Southern Iceland Adventure Elopement

After my friend-cation with Annie, I stayed in Iceland for a couple more days. My friend Halldóra of Arctic Weddings Iceland messaged me and asked if I would be open to helping her photograph a wedding at a waterfall, then a super-jeep ride to a canyon, and then a helicopter ride to the erupting volcano, Fagradalsfjall. Ummm….. YES PLEASE! I still can’t really believe that it all happened. It was at least a 12-hour day but you can do that kind of thing in the midnight sun pumped full of adrenaline. The couple literally could not have been more stoked and we all had a wild time together. One of my absolute favorite memories is that the groom took almost as many photos as Halldóra and I did. That, and the helicopter/volcano.

Photographers: Halldóra of Arctic Weddings Iceland, and me
Planning: Pink Iceland (Hi Guðni)
Jeep: Southcoast Adventure
Helicopter: Helo

Iceland Vacation 2021

And just like that, I’ve been to Iceland three times now. Hell yeah.

My best friend Annie and I decided on a whim that we needed to get together again and I jokingly threw out the idea of Iceland. She replied with an enthusiastic “yes” and before we knew it, we were hugging in the baggage claim of the Keflavík airport.

Annie is a photographer, lawyer, collector, music lover, baker, and a lot of other things. We met waaaaay back when we used to follow a band together in college and we’ve been friends ever since. I haven’t traveled with a lot of people other than Dan but she is my favorite person to travel with. We love to take photos, take it slow, and take naps. Plus, we don’t argue because we aren’t married. Ha! It’s about as chilled out as travel can be and that is 100% my vibe. We don’t see every single thing in a place but we come home rested, and isn’t that the point? She also is a planner, which is really really really good for me because if I was on a trip alone, I’d land at the airport and blink my eyes, not sure what to do next. Love you Annie.

This trip we went to Vík, Jökulsárlón, Búðir, Thingvellir, and of course Reykjavík.

Annie took some of these and I took some of these and some kind strangers took some of us.

Reykjavík Backyard Wedding: Liz and Greg

Liz and Greg met working at Flatbread Pizza, which moved them all around, including Maui Hawaii and their home now in Boston. We met Liz when Dan hired her to work for Charles River Canoe and Kayak as as a stand-up paddleboard instructor, back when we worked there all together. Fast forward to last year, when Liz and Greg started planning a big Maine wedding and subsequently decided they wanted something small. Liz’s mother mom’s best friend from college, Ingrid, lives in Iceland. So this is how we all ended up in a beautiful backyard in Reykjavík, witnessing these two become husband and wife.

Greg is a sensitive soul and adores Liz. There were numerous times throughout the day that I was melting over how he looked at her. The two shared so many sweet secret glances with one another, surrounded by all the hustle and bustle of the day. It was proof of their singular focus, one another. What could be more important on a wedding day?

After the ceremony, which was partially delivered in Icelandic, we shared a few appetizers and toasted to the couple. Next we headed into the city center for some portraits, where the color and street art had all our hearts a flutter. We could have photographed these two for HOURS in the city but they had a dinner to get to, in the home of an icelandic opera singer and his partner. Of course we all sang a song together before the homemade meal. What an incredible day to be a part of and a wonderful way to be married!

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More from Liz and Greg: Southern Iceland Engagement Session and Meet Our Couples

Iceland’s Southern Coast Engagement Session: Liz and Greg

This past June, we had the huge honor of being a part of Liz and Greg’s wedding in Iceland. Obviously from a photographer’s standpoint this is beyond exciting because…. ICELAND! From a human perspective though, we were just so stinking happy to be trusted on this level and to be invited in with such an important event, just like every single wedding we are able to do.

Liz and Greg invited us along with them for an adventurous engagement session the day before their wedding. We love that idea because we definitely wanted to be able to take photos in Iceland’s epic landscapes and have the time it takes to do so. Additionally, since their wedding was to be so intimate and small (see next week’s blog post), it was very important that we took the edge off a little bit and hung out with one another before this wedding itself.

We hopped in their rental car and drove from Reykjavik to Vik, starting the session in a smaller black sand beach, scampering around in little caves and along the shore. Afterwards, we headed up to Dyrhólaey for a little cliffside romance. I have to say that my healthy (but not phobic) fear of heights was kicking in a lot here. We kept telling them to stay away from the edge and only do what they felt comfortable doing, letting them choose their own adventure. Let me tell you… they are a hell of a lot braver than me. Even the photos make me feel a little nervous. Whew.

Over the course of many hours we also stopped by a lupine field, another lupine field, a couple of friendly horses, and some more horses. No trip to Iceland would be complete without a visit to a waterfall so we stopped by the ever famous (and for a good rainbow-y reason) Skógafoss! Liz was a bit skeptical as we pulled up to a parking lot TEAMING with tour busses and matching rental cars but it. was. worth. it. It always is.

We headed back to our respective AirBnb’s for some recuperation for the next day’s adventure: a wedding!

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Þingvellir Iceland Portrait Session: Halldóra and Hobie

While we were on our epic vacation in the country of Iceland, we set aside some time to meet and photograph a local wedding photographer couple who live there! Since we knew we had a common interest, it made it a little easier to reach out to two strangers and ask to hang out! We traded sessions, photographing each other in this other-worldy environment. It was fun to see how different the four of us work, all ending up with a beautiful finished product. We will be sure to share the photos they took of us as well, so keep an eye out for that.

These two people are so intriguing and if you do ever make it out to Iceland, look them up for a session! (Let me make that easy for you: Arctic Weddings Iceland)

Halldóra and Hobie met in California while both were attending the Brooks Institute of Photography. They caught each other’s eyes and now they split their time between sunny, palm tree dotted California, and wild untamed dramatic Iceland. I’d say that’s pretty dreamy don’t you? We were shocked to find out that this session with us was their first time being photographed as a couple. I’m so glad we were able to do this with them.

Say high when you cross the country again you two!
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