Deep down inside I always carried a little dream of photographing an elopement in Iceland. I never thought it would happen, though, or if it did, it would be way in the future. When Beverly and Matt asked if I would accompany them and photograph their elopement and trip I immediately jumped at the opportunity! This trip was a trip of a lifetime. I cannot even begin to explain just how amazing it was! Pictures do not do justice to the beauty of Iceland! I was left awestruck and breathless the entire time.
Day 1: After traveling for about 15 hours, I finally landed in Iceland! From the moment we left the airport, I felt like I was on another planet. The terrain of the country was so different from anything that I had seen before. Our first stop was the Blue Lagoon and let me tell you, this was AMAZING after a long flight! And the cider was some of the best I had ever tasted. After we went back to our Air BnB and then decided to explore Reykjavik. Reykjavik is such a cute city! It is the capital and largest city in Iceland. Even though it is the largest city, it still had that small-town feel. I loved all the colors and art that were prominent in the city.
Day 2: The second day was the wedding day! We awoke before the crack of dawn to get ready for the drive to Akranes for the ceremony. Beforehand, Matt and Beverly did their first look outside of the Air BnB. It was such a sweet moment and the lighting was absolutely gorgeous! We then packed into the car and drove about an hour to the ceremony site. They picked the most perfect location for their ceremony! Pretty sure we all gasped when we pulled up to the location. I could have taken pictures there for hours! The ceremony was a traditional Viking ceremony. Everything about it was beautiful. Our second goal of the day was to make it to Höfn (about a 6-hour drive). Along the way, we stopped and took pictures at locations we thought were interesting. Basically we stopped quite a few times because everything was picturesque. Some of the notable locations- Þjóðvegur, Diamond Beach, and Vestrahorn. Iceland decided to show off even more at the end of the day and provided us with a gorgeous sunset!
Day 3: The third day was another one for the books! We started with returning to Diamond Beach to see the other side of it. Then on our way to Vatnajökull Glacier, which we hiked later that day, we stopped and petted some Icelandic horses and fed them some grass. They were so cute! Then came the glacier hike! This was such a surreal experience! And our tour guide, Adam, with Arctic Adventures, made it even better! I highly recommend this excursion. After the glacier hike, we headed towards the black sand beach. After the blue skies on the glacier, this stop gave off some seriously eerie vibes but still so beautiful. We were even able to see some puffins. We then made our way to Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss. Day three was quite the day!
Day 4: We headed to the Snæfellsnes peninsula for the day. Some notable sites here are the Budakirkja (Little Black Church) and Kirkjufellsfoss (for all the Game of Thrones fans). We stopped at a little restaurant and I had the best Nutella pizza! The sugar high was much needed. This ended being a pretty low-key day. We were all exhausted and needed to pack before we left the next day. But it was a great ending to an amazing trip!
Beverly and Matt, thank you again for this amazing opportunity! It was a dream come true. I will be back one day to explore the rest of this amazing country!