AN INTIMATE ELOPEMENT IN ICELAND, AMIDST BLACK BEACHES, IMPRESSIVE ROCK FORMATIONS AND RUGGED VOLCANIC LANDSCAPES. FOR BIBI AND STAN, THIS SPECIAL ISLAND PROVIDED THE SETTING FOR A WEDDING THAT WAS PERFECTLY SUITED TO THEM.
NOT A TRADITIONAL WEDDING DAY, BUT AN ADVENTUROUS EXPERIENCE CENTRED AROUND THEIR LOVE, NATURE AND THE FREEDOM TO DO THINGS THEIR OWN WAY. AN ARTISTIC WEDDING PHOTO ESSAY FILLED WITH INTIMATE MOMENTS, STRIKING CONTRASTS AND THE UNFILTERED BEAUTY OF ICELAND.
ELOPEMENT IN ICELAND
Bibi is a wedding photographer herself, so she had a pretty clear idea of how she wanted her own wedding day to feel. Neither she nor Stan particularly loves being the centre of attention, so exchanging their vows somewhere in the middle of nature, just the two of them, felt much more like them.
Instead of having one traditional wedding day, they decided to celebrate their marriage in two parts. First, an intimate Iceland elopement where their first look, vows and ring exchange took place surrounded by some of Iceland’s most incredible landscapes. Later, they celebrated back home in the Netherlands with their family and friends. During dinner and the party, they shared their Iceland wedding photos and film, allowing everyone they love to experience a little piece of their adventure.
An elopement is an intimate way of getting married that gives you the freedom to create a day around how you actually want to experience it. Often it is just the two of you, although some couples choose to bring a handful of guests. There really are no fixed rules, and that is exactly what makes eloping so special.
ELOPING IN ICELAND
Iceland was still high on Bibi and Stan’s bucket list. With its black sand beaches, waterfalls, dramatic cliffs, mountains and snow covered landscapes, it turned out to be the perfect destination for their intimate wedding.
They travelled to Iceland in April. Because many of the locations had only been explored through photos beforehand, the entire crew arrived a day early to scout the locations and plan the route for their Iceland elopement.
A solid plan. As far as you can ever have one in Iceland. One minute the sun is shining and five minutes later you can find yourself standing in a snowstorm.
That unpredictability is part of what makes an Iceland elopement such an adventure. Sometimes the moments you could never have planned become some of the best photographs of the entire day.
FROM DYRHÓLAEY TO REYNISFJARA BLACK SAND BEACH
The day started early on the dramatic cliffs of Dyrhólaey. With the lighthouse behind them and views across Iceland’s black coastline, Bibi and Stan saw each other in their wedding clothes for the first time.
From there, we drove straight to Reynisfjara, Iceland’s famous Black Sand Beach, where they wanted to exchange their rings.
Reynisfjara is one of the most famous locations on Iceland’s South Coast, so starting early was important. We arrived before the crowds and, apart from just a few other people, had the black sand beach almost completely to ourselves.
The volcanic black sand, dark basalt columns and Atlantic Ocean make Reynisfjara an incredible location for Iceland elopement photography. And because Bibi is a wedding photographer herself, she knew exactly how much photographic potential this landscape had. For her, photographing part of their elopement here was a dream.
Of course, getting married in the middle of nature also comes with a little adventure. At one point Bibi ended up in the black sand, wedding dress and all. Not much later, a seagull sitting above the basalt columns decided her dress needed another little addition. Not particularly romantic at the time. Very funny afterwards. And yes, of course those photos made it into their wedding story too.
SKÓGAFOSS AND WEDDING VOWS IN THE SNOW
After a short break, the adventure continued towards Skógafoss and the dramatic landscapes of South Iceland. Along the way, we stopped whenever we found something that inspired us, including an incredible landscape of deep red earth where their 4x4 became part of the wedding photos too.
Eventually, we made our way to a tiny church surrounded by rolling landscapes and mountains. This was where Bibi and Stan wanted to exchange their vows.
Iceland had slightly different plans.
The landscape turned white, the wind picked up and suddenly it was freezing cold. But the vows were happening anyway. Surrounded by falling snow, Bibi and Stan told each other why they had chosen one another. It was intimate and emotional, and perhaps even more powerful because of everything happening around them.
As we drove back and the snow started falling even harder, we decided to stop one last time. The headlights of the 4x4, the darkness and the snow created a completely different atmosphere from everything we had photographed earlier that day.
A few minutes were all we needed to create a series of photographs we could never have planned.
“Wow, this is honestly unreal, Angela.
We already had high expectations, but this completely exceeded them. The entire day just feels right. You captured the full story. Beautiful images of us and all those special moments, incredible shots of the surroundings, but also all the little details and things happening in between. It’s all there.
We looked through the photos with the biggest smiles on our faces, talking and laughing the entire time. We’re so incredibly happy and, more than anything, grateful that you captured our day like this.
And we laughed SO hard at the photos of me falling and the bird poop because, well… that was part of our day too.”
-Bibi & Stan
AN ICELAND ELOPEMENT YOUR WAY
You can scout locations, plan a route and create a game plan, but eventually you also have to embrace whatever Iceland decides to give you.And that is exactly where the magic of eloping in Iceland lies.
Bibi and Stan intentionally spread their first look, ring exchange and vows across different locations. Their wedding day became an adventure through Dyrhólaey, Reynisfjara, Skógafoss and the wild landscapes Iceland is known for.
Not a traditional wedding day, but a day that felt completely like them. And if that means exchanging your wedding vows in the middle of an Icelandic snowstorm?
Then that’s exactly what you do.
Curated Gallery
Editorial Credits
Photographer /@angelabloemsaat,
Location / Reynisfjara, Make-up & hair / Sandra Bierends, Flowers / thordisz, Videographer / Azzurro Films, Wedding Dress / Wild at heart bridal, Designer / Bon Bride, WEDDING SUIT / Michael & Giso, Stationery / Bobini Roots, Earrings / Maison Sabben
