast. 

We spent the Friday before the wedding decorating the venue both inside and out. I had ordered a load of balloons and we managed to get helium tanks and weights. We covered Netherurd signs with our personalized wedding signs - these were printed and laminated at the graphic printers. We used a lot of ivy pulled from the site and hung it all over the room, lights, and on tables to create a natural woodland theme. I had pre-designed a lot of it using photographs I had taken when visiting the venue and created collages so people could see what I was imagining. This worked really well and meant lots of people could join in and help create the vibe, and I could be buzzing around between them all. 

We still had some wedding signs I made for my brothers’ wedding so I spray painted them white and repainted the correct arrows showing which way parking or the ceremony was. As there is a flag pole it was the perfect opportunity to fly the Scottish and Icelandic flag together. it was so much fun and I think our guests had a good giggle at the little touches we had put into the day. 

The House and its grand staircase were decorated simply. We used white balloons strung with ivy and white ribbon as clusters and tied these to the stair posts. The Scotland Room had ivy hung over lights and paintings, and we used antique candelabras within the flower decorations on the mantelpiece. 

The Reception was held down in the Brownie House, now Garden House. We transformed the room with balloons, ivy, wall hangings and calligraphy. I wanted to keep it simple, easy and bring the outside in. The wall hangings were sheets from a Flipchart, taped together with printed calligraphy words on them - they were then put up over the cupboards to camouflage them. We then hung a length of a bamboo garden cane from the ceiling, with some ivy twisted around it, this framed the wall hanging. We did this around the room so it all pulled together and linked with our wedding signage, menus, the order of service, etc. The stag was already in the hall and gave us some great inspiration for our wedding crest which was on all our wedding stationery. We brought Mums Rudolph from home and put a Viking helmet on him, he stood proudly in the garden, surrounded by fairy-lit trees. 

The Bridal Suite was decorated by my Bridesmaids and their partners with balloons and candles, it was so magical. They even created a four-poster bed by tying helium balloons to the corners of the bed frame. On the bed, they had written out our initials with a love heart, arranged using the knitted lengths of the Icelandic wool that were on the table centerpieces. We switched off the artificial candles, crawled into bed, and dreamt the night away. 

The venue was ideal and gave us a lot of space for kids to play and adults to sit and chat or to get on the dance floor and party. We partied into the wee small hours, with a ceilidh and then a disco with my good friend as DJ playing a playlist made up of songs our guests had pre-requested. The day flew by but I took a few minutes to myself to just stop and take it all in, that definitely helped. What an amazing day!!

I have to add that I'm loving being married - it's true that not much changes but I feel so much more settled and I'm loving life with my soulmate. 

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Find out more about Netherurd here