Iceland Elopement Location Inspiration

To look for specific places for an Iceland elopement is… a wonderful and daunting task because the whole country is essentially a postcard. So instead of saying these are the best or the prettiest or the most epic places, I will say that these were two of my favorite places I saw on this trip. I love them because they are so unlike one another. Because one is stark and harsh and the other is light and buttery. I think this is one of the (many many) reasons I love Iceland- it’s landscape is actually pretty varied. I was surprised by this when I was there, and made the idea of location scouting that much better.

Okay full disclosure. This is my friend Emily. Emily and I have been friends since middle school and she has actually earned the title Bonus Sister (while in Iceland! Semi-insired by Iceland’s amazing Bonus Grocery Stores) and we are bonded over our mutual love of travel, adventure, and most nerdy things.

When you’re friends with a photographer and happen to travel with that photographer a lot you are basically doomed to be in a LOT of photos. (please see my Iceland road trip pictured here and here). My trip to Iceland did include some photo work (like this!) but this trip was also very much intended to be a time of recharging and not “working” 100% of the time. The previous year had been a time of enormous upheaval and change for me, and nothing helps me feel more grounded than travel. I had to be SUPER intentional not to turn this trip into a 14 day long marathon of photo work. Of course I love photography and it can recharge me, but the lines between work and play can get a bit blurred there, and I wanted Iceland to be a time of freedom and creativity.

Of course being in all these amazing places was INCREDIBLE. Basically everywhere I looked was a killer spot for an Iceland elopement and it semi-killed me because even though I was in a recharging mindset, if I’m in a beautiful place all I want to do is photograph people and couples and elopements. 

Enter Emily and a $20 amazon dress. 

It would have been easy to make Emily wear this dress the entire trip (because nearly every inch of Iceland is photo-worthy) but I picked my Iceland elopement inspiration spots with care. I actually dig how it turned out- one spot is popular/recognizable enough (and honestly blew my freaking mind) and one place was off the beaten path and a total surprise when we found it.

It has since occurred to me that this is basically just an adult version of playing dress-up and I can’t find it within me to care. What’s more fun than traipsing around the Icelandic wilderness in a pretty dress with a camera? Nothing. 

I think it’s so important as creatives to do things just for the hell of it. To listen to that voice of inspiration when it strikes.

So a big thanks to Emily for being a willing participant in my antics and thanks to Iceland for being so inspiration worthy. Who knows? Maybe it will inspire you too 🙂