Pink Iceland was founded in March 2011 and is Iceland’s primary gay-owned and operated travel company. Eva María Lange and her partner Birna founded the company in 2011. Hannes Sasi Pálsson joined them in 2012. Together, this team provides services to the LGBTQ+ community, encompassing private day tours, bespoke luxury trips, and more. The company also offers wedding planning services in Iceland. It emphasizes inclusivity for all, irrespective of sexual orientation or identity. Same-sex marriage has been legalized in Iceland since June 2010, with the support of most Icelanders.
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Celebrating the 1000th wedding in Iceland
Pink Iceland is an innovative, top-quality travel company and wedding planner. When I wrote this in September 2023, their Trip Advisor profile showed the company to have 602 reviews, where 600 users rank them as ‘Excellent’ and two people report Pink Iceland as being ‘Very good.’ Another proof point is that Pink Iceland will celebrate its 1000th wedding this year. That is an average of seven monthly weddings since the company was founded. On their website is a giveaway celebrating this milestone. You can nominate a Queer couple that does not have the financial means or the support of their families to have their dream wedding, and they will get a chance to have Pink Iceland organize it, all expenses paid.
Meet the veteran wedding planner and Pink Iceland co-founder Eva María Lange
Eva María Lange, co-founder of Pink Iceland, has accumulated over twenty years of experience in Icelandic tourism. Her roles have varied. She has been a marketing manager for a leading Icelandic whale-watching company to working hands-on as a park ranger in Iceland’s highlands. Eva María has held positions on the boards of the Italian-Icelandic Commerce and The Icelandic Travel Industry Association. She has also been the Chairwoman of Reykjavik Pride. Raised in Iceland and Italy, Eva María is fluent in both languages and holds a bachelor’s degree in tourism from the University of Iceland. A quote she values is Mahatma Gandhi’s “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I guess we can all get behind that!
Hey Eva María, am I right to assume that 2023 has been busy for you at Pink Iceland? What have been the highlights, and what do 2024 and beyond look like?
You are indeed right to assume so. The Pink Iceland team, consisting of 9 wedding planners and 2 full time guides is incredible. Together we’ve created magical experiences for our wedding couples, their guests and our travelers. It’s easy to name the highlights. We work very closely and often for a long time with our couples and form a close bond with them. It’s an immense honour to take part in such a joyous and important occasion. The highlights are always seeing the happiness and excitement beaming from our couples faces on their wedding day.
Celebrating Diverse Love Amidst Iceland’s Hidden Wonders
No wedding is the same as all our couples are different. I guess the most emotional moments are when our queer couples, that have fought so hard for their existence, and love get to commit to each other in the most meaningful way. If we are talking landscapes we’re always pretty excited to explore new locations, venturing into the highlands and marrying couples in front of waterfalls most Icelanders haven’t even heard of or chartering a helicopter for the day and going from mountain top to the other getting a different feeling and view of our beautiful country and of course other worldly photos!
The Pink Iceland Team has planned one thousand weddings in Iceland 12 years. Describe the logistics and the planning required to complete this feat?
We put emotional intelligence at the very top of the list of the skills our team needs to have. Of course planning and logistical skills are the key. However, if you are not able to read and communicate well with your couple, anticipate what they like and connect with them the experience won’t be the same. It’s also so obvious coming into the office every day and out in the field when the weddings are happening that our team loves what they do. We share amongst each other what we’re planning at each time and we get so excited revealing the plans we’ve created with each couple.
Handy tools and processes for those planning a wedding in Iceland
Over the 12 years we’ve been planning weddings we’ve developed super helpful and handy tools and processes utilized by our planners to achieve our couples’ dream weddings. We make sure to manage expectations and to bring the couple in on the full ride and decision making process, guiding them to what we think is the best fit for them based on the conversation we’ve had.
What are the most unusual requests you have had for the weddings you have planned in Iceland?
That would have to be the active volcano weddings we’ve done. We’ve also planned weddings with very fun themes like Star Wars, The Hobbit, Game of Thrones, Vikings and of course lots of nature inspired themes.
What are your favorite places or activities here in Iceland?
If I told you I’d have to… just kidding. I love the fact that we can still find ways to be one with nature so easily. There is this misconception that the country is overrun with tourists. While it may sometimes feel that way at certain times at the most visited spots in Iceland, I can easily think of 20 spots I could be at within the hour to enjoy a moment of solitude on my own or with loved ones.
What advice do you have for people from abroad who are planning a wedding in Iceland?
Our favourite advice is always to ask our couples to think about what they really want to do, not follow anything they think they should do and follow their hearts. They are not doing this for other people but for themselves and remind them how lucky their guests are to be taken along on their adventure. We tell them that even though Iceland isn’t a monarchy we do have a reigning queen, Mother Nature, and no matter what, she’s always the boss we have to work with her and around her. Through respect and years of experience we’ve become experts in doing just that.
A Thousand Weddings planned in Iceland, rich with experience and care
Having recently reached the milestone of having planned a thousand weddings you could say we’ve seen it all! Not to toot our own horn but, we’ve experienced how valuable it is to the couple to have us in their corner when having to deal with last minute fixes, plan B’s, weather conditions and more. We put a lot of emphasis on making our couples feel well taken care of and that their planning process and wedding experience are as stress free as possible. Our hundreds of reviews express their gratitude bear testament to the fact that we do a pretty amazing job.
