An Adventurous Iceland Elopement

I still smile from ear to ear every time I look back through the photos from this beautiful elopement in Iceland. It is not everyday that you get asked to travel across the world to document something so special. Yet here I am writing the first instalment about our epic adventure around the land of fire and ice.

Having found me through my landscape and film photography, these two wanted to share their experience of eloping in Iceland. The message wasn’t even so much about photographing an elopement, it was asking me if I was keen to join them on one mighty adventure.

The plan was for these two to elope in the south of Iceland after exploring around the whole island. Being summer time with pretty much 24 hours of light each day, our days were jam packed with hikes, waterfalls, landscapes and exploring whilst we road tripped. The whole adventure started in London, where I flew in from Australia and we prepared for the trip. We spent a few days hanging out and planning out the finer details of what we all wanted to see. We were ambitious in our plans but it paid off as we were able to do so much in a short period of time and we never felt rushed.

The elopement was something very special. The accommodation that was picked was a beautiful little guesthouse about 30 mins drive east of the town of Vik. The location was amazing, overlooking the vast landscape south towards the coast. It gave us access to many wonderful locations east and west of Vik, including a favourite in Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. The day started with a communal breakfast at the guesthouse with other travellers (something we enjoyed all the way around Iceland). We all got ready in the guest house lounge area, listening to music, drinking tea and getting excited for the day to come.

After getting ready, it was a quick stop to meet the celebrant. We then headed down to the black sand beach in Vik for the ceremony. It was only us on the beach, a lovely contrast to many of the other tourist heavy spots all over Iceland.

With the Reynisdrangar basalt stacks in the distance, the ceremony was beautiful, intimate and exactly what they wanted.

After a little shooting on the beach and the back streets of Vik, we ventured over to Reynisfjara Beach. The ultra popular spot was busy, but thankfully we had all the space we needed to shoot along the dramatic coastline. The towering basalt columns and caves are a sight to see. I absolutely love the lines, textures and shapes created by the caves and sheer sides of the Reynisfjall Mountain.

Like they say, time flies when you’re having fun. The day was starting to quickly fading away, so we literally ran up the hill to Cape Dyrhólaey. The coastline stretching north for as far as the eye could see. There was simply so much to see, so many compositions and so many beautiful ideas. I tried to capture it all in the time we had, but it is never ever enough. We ran back down the hill and cruised back to the guesthouse for a prepared communal supper (with a slight detour when I spotted some amazing light).

Supper was the perfect time to warm up, refuel and chat with the other guests about the day that had unfolded. We enjoyed a feast of local delicacies and food cooked by the amazing chef Hadda who runs the Hrifunes Guesthouse with her husband Haukur (who happens to also be a photographer).

After supper, we ventured out again into the night (which is really like day time) to explore the amazing Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. You may recognize this epic location from Game of Thrones. We stopped along the way, taking some photos along the crazy moss covered lava fields before arriving at the canyon.

When we arrived my jaw dropped. Which is saying a lot after two weeks of picking my jaw off the ground every time we turned a new corner. I was mesmerised by the canyon that unravelled as you climbed higher above it. We ventured along the high points of the canyon, hopping out to vantage points that let us see further into the abyss. What a sight to see, this definitely has to be one of the most amazing spots in all of Iceland. The way the canyon has formed through the glacier retreating and the thousands of years of erosion is just incredible.

We explored the edges of the canyon for what felt like hours and took photos until blue hour set in around midnight. Calling it a day on an elopement that was simply, sublime.

An Adventurous Iceland Elopement

This is Part One of a series of blogs about Iceland that I will be sharing. I wanted to start with the Iceland elopement as that is the opportunity that afforded me such a trip.

Planning an Iceland elopement is no easy feat! I have learned so much from my experiences in Iceland and am more than happy to assist other plans for elopements in Iceland.

Below I have included a number of the wonderful vendors involved from both locals in Iceland, to others in England and elsewhere in the world.

Wedding Location: Iceland
Photography: Jack Chauvel
Accommodation: Hrifunes Guesthouse
Locations: Vik // Cape Dyrhólaey // Fjaðrárgljúfur
Celebrant: Kristín Þórðardóttir
Florist: Breiðholtsblóm
Hair & Makeup: Sandra Maria
Brides Dress: Galina Signature
Grooms Suit: Cad & The Dandy

I absolutely loved shooting this beautiful Iceland elopement and I cant wait to shoot there again. In fact Destination Weddings, Elopements and Engagements are something I hold dear to myself. The opportunities and couples I get to meet from around the world are simply awesome. It ties in my love of travel, capturing dramatic landscapes and documenting love stories all into one. If you have an inkling to marry, elope or get engaged anywhere in the world; then get in touch as I would love to be there to document it for you.