Iceland · Reykjavík · Location guide

Reykjavík Wedding

Not every Iceland wedding happens on a glacier. Reykjavík is small, colourful and full of character, with a glass concert hall on the harbour, a historic theatre by the city pond and some of the best restaurants in the country. It is the easy choice for guests, for winter and for days when the weather outside the city is wild. I have filmed weddings at Harpa, at Iðnó and in restaurants all over the city since 2017 – often combined with a ceremony out in nature earlier in the day.

Where: Reykjavík – 45 minutes from Keflavík airport
Best for: Weddings with guests, receptions and winter weddings
When: All year – the city works in any weather
Weddings I have filmed here: Around ten ceremonies and receptions since 2017

Harpa

Harpa, the concert hall on the old harbour, is wrapped in a façade of glass that throws patterns of light across its halls and staircases and looks out over the bay to Mount Esja. Its event spaces are rented for receptions and private events. Laura and Jason held their whole wedding there: the ceremony in a hall overlooking the water with a string trio, dinner by the windows and dancing late into the evening – and ended the night, as every Reykjavík night should, at the Bæjarins Beztu hot dog stand.

The first kiss at a wedding ceremony in Harpa, Reykjavík

The glass interior of Harpa concert hall on Reykjavík's old harbour — The glass façade of Harpa changes with every kind of light outside.

Wedding dinner tables set by the windows at Harpa overlooking the sea

Iðnó

Iðnó is a historic theatre from 1897 on the shore of Tjörnin, the city pond, with high windows, wooden floors and a main hall that seats around a hundred and ten for dinner. It hosts both ceremonies and receptions. Jeffy and Oscar said their vows at Írafoss waterfall on the South Coast in the afternoon and drove back to Reykjavík for their reception in the main hall, which ended in a dance party.

Iðnó, the historic theatre by the city pond, at night

Hallgrímskirkja and the city churches

Hallgrímskirkja, the white concrete church at the top of the hill, is the landmark you see from everywhere in the city. Couples from abroad can marry there on certain weekdays, with larger ceremonies on Saturdays; you need to have your own priest arranged before booking, and only Christian ceremonies are held. The rainbow-painted Skólavörðustígur street leading up to it is one of my favourite places for a walk after the ceremony. For a civil ceremony, Reykjavík City Hall by the pond also rents rooms for small weddings.

The rainbow street Skólavörðustígur leading up to Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík

Dinner in the city

Reykjavík has a wonderful restaurant scene for a wedding dinner, from long candlelit tables at Matur og Drykkur, which serves modern Icelandic food in the old harbour district, to private rooms in the hotels of the centre. Emilee and Landon finished their South Coast wedding day with dinner there for all their guests.

Matur og Drykkur restaurant in Reykjavík, set for a wedding dinner

Long tables with candles at a wedding dinner in Reykjavík

Why choose the city

For guests: everyone can stay in walking distance, and there is plenty to do on the days before and after.
For winter: in December the sun is up for only about four hours. A ceremony in nature in the short daylight and a long evening in the city is a lovely way to plan a winter wedding.
For any weather: when a storm closes the roads out of the city, Reykjavík is still there.
For both: Þingvellir, the Reykjanes peninsula and the waterfalls near the city are less than an hour away, so you can have a ceremony in the landscape and a reception in town on the same day.

Reykjavík at dusk with Hallgrímskirkja on the skyline

See also my guides to Þingvellir and the Reykjanes peninsula, both close to the city, and to the legal side of getting married in Iceland.

Planning your elopement in Reykjavík?

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Questions about weddings in Reykjavík

Can we get married at Hallgrímskirkja?

Yes – couples from abroad can marry there on certain weekdays, with larger ceremonies on Saturdays. You need to arrange your own priest before booking, and only Christian ceremonies are held.

Where can we have a wedding reception in Reykjavík?

Harpa and Iðnó are two of the most beautiful venues – Iðnó’s main hall seats around a hundred and ten for dinner – and many restaurants and hotels have private rooms.

Is Reykjavík good for a winter wedding?

Very. In December there are only around four hours of daylight, so a short ceremony in nature followed by a long evening in the city works beautifully, and the city stays accessible when storms close the roads.