Summer Micro Wedding in Iceland

This is the story of Mindy and Ken’s June micro wedding in Southeast Iceland with 3 guests.

This was a gorgeous evening/midnight sun wedding centered around privacy and soft light.

Why they decided to elope in Iceland

The couple’s first trip together was to Iceland and it was absolutely magical for them. They learned to overcome challenges together and learned a lot about themselves and each other. They fell in love with this beautiful country and it felt right for them to come back here to elope. Since Iceland Mindy and Ken have been on a lot of amazing trips around the world together, but Iceland left a lasting impression in them. In addition, they didn’t feel like a traditional wedding would fit their personalities, so they wanted it to be an adventure in stunning nature and it was very important for them to have their parents there.

How I co-crafted their big day

During our first video meeting it was important for me to learn about the couple’s vision for the dream elopement and also to understand their personalities in order to plan something epic for them that would still be very personalised.

We talked about different locations that the couple visited on the first trip to Iceland and which ones they loved the most. Mindy and Ken were particularly impressed by the magic of Diamond Beach, so we decided to plan the day based on that and find a few more locations that they would love in the Southeast of Iceland.

This elopement was be in the beginning of June, so I knew that there would be a chance for lupines to already bloom and the couple really wanted to prioritize the flowers in case they would be blooming.

In regards to Diamond beach – there is always a 50% chance to have ice chunks there on the sand at any time of the year, so whenever my clients choose this location, I always make an alternative plan for them in case there is no ice.

So I ended up making 4 different timeline for the couple:

• the first one included Diamond Beach and lupines (our dream scenario!)
• the second one had an alternative location in case there would be no ice at Diamond Beach, but the lupines would be blooming
• the third one included Diamond Beach, but not the lupines
• and the fourth included two alternative locations and excluded both Diamond Beach and the lupines

This way, with 4 timelines, we were mostly covered and wouldn’t need to stress about finding other locations last minute.

I also made the timelines based on privacy and soft light. Planning based on light is something I always do as it makes such a big difference in the final photos.

How the elopement day went

The day went amazingly and the couple and I are so happy with how the photos turned out.

I can tell right away that we still needed to make some changes on the day of the elopement even though we had 4 timeline options.

Let’s start with good news – the lupines were not quite ready yet, but I scouted a spot the day before where they were blooming a bit more than in other places and I sent a photo to the couple of this spot and they were happy with how it looked.

There was a bit of ice at Diamond Beach – just enough for a nice photoshoot! Of course the black sand beach itself with waves is gorgeous even without ice, so we went ahead with the beach as well.

However, a glacier we planned to visit was completely in the fog, so we changed it to another location last minute that the couple ended up loving so much that they held their symbolic ceremony there!

The day started at Jokulsarlon Hotel with getting-ready photos and first look. This is one of the nicest hotels in all of Iceland that I can highly recommend! It’s close to some of the most beautiful icy locations in Iceland, but definitely book it way ahead if you plan on staying there as it gets fully booked especially during the high season (May-September plus all the holidays).

You can see some highlights from our day below. I’m very grateful to have been there for this beautiful elopement and wish Mindy and Ken all the happiness in the world!

Ready to Start Planning your Iceland Elopement?

I’m a local elopement photographer in Iceland and I also do most of the planning for my couples. If my photography style resonates with you, I would love to hear from you so I can tell you more about how dreamy we can make your elopement together!

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