# Getting married at Jökulsárlón & in the East > Icebergs drifting across a glacier lagoon, ice washed up on a black beach, Vestrahorn above the dunes of Stokksnes and the quiet fjords of the East. - URL: https://lensandvows.com/iceland/jokulsarlon - Iceland: https://lensandvows.com/iceland (Markdown: https://lensandvows.com/iceland.md) - Português: https://lensandvows.com/pt/iceland/jokulsarlon.md - Español: https://lensandvows.com/es/iceland/jokulsarlon.md - Italiano: https://lensandvows.com/it/iceland/jokulsarlon.md - Deutsch: https://lensandvows.com/de/iceland/jokulsarlon.md - Français: https://lensandvows.com/fr/iceland/jokulsarlon.md - Lens & Vows: https://lensandvows.com/ Jökulsárlón is a lagoon at the foot of Breiðamerkurjökull, a tongue of Vatnajökull, Iceland’s largest ice cap. Blocks of ice break off the glacier, drift across the lagoon and out through a short river to the sea, and the waves leave them on the black sand of Fellsfjara — Diamond Beach. Both lie in Vatnajökull National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. East of Höfn, the jagged ridge of Vestrahorn rises over the black dunes of Stokksnes, and beyond it the Eastfjords begin: deep fjords, small fishing towns and Seyðisfjörður, with its blue church at the end of a painted street. Weddings here are mostly elopements and small groups: vows on the shore of the lagoon or among the ice on the beach, portraits in the wind, a glacier walk or, in winter, an ice cave with a guide. Couples from abroad can marry legally in Iceland, before a district commissioner or a registered officiant; others sign the papers at home and hold a symbolic ceremony here. ## When to marry at Jökulsárlón & in the East - **Best:** June, July, August - **Good with planning:** February, March, May, September June, July and August are the mildest months — at Fagurhólsmýri, the weather station nearest the lagoon, highs average 12 to 13.5 °C — and around midsummer the sky never fully darkens; it is also when the lagoon is busiest. Rain comes often all year, on about two days in five even in summer, and the wind seldom drops: there it averages about 7 m/s in July and August and 9 in January. May and September are cooler and quieter. From autumn to spring, guided ice-cave tours run and the northern lights can show on clear nights, but the days are short and storms can stop travel at short notice. - **Summer:** Long, light nights: at midsummer the sun sets at about twenty to midnight and rises again before three, low in the north, so the soft light of evening lasts for hours. The roads are open, and the lagoon is quietest early and late. - **Autumn:** From late August the nights darken again and the first northern lights appear on clear nights; the heath turns red and gold, the crowds thin, and storms come more often into October. - **Winter:** Snow on the mountains, ice on the black beach and caves of blue ice in the glacier, visited only with a certified guide. At the solstice the sun is up for about four hours, just above the horizon, and the northern lights can fill the long, clear nights. ## In numbers - **Hottest month, average high:** July · 13.5°C — Veðurstofa Íslands: https://www.vedur.is/Medaltalstoflur-txt/Fagurholsmyri_745_med6190.txt - **Average high in the best months:** Jun 11.6°C · Jul 13.5°C · Aug 12.9°C — Veðurstofa Íslands: https://www.vedur.is/Medaltalstoflur-txt/Fagurholsmyri_745_med6190.txt - **Days with 1 mm of rain or more, best months:** Jun 13.7 · Jul 12.5 · Aug 12.5 — Veðurstofa Íslands: https://www.vedur.is/Medaltalstoflur-txt/Fagurholsmyri_745_med6190.txt - **Sunset on 21 June:** 23:39 (Jökulsárlón) — NOAA: https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/ - **UNESCO World Heritage:** [Vatnajökull National Park – Dynamic Nature of Fire and Ice](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1604) (2019) Weather station: Fagurhólsmýri, normals 1961–1990 · Checked 16 October 2026 ## Where couples marry here The kinds of places — ask your photographer which ones they know well. - **The lagoon shore:** Vows on the gravel shore with icebergs and the glacier behind you, early in the morning or late in the evening, once the day visitors have gone. A wedding in the national park needs a permit from the park — apply well ahead. - **Diamond Beach:** Across the road, ice from the lagoon lies scattered on the black sand: portraits among the blocks of ice, with the surf behind — keep well back from the water’s edge. No drones may fly here or over the lagoon from mid-April to mid-July, while birds nest, and a professional drone needs the park’s permit all year. - **Glaciers and ice caves:** Glacier walks and, in winter, ice caves — only ever with a licensed glacier guide, who decides on the day whether it is safe. Fjallsárlón, a smaller lagoon a few minutes west, and Skaftafell, at the foot of the Öræfajökull volcano, are quieter places for portraits. - **Vestrahorn and the Eastfjords:** The jagged ridge of Vestrahorn over the black dunes of Stokksnes, on private land with an entrance fee, and further east fjord towns such as Seyðisfjörður, whose blue church stands at the end of a street the town repaints in rainbow colours every summer. ## How the light falls Overcast days, common here, bring out the blue in the ice; on clear evenings the icebergs turn pink and gold. In summer the sun sets late, far to the north, and only just dips below the horizon, so the light of sunset runs into sunrise: at midsummer it goes down at Jökulsárlón at about twenty to midnight. In December it rises around eleven and sets soon after three, never more than a few degrees high — low, warm light all day. ## Getting there Jökulsárlón is about 380 km from Reykjavík on the ring road and about 420 km from Keflavík airport — five hours or more at the wheel — so most couples stay a night or two nearby; the national park charges a parking fee at the lagoon. Höfn, about 65 km east, has a small airport with flights from Reykjavík, and Egilsstaðir’s airport serves the Eastfjords. In winter, check umferdin.is and safetravel.is before every drive and keep a spare day. ## Photographers at Jökulsárlón & in the East The first photographers at Jökulsárlón & in the East are joining now. Tell our concierge your date and your plans — it checks who is free and fits. https://lensandvows.com/photographers?region=jokulsarlon https://lensandvows.com/photographers?region=jokulsarlon&sort=rating (Highest rated) ## Read before you plan - [How to choose a wedding photographer: the steps, and the questions to ask](https://lensandvows.com/journal/how-to-choose-a-wedding-photographer): The decision in order — whole weddings, style, availability, the package, the contract and deposit, cancellation, delivery and a conversation — then a checklist of questions, with why each one matters. (Markdown: https://lensandvows.com/journal/how-to-choose-a-wedding-photographer.md) - [A wedding-day timeline built around the light](https://lensandvows.com/journal/wedding-day-timeline): Sunset decides more of your photos than you might think. Approximate sunset times by month, where golden hour fits, and two example timelines — one for June, one for October. (Markdown: https://lensandvows.com/journal/wedding-day-timeline.md) - [How deposits and payment protection work on Lens & Vows](https://lensandvows.com/journal/deposits-and-payment-protection): A 30% deposit holds your date; the balance goes straight to the photographer, or through us with payment protection. Every step, what each choice costs, and what happens if plans change. (Markdown: https://lensandvows.com/journal/deposits-and-payment-protection.md) - [Wedding photography contract checklist: what it should say, and how Lens & Vows handles each point](https://lensandvows.com/journal/wedding-photography-contract-checklist): Thirteen things a good contract covers — the day and the hours, what is delivered, deposit and balance, cancellation on either side, date changes, illness, image rights, personal data, backups, travel, overtime and complaints — and what our terms say about each. (Markdown: https://lensandvows.com/journal/wedding-photography-contract-checklist.md)