Our Iceland Elopement
Back in 2016 we made our first big international trip together and fell in love with Iceland. We're not sure if Iceland chose us or we chose Iceland, but two years (to the day) later, we sealed the deal in a secret ceremony in the land of fire and ice.
Eloping in Iceland
On September 3, 2018 we finally executed our big plan—a plan that has been under wraps for the last six months—to get married in Iceland! We spent the first half of the year preparing for this trip, filling out international paperwork, getting all our wedding gear together, and planning a great trip for our parents to enjoy while they were in Iceland.
As the summer came to an end we packed up a wedding dress, a suit, and our families and flew across the Atlantic to our favorite place in the world... leaving behind our friends and extended family whom had no idea what was about to happen.
Surrounded by our parents and Marc's sister and her boyfriend, we held a small ceremony at the base of Öxarárfoss, a waterfall in Þingvellir National Park. As our Celebrant (Officiant) so beautifully explained, this is a magical place to get married. This is the place that the North American and European tectonic plates meet. It is where these two bodies of land—our home and our favorite place—come together, much like we did.
Icelandic Wedding Photo Shoot
One of the things we love most about Iceland is the varying and dramatic landscapes and weather patterns that give the countryside a moody and magical feel and this is how we wanted to remember our elopement. There was one photographer in particular who's work embodied this feeling that we had been following on Instagram for some time, Ivar Eythorsson. We weren't sure if he did weddings, but we figured we reach out anyway. And he said yes!
Just as we didn't see ourselves having a traditional wedding and ceremony, we didn't really want traditional photos either. Iceland, to us, is all about the adventure. So we asked Ivar to not only take our first look and ceremony pictures but also to take us out for a photo shoot in Southern Iceland... and he did not dissappoint!
The day following the ceremony, the two of us got dressed back up in our wedding clothes and headed out on an adventure with Ivar into the highlands and beaches of Iceland.
As absolutely amazing as the day was, it wasn't easy. It was cold and rainy for most of the day and many of these shots involved us hiking through mud and over boulders. Katelyn was wearing nothing but a dress, hiking boots and windbreaker which made things interesting. But it was a lot of fun!
Half way through the day when the wedding dress was thoroughly wet, we changed into a set of matching Icelandic wool sweaters we had custom made for us in Iceland and shipped to the U.S. From there we headed into the highlands in a 4x4 Land Rover Defender and saw another side of Iceland most tourists don't get to see because of the difficulty of getting there.
(yes, the rainbow is real... Iceland is just that magical)
It was absolutely breathtaking to say the least. Ivar hit the mark and completely captured the Iceland we fell in love with and has given us amazing photographs to forever remember this special day.
We were nervous about how our families and our friends would respond to us keeping this secret and not involving them in our special day, but the well wishes and calls have been pouring in. We are looking forward to celebrating with everyone very soon!
BONUS: After the elopement, we headed across Iceland in a camper van and we put together a video of our travels!
Dress: Mara Hoffman / Free People Collab
Silk Flowers: Bella Floral Design
Hair Piece: Chimera
Ceramic Men's Wedding Band: Thorsten
Custom Icelandic Sweaters: Lopia
Faux Fur Jacket: Dikoaina
Icelandic Wedding Planner: Iceland Weddings and Honeymoons
Celebrant (Officiant): Egill Hallgrímsson
All Images by Ivar Eythorsson