Romantic Elopement by a Waterfall | Erin + Julian’s Adventure

June is the beginning of formal summertime in Iceland.  It’s a super exciting month too because many of the big highland roads begin to open after being closed since October.  So it’s fair to say that our team is over the moon excited to get out there and see how the winter changed things and formed some new locations too!  Hailing from the United Kingdom, Erin and Julian had the super fun idea to runaway and elope in a very intimate but dramatic setting.  After our Iceland Wedding Planner team pitched countless Iceland wedding locations and schedules their way, Erin and Julian felt that having a romantic elopement by a waterfall was perfection!  We agreed 😉

Erin and Julian’s Begin their Love Story…

Before we head into their magnificent Iceland elopement, let’s rewind back to some beautiful history on these two because we adore a good love story!  What we loved most about how these two met was that they met the modern way most of you out there do, a super cool dating application like Tinder.  Turns out, they were both from the same small town in Ireland!  Seriously folks, what are the chances?!  We continue to be amazed at how the universe connects things!

After an incredibly fun first date they found they not only had their hometowns in common, but that they also thrive on traveling, being foodies, adventure anywhere outdoors, hiking, wine, and love of dogs!  Match made in heaven!  Four years of adventuring together allowed them to experience each other on a very unique level.  They found their way down the west coast USA, to Cuba to all sorts of spots throughout mainland Europe and hopping around various islands.  During one of their amazing trips together, specifically in Lisbon Julian had a ring in his pocket ready to propose a lifetime of adventure to Erin!  She said yes!

Local Wedding vs. Eloping:

The proposal happened in May 2017 and Erin and Julian found themselves less than enthused about planning a traditional wedding in the United Kingdom, as they are anything but traditional.  But, not really knowing if that was the road they wanted to go down because of family and friends, they stopped wedding planning for a while.  Around March 2018, they began talking about it again and found themselves excitedly discussing the idea of eloping.  Deciding to romantically elope ignited the energy back into wedding planning and made the stress of obligation instantly go away.  After all they were back to the basics… THEM.  A day to explore, really enjoy each other, and with zero distractions!

Shortly after researching unique locations to elope, they found Iceland and could not find any other location that had such dynamic locations to adventure to.  They immediately contacted our Iceland Wedding Planner team in March 2018, and their journey began planning their romantic elopement by a waterfall!  So come along with us today as we share with you their beautiful adventurous elopement in Iceland!

Hrifunes Guesthouse Wedding:

The wedding host hotel for Erin and Julian’s elopement was Hrifunes Guesthouse, which is a quaint home style feeling hotel located outside of Vik Iceland (before the town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur).  The rooms and apartments there are lovely and offer a fantastic valley view.  The morning started at 5am with hair and makeup artists coming to the room.  Our Iceland elopement photographer was hard at work forever documenting the intricate bride and groom details.

Iceland Super Jeep Elopement:

The clock turned to 8am and it was time to load into the super jeep to begin the adventure!  To get to their gorgeous ceremony spot in the highlands, they loaded into a luxurious Ford Excursion.  The excitement was off the charts for everyone as they headed to the romantic elopement by a waterfall!  They all enjoyed the drive to the ceremony locations and all of the rivers they had to cross!!

Romantic Elopement by a Waterfall:

Deciding to hold your romantic elopement by a waterfall is invigorating choice.  Especially when Erin and Julian picked a ceremony spot that was literally on an island in front of it!  The two of them and the pastor crossed the river and began the Iceland wedding ceremony.  It was nice to see the personal touches they had added into the ceremony as well to make it more their own.  Erin and Julian said their own vows, exchanged rings, and incorporated an Irish hand fasting unity ceremony with cords from their hometown!

Iceland Elopement Photos at a Secret Waterfall:

Erin and Julian’s romantic elopement by a waterfall ceremony was incredibly meaningful.  They celebrated afterwards with exploring with their Iceland wedding photographer all around the stunning landscape areas!

Adventurous Elopement in Iceland:

When you have an adventurous wedding in Iceland, what first comes to mind?  Exploring extraordinary landscapes I bet!  This was a must have for Erin and Julian, they wanted to be wowed every time they jumped out of the super jeep.  Our Iceland wedding planning team did not disappoint in scouting!  I mean come on, how freaking dreamy is this cool shaped mountain and sweet little waterfall?!

Icelandic Highlands June Wedding:

It’s likely that when the highlands start opening in June, that there will be snow in the mountains and likely blocking passes.  Really it all depends on how hard of a winter came.  You can never tell until the week of how challenging the highland roads (aka F-Roads) may be.  So our team went a few days before to ensure no delays in the adventure wedding schedule.  Which basically meant we went in with our our super jeep to try the path with shovels in hand to carve out a safe path for our Iceland super jeep team to go through.  Being the first to head into the highlands is a really daring feeling because you really don’t know what you’ll encounter.  One of our favorite spots on this track is the below amazing mountain road… It really pairs well after having a romantic elopement by a waterfall!

Hiking during your Elopement:

Nothing quite gets your appetite going like a sketchy hike!  You get that “I earned that hot dog” kind of feeling at the end, lol!  For real though, Erin and Julian loved the idea of incorporating one of the foundational aspects (love of hiking) into their Iceland wedding adventure.  After a word of warning of the sketchiness they didn’t bat an eyelash and just went straight into conquering the hike.  At the end of their trek an incredibly romantic waterfall stood there waiting for them.  Little did they know they could walk behind it too!  All the feels for these romantic elopement by a waterfall photographs!

Returning from their adventurous elopement hike, they were greeted with traditional yet delicious Icelandic hot dogs and a Coke for lunch!  On the way out of this private wedding location, Erin and Julian got the rare opportunity to cuddle a lamb!  Sooooo lucky!!

Special Note: Our Iceland wedding locations are on private property (we have permission / exclusivity) and only accessible via super jeep.

Elopement on top of Reynisfjall Mountain:

Reynisfjall is a mountain in Southern Iceland that towers above the tiny town of Vik.  Standing taller than 1,000 feet, it overlooks a very well known and touristy beach named Reynisfjara which you will instantly recognize because of the basalt stacks protruding from the sea.  Our Iceland wedding planner team has exclusive access and permission to drive to the top of it (saving you the 2+ hour hike).  Erin and Julian thoroughly enjoyed the endless views from all sides of it despite the mist and the rain.  It just made their Iceland wedding photos even more dreamy!

Dyrholaey Elopement Adventure:

The famed sea arch called Dyrholaey is a often visited location on many tourists agenda.  It is the most southern spot of mainland Iceland.  Our Iceland elopement clients get to experience it though from a very private viewing point which we believe offers the best view!  Erin and Julian did not disagree 😉  Despite the rain, they even delighted in a delicious bottle of bubbles on this stunning black sand beach!

Iceland Wedding Location: Natural Cave

A perfect place to escape the nasty weather for a few minutes and also learn about some of Icelandic’s richest and most interesting history is to explore a natural cave.  This one specifically is on private property.  If you wish to hold your Iceland wedding ceremony there you must in advance acquire permission, no exceptions.  This is additionally true to anyone who is professionally photographing at the location.  Erin and Julian shared some very quite intimate moments here during their Iceland wedding photos.

Iceland Hidden Canyon Elopement:

Exploring together is incredibly important to our adventurous elopements in Iceland.  It doesn’t matter if you plan to have a romantic elopement by a waterfall or hike through a hidden canyon, it matters that you’re hand in hand and loving every second rain or shine!  There are countless Iceland wedding locations, but they do not come alive without you taking the time to truly EXPERIENCE them (like with all 5 senses).

During our adventure weddings, we plan for ample time to ensure you have time to explore and have epic Iceland wedding photos.  It’s an important mix to have otherwise your wedding day will go too fast and without you savoring all of the moments in between with your partner.  Specifically at this Iceland elopement location, we gave Erin and Julian lots of time to journey around together with cameras down.  At the end of the day, they said it was one of their favorite locations because of the intimacy they created.

Intimate Iceland Wedding Reception:

One of the best ways to end an adventurous elopement in Iceland is to share a lovely meal together.  Since Erin and Julian had experienced the awesome home-style cooking of Hrifunes Guesthouse the night before, they opted to have a more formal experience at The Berg.  Our Iceland Wedding Planners styled their table for two in a rustic yet elegant vibe.  After a few courses, Erin and Julian ended their night by having a traditional Iceland wedding cake!

Did you totally swoon over Erin and Julian’s Romantic Elopement by a Waterfall?  If so, feel free to contact our Iceland Wedding Planner team HERE for more information on crafting your own unique experience!

© 2018, Photos by Miss Ann / Your Adventure Wedding, All Rights Reserved.

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