Iceland, the land of ice and fire, was one of my dream destinations and I vowed to make it happen this year. And when you want something really really hard you just need to wish upon a star and make a bit of effort in your business! Then the stars will come together and so we were on a flight to the incredible country of geysers and glaciers to photograph a real Icelandic wedding! I know I’ll sound incredibly cheesy if I say that capturing Gudny and Hrolfur’s big day was just as much a highlight as climbing the Icelandic highlights. So, since I don’t want to be a cheesy photographer, I’ll just keep it to myself 🙂
Windy Wedding in Iceland
It was a completely amazing experience to get to know Gudny, her husband-to-be Hrolfur and their beautiful families. I don’t think I’ve met a couple who were more chilled and relaxed on their wedding morning! They decided to do the first look by a little turf church where her parents had got married, which is now part of an open air museum in Reykjavik. It is the cutest place ever! We then travelled outside the city for some “epic” shots (not hard to find in Iceland, trust me!) and ended up at Thorufoss waterfall, surprisingly empty of tourists on a Saturday afternoon!
Gudny says that matching bridal party outfits are only emerging in Iceland, so she decided to do her own take on them and asked her bridesmaids to wear black! I thought it was a fantastic idea, looking so good against the lunar landscapes and paired with brightly coloured flowers that Gudny and her bridesmaids put together herself the night before. We had a lot of fun taking photos by the waterfall and then in the middle of the road – that’s how beautifully spacious Iceland is! Well, I was having fun taking photos and the girls were having fun and freezing in the crazy wind but it’s Icelandic summer after all!
A Ceremony Like No Other
I was really looking forward to capturing the amazing beauty of the country and my couple. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d enjoy the ceremony and the reception, considering I don’t speak a word of Icelandic! Turns out, I really don’t need to understand every single word because emotions say it all. I loved the beautiful ceremony in a little church up on the hill – the priest breaking into “Mamma Mia” in the middle of the ceremony, the laughter all around, the chorus of voices singing a popular Icelandic song, even “Our Father” in Icelandic!
There is a beautiful tradition of congratulating the couple’s parents outside the church before welcoming the newly-weds. I loved the amazing video of Gudny’s hen and Hrolfur’s stag and laughed along with the guests. Even though I don’t speak a single word of Icelandic, there was no need to understand the parents’ speeches. The photos on the screen and the tears in their eyes said it all, and I found myself tearing up with them. I tear up at speeches at every wedding, that’s normal!. And I absolutely loved the atmosphere, the friendly people and the fun everyone was having. A wedding is the most beautiful union and the happiest day, in the universal language of emotion spoken all across the world. And then of course come the pictures, each worth a thousand words 🙂
