The way the Universe creates opportunities and connections just blows my mind. Every single smile, encouragement, and moment matters and could very well be a part of a bigger journey for you or someone else. Over the last decade, this has proved itself more evident to me everyday. Not only because I live on a tiny island in the North Atlantic of only 330,000 people, but because the choices you make each day have an impact and could easily change the course of your life in an instant. Today we are super excited to share with you a beautiful example of that, of a couple whose lives led up to them deciding that eloping in Southern Iceland was ideal!
Meet Stephanie and Andrew. One of our favorite Canadian couples! When two families connect by proximity, it typically means their children will likely be fast friends, right? Then mix in being the daughter, having a brother who has cute friends and you might have the perfect storm for meeting a husband to be! Well little did Stephanie know at that time that would be her fate until she decided to travel back home for her brothers wedding. It was there that she reconnected with Andrew who was not only one of her brother’s best-est buds, but also in his wedding party! They both chose each other that evening and every day since! Swoon!!
Stephanie and Andrew had the most eclectic bunch of interests I have ever seen and even left me inspired to diversify my interests list! They have spent the last 12 years together traveling the world, camping, experiencing an endless list of heavy metal concerts, yoga, nutrition, and a mutual love of their amazing Rottweiler pup! The best part… They love doing all of these things TOGETHER! Yessssss!!! Couples that adventure together, stay together! #forevernewlyweds! Fast forward to a camping trip where a romantic fire was lit and a magical proposal happened… They were on their way to eloping in Southern Iceland!
Well, a few things happened in between there…. Like a 12 hour layover in Iceland got them yearning to come back ASAP! What better time than to come back elope in Iceland and honeymoon in the same trip?! When Stephanie and Andrew first reached out to our Iceland Wedding Planner team, they literally made us smile in the first sentence of their introduction, “Traveling is our passion!” When our adventure wedding planning team Skyped with them, they were adamant about them both never really wanted to have the stress of traditional wedding in Nova Scotia. They would rather “see and do” as much as they can in one day!
Oh la la and folks did we plan one action packed adventurous elopement for these two! So adventure along with us as we share with you what eloping in Southern Iceland looks like!!
March Elopement in Iceland:
Having an Iceland winter wedding can be hit or miss with snow sometimes. Mid-March is a time when natural ice caves are still holding strong and snow drifts begin to recede and we begin to see the landscape uncovered again. Stephanie and Andrew’s Iceland elopement began at 5am with our adventure wedding hairstylist arriving to the sweetest little guesthouse named, Hrifunes.
If you are looking for a home-stay and farm to table type of experience in Iceland with the bonus of inspiring views, we could not recommend the Hrifunes Guesthouse team more! It’s the sort of spot you go for a cozy “get away” from technology and be in the moment kind of place. There are no televisions in the rooms and dinner is served nightly in a communal fashion to encourage you to meet others, taste traditional Icelandic home-cooking, and go home with a pure experience of Icelandic hospitality!
Our Iceland wedding photographer thoroughly enjoyed the details all around the property. She even found the sweetest spot to hang Stephanie’s Iceland wedding dress despite beginning in the dark! Stephanie was definitely prepared with her warm winter wedding boots and red shawl! Andrew’s awesome Iceland wedding groom details followed with his amazing tan suit. Our Iceland Wedding Planner team LOVED that these two wore some colors that would pop even if there would be a blizzard that snuck up at some point during the day!
We encourage our couples to get ready together during their Iceland elopements because it creates intimate moments they can just savor. There is no pressure of tradition or anxiety. Plus who wants to stick with tradition and sleep apart during your incredible trip to Iceland?
After a sweet meet and greet with the pup above they were on their way to begin their adventurous elopement in Iceland! Our super jeep team arrived and had our favorite Pastor in tow!
Private Waterfall Wedding Ceremony:
Being able to have a private waterfall wedding ceremony is the essence of eloping in Southern Iceland. It’s memorable at every turn. The sound the waterfall is striking, the view is breathtaking, and the entire atmosphere around is intoxicating! Stephanie and Andrew held their intimate Iceland wedding ceremony at this private waterfall and LOVED it! The snow the ground and icicles hung from the waterfall, it was really enchanting to see during a winter adventure wedding!
Special Note: This waterfall is on private property (and all of the locations you will see in this post) and you cannot visit or have professional photographs taken without permission in advance. Also know that these locations are not accessible without an experienced super jeep team that will not damage the area. Our Iceland adventure wedding team takes the utmost care to ensure the land is better than when we arrived, not worse. This includes ensuring every jeep deflates their tires, are also on tires that will not cause any harm to the private roads and tracks and seasoned drives who can navigate through glacier rivers and heavy snow conditions. This is a very important feature to protecting the landscape and keeping you safe!
Iceland Elopement Photos at a Secret Waterfall:
The ceremony concluded Stephanie and Andrew were ready to explore this sweet snow covered waterfall with their Iceland wedding photographer!
Ice Cave Wedding Adventure:
On Stephanie and Andrew’s wish list for their adventurous elopement in Vik, Iceland was to explore a natural ice cave. They got their wish and it was an incredible journey! The ice sparkled blue and they were totally enamored by the textures and tones. Fun Fact: The spots they were standing in this ice cave in March 2018, have since melted away! How fun to say that you were one of the only ones ever there to explore that spot!? Note: Our clients wore helmets as and where needed at all times as directed by our safety team When they do not have them on for photos, they were in designated “safe” areas.
Eloping in Southern Iceland:
Southern Iceland is full of so much mystery, which is likely why we our team has a base in Selfoss and Vik. It’s an area of Iceland that is rich in history and full of so many dynamics. From glaciers, caves, canyons, hidden waterfalls, incredible mountains… really the list is endless for Iceland wedding photo locations!
Sometimes when we scout Iceland elopement locations, we are even shocked at what we find… For example how can a place like our next spot even exist?! Have you ever encountered a black sand beach lava rock waterfall? It was just as stunning in winter as when we scouted it in summer! These two thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they explored it too! So so so FUN!!
Hidden Canyon Elopement Wedding Portraits:
One other magical feature that Stephanie and Andrew were seeking during their March elopement in Iceland, was having some GREEN in their portraits. As we previously said snow being a hit or miss, green can be too, but we found some bits in one of our favorite private canyons! Eloping in Southern Iceland has so many freaking options for photos, so exciting!
Iceland Elopement Adventure: Exploring Natural Caves
Sometimes during our adventurous elopements in Iceland, the weather turns a bit wicked and plans turn into needing a little “break” from battling the weather. So more often than not we go hunting or exploring natural caves!
Historic Lighthouse Wedding Photos in Iceland:
Lighthouses do not get enough credit I think when it comes to destination weddings! Fun Fact: Our Your Adventure Wedding team LOVES them! Checkout this sweet little wedding on Prince Edward Island or PEI (near where Stephanie and Andrew hail from, Nova Scotia!). The best thing about the Icelandic lighthouses though as many of them were built in the late 1800’s to early to mid 1900’s and they are painted super cool bright colors! Making it a super fun stop during an adventurous winter elopement in Iceland!
Winter Wedding in Iceland:
It’s exciting to have a hike during your adventurous elopement. It gets the blood pumping and you end the day feeling so freaking accomplished along with your Iceland wedding photographer getting EPIC portraits of you too! These two enjoyed a hike as the last stop while eloping in Southern Iceland and it was really magical!
The perfect end to eloping in Southern Iceland was heading back to the charming Hrifunes Guesthouse, we passed some super sweet colorful farms and mingled with some adorable Icelandic horses! Because these two had dined the night before at the guesthouse with the group, they opted to do a more quite dinner at The Berg instead. Upon returning, they had hoped for Northern Lights, but the forecast was grim because of cloud cover. Their Iceland wedding photographers decided to stage a lovely nighttime shot instead!
Did you totally enjoy seeing Stephanie and Andrew’s fantastic winter elopement in Iceland? Please contact us for more information on crafting your own unique adventurous elopement experience!
© 2018, Your Adventure Wedding / Iceland Wedding Planner, All Rights Reserved
Absolutely fabulous! Amazing photography and locale! Brilliant plan, Stephanie an Andrew! Congratulations!
Unbelievably beautiful!! You looked gorgeous Stephanie. Congratulations on having the coolest and most unique wedding I have ever seen. Absolutely stunning.
Lots of love,
Candice Evans