{"id":375526,"date":"2025-06-06T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T06:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com\/?p=375526"},"modified":"2025-05-22T15:51:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T14:51:24","slug":"reynisfjara-iceland-elopement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/reynisfjara-iceland-elopement\/","title":{"rendered":"Windswept Heartfelt & Adventurous Iceland Elopement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hold on tight as you are about to go on a breathtaking journey with Asher and Nikky as they exchange their vows in the beauty of Reynisfjara, Iceland,<\/strong> during an autumn storm.<\/p>\n

Surrounded by dramatic scenery, their elopement is simply stunning. Their special ceremony was witnessed unexpectedly by tourists and their cheers must have been very special indeed. Plus Asher and Nikky looked amazing in their thoughtfully sourced outfits, which were perfectly accessorised. <\/p>\n

Thanks ever so much to Ast Og Hraun<\/a> for very kindly sharing with us these mesmerising images. Wow. Be sure to check out the whole story below, it’s such a lovely read.<\/p>\n

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Reynisfjara Iceland Elopement<\/h2>\n

The Proposal<\/h3>\n

Asher and I had been in a relationship for 9 years prior to getting engaged. We started dating in freshman year of high school, and dated all through college and got engaged a couple years after graduating college. We both knew we would spend our lives together, and that made surprising me with a proposal difficult.<\/p>\n

We drove down to Texas with some of our close friends to attend a mutual college friend\u2019s wedding. We had decided to make the long drive a shared vacation and planned to spend a week and a half in Texas. We attended the wedding and planned to spend the following week split between camping in Davy Crockett National Forest and spending time relaxing in an air bnb in Galveston Texas. A few days after the wedding we were hiking in Mission Tejas State Park with our friends and their dog.<\/p>\n

It was a beautiful afternoon and I remember Asher and our friends wanting to check every slightly elevated spot to take a \u201cgroup photo\u201d, I thought it was a little odd because Asher never cares about taking photos, but I went along with it. We hiked to the top of a hill to a beautiful overlook. We all took a group photo, then our friends asked us to take a photo of them, afterwards they offered to take a picture of us. We stood there smiling for the photo, and then Asher got down on one knee and me to marry him.<\/p>\n

The first thought that flew through my mind was that this was a joke, since we had joked about such things 1000\u2019s of times prior. I eventually came to the realization this was it, I of course said yes and we did a little photoshoot with the bright purple berries that happened to match my Amethyst engagement ring. We finished the night off by hunting down a bottle of champagne from a rural gas station and having a great night drinking champagne around the campfire.<\/p>\n

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The Vision<\/h3>\n

We envisioned getting married on the greatest adventure of our lives. We knew we didn\u2019t want a traditional wedding and so we decided to go big or go home. We spent a total of 3 weeks outside the country: 1 week spent traveling with our very best friends on the southern coast of Iceland, concluding the week with getting married, and 2 weeks in Italy for our honeymoon.<\/p>\n

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The Styling & Decor<\/h3>\n

Since we eloped there was very little decorating\/styling that we could do. We put all that effort into our outfits colors\/and accessories.<\/p>\n

Overall our theme was contrast, we wanted to match the vibe that Iceland naturally has and incorporate some of our favorite colors that were reminiscent of autumn. I had my hair highlighted specifically to stay in theme and asked for lots of contrast including the burnt oranges in my hair. I partially did this because I knew I wasn’t hiring a hair stylist to do my hair and I wanted my hair to look awesome on camera whether I was able to do an intricate style on myself or not. I love how it turned out in pictures.<\/p>\n

The invitations and save the dates were done using The Knot.<\/p>\n

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Budget<\/h3>\n

Around $20,000 but this included travel fees, paying for some of our friends accommodation expenses and food, and our entire honeymoon.<\/p>\n

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The Venue<\/h3>\n

Our venue was our car and wherever the road took us. Daria (photographer) and James (videographer) helped suggest some epic locations to explore and from there we just hopped out of the car and explored in whatever weather nature handed us.<\/p>\n

We visited Stokksnes, Briedamerkursandur, Skogafoss, Dyrholaey, Reynisfjara to name just a few.<\/p>\n

We got married on Reynisfjara beach as a plan B actually. We had originally planned to get married at Dyrholaey, but we were blessed with a turbulent windstorm and had to fall back to plan B. We were very lucky with the windstorm and intense weather, the infamous beach was quite clear and we got the beautiful sea cave all to ourselves to hold our ceremony.<\/p>\n

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Your Outfits<\/h3>\n

I wore an Ivory 2 piece French lace wedding dress made by \u201cStylishBrideAtelier\u201d – a small Ukrainian designer on Etsy. My earrings were Gold rosemary leaf hoop earrings from \u201cSilk Purse Sows Ear\u201d another small business on Etsy. My flower veil, bouquet, and Asher\u2019s boutonniere were all from \u201cMagaelasAccessories\u201d another small business from Etsy. Shoes were the Iron Ranger: Heritage in copper from \u201cRed Wing Boots\u201d.<\/p>\n

Asher wore a 3-piece rust herringbone tweed suit made by \u201cHappy Gentlemen\u201d a shop in the UK, the rest of his outfit were pieces we already had. Story of how we chose all of the elements:<\/p>\n

I was looking online for wedding dresses for forever and wasn\u2019t finding anything that spoke to me. I am someone who likes to stray away from the trends and choose my own path and that felt right for me in choosing a wedding dress as well. I never found any wedding dresses that were in-store that fit what I was looking for, so I started window shopping on Etsy for ideas. Etsy has so many different artists with all sorts of different styles that you don’t see in wedding shops, and at first I just was looking for inspiration, but then I started to consider actually taking the chance and buying from an independent artist. I found a Ukrainian artist on Etsy, Yana, who is the founder of \u201cStylishBride Atelier\u201d.<\/p>\n

She was such a pleasure to work with and she went above and beyond to help me add personal touches to my wedding dress and meet tight timelines. The process was very easy and straightforward and she was in contact with me every step of the way. The dress was made individually for me with my own measurements, I got to add buttons on both the sleeves and the top of the skirt, I got to choose how much tulle was in the skirt, the length of the train and everything.<\/p>\n

It was a very intimate and unique experience and I couldn’t be happier with the whole process. Something I worried about as any bride would, was the quality of the dress, you can make anything look great in pictures, but would it actually look good in person? I was so beyond happy with the quality of my dress, the lace was so intricate and clean, it fit me like a glove when I got it, and I only needed to do very minimal alterations.<\/p>\n

The rest of the details just came to me after choosing the dress, I wanted everything to feel cohesive and tell a color story. Iceland is the land of contrast and I wanted to follow that direction with the colors we chose. So once I chose my dress I guess I could just see it finally. White is such a contrast from the beautiful black sands but how do you make the groom stand out just as clearly? We chose burnt oranges and reds to stay reminiscent of fall and to be a stark contrast from the dramatic blacks, whites, and greens you see all around you in Iceland in late fall. We found him a rust tweed herringbone suit from a retailer in the UK, we totally lucked out on that find as the suit was under $200 when the only options in store were $600 or more for a less detailed suit.<\/p>\n

After our colors were chosen I used Etsy and small businesses for almost all our details. The bouquet and florals came from a Slovakian artist, \u201cMagaela Accessories\u201d, again surpassing my expectations. We couldn’t travel with live flowers and I didn’t want the logistical hassle of purchasing and keeping flowers fresh for a week while we explored Iceland prior to our wedding. So the flowers were actually a mix of artificial and preserved, and because of this I still get to look at my bouquet today. I had wanted to preserve whatever bouquet I got as a keepsake, and I didn’t have to because it was already preserved when I got it.<\/p>\n

I also found my earrings on Etsy and had actually fallen in love with them before I found my dress, I was ecstatic when I realized they would work with my dress. They came from the small business – \u201cSilk Purse Sows Ear\u201d. I wanted something I would be able to wear again after our wedding day. I adore those earrings and have really enjoyed re-wearing them already and getting to enjoy the memories as I put them back on.<\/p>\n

The boots were probably the second most expensive thing after my dress, funny enough, and the only element not purchased from a small business. They were purchased from a local chain \u201cRed Wing Boots\u201d. They are a pair I have had my eye on for quite some time. Eloping in the wilderness generally makes it difficult to wear a pair of heels, so I wanted to pick a practical shoe that I would still love as much as a pair of heels and still get to re-wear in the future. I loved their \u201cheritage\u201d look and the smell and feel of the leather, and the copper color was just stunning and went with our color scheme.<\/p>\n

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The Ceremony & Music<\/h3>\n

The ceremony was very heartfelt and personal. Margret, our officiant, interviewed us each about our relationship and questions about our values and the future, and she wrote the most beautiful wedding script. The script was so personal and meaningful. Since we were out in the wilderness we did not have any pre-planned music, but Margret surprised us by singing the most beautiful Icelandic love song, it was such a deeply personal touch. We finished off the ceremony with a handfasting ceremony, exchange of rings, and a kiss!<\/p>\n

Afterwards we popped champagne on the beach and the strangers around us celebrated with us, it was so sweet. We had been pelted with wind and rain during our ceremony, but honestly it just added to the magic of our day, we were not bothered by it at all. Storms bring a certain energy with them and we feel incredibly fortunate to have been blessed by a storm on our wedding day. They say rain on your wedding day is luck, so a storm must be something even better. We feel so deeply lucky to have had a willing team and group of friends to endure the weather with us. Once the ceremony was over we headed up to \u201cBlack Beach Coffee House\u201d and celebrated with hot cappuccinos and dark chocolate salted caramel cake that was to die for.<\/p>\n

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Your Photographer & Filmmaker<\/h3>\n

Daria from \u201cAst Og Hraun\u201d was our Photographer. And James from \u201cJames Smith Films\u201d was our videographer working with his colleague Johnny Eaker. Both of their works are so far above what we ever could have hoped for. The final photo album and video are everything we ever wanted and more. Daria, James, and Johnny were all so willing to brave the crazy weather with us and they are all insanely talented to be able to pivot and still create such beautiful final products for us. They were all so helpful during the planning process supporting us in finding good locations, finding fun things to do in Iceland, and helping us keep the days organized. All around it was such a great experience because of them and how hard they work and how committed they are to their craft. I highly highly recommend all of them, they went so far above and beyond for us, and we can’t thank them enough.<\/p>\n

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The Honeymoon<\/h3>\n

We spent two weeks in Italy following our week in Iceland. We started in Venice and enjoyed walking the canals and eating all the best food, made our way to Rome and went on tours exploring the deep history there, again eating the best food, and ended our stay relaxing along the Amalfi coast drinking limoncello, eating amazing food, and swimming in the ocean. It was so fun and relaxing, we cannot wait to go back some day. We took a million pictures along the whole trip and have so much fun looking back on them.<\/p>\n

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Memorable Moments<\/h3>\n

On our wedding day, we got up, and got ready with mimosas with our friends and headed to our ceremony location. We were going to get married on the sea cliffs at Dyrholaey, but we had to pivot to plan B since we were blessed with a rainy windstorm with wind speeds up to 50 mph. We moved to the famous cave on Reynisfjara beach and held our ceremony there. It was special and very intimate and we were lucky to have the cave all to ourselves as all the other tourists moved out of the cave for us and watched from down the beach a ways. Right as we said \u201cI do\u201d and sealed it with a kiss, all the tourists started cheering and congratulating us. It was so fun to celebrate with random strangers!<\/p>\n

Walking back up the beach after the ceremony the wind REALLY picked up, I have a fun little video from that moment of us and our friends walking, and then the wind picked up and almost swept us away, we all had to lean really hard into the wind just to stay upright and Asher had to help me with my dress cause I was being pulled backwards by the wind catching my train. Once we made it to the coffee shop just up the beach we grabbed a couple of cappuccinos and the barista made little hearts out of foam for us it was just really sweet. Again later in the day we found another coffee shop ( we are kind of coffee nerds) that was inside of a school bus. It was so fun going inside to grab a coffee and everyone again cheered and celebrated with us when we walked in, it was fun talking to some of the locals there.<\/p>\n

Another super special moment was the photoshoot at the waterfall. It was one of the most memorable moments of our wedding. We didn’t have any hard plans for the evening of our wedding, so when we went to the waterfall, I feel that both Asher and I were ready to do sort of a \u201ctrash the dress moment\u201d and it was so fun. We ran through and played in the heavy rain\/mist from the waterfall and got COMPLETELY drenched. It was exhilarating and SO much fun, it makes me smile just thinking back to it. It just felt like Asher and I were \u201chaving our last dance\u201d under the waterfall before the wedding was over. It was just so raw and felt very personal and like a view into a moment that was not about the cameras at all. It was so fun ending it in a bang. We ended up running back to the air bnb warming up in the shower after we were done and headed to the most delicious pizza place in our sweatpants. It was such a fun day full of special moments<\/p>\n

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Advice For Other Couples<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to go the untread path, you already chose it with eloping, so don’t be afraid to really explore those freedoms. An elopement can be anything you make of it; you don\u2019t have all the traditional guides you have with a normal wedding, celebrate that and find what is unique to you.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid of purchasing from Etsy and small businesses just because it is non-traditional. Do your research, look at reviews and photos to help you make your decisions, but just know you can get some of the most unique cool elements without paying a hefty price tag, all while supporting a small business.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to dream big and find ways to make your visions fit your budget. Etsy was the key for us to still have all the elements we wanted but keep it at a reasonable cost. That may look different for other couples, but I think doing lots of research and exploring all of your avenues before giving up on a dream element is key to having the wedding day you are driving for. We chose to travel to Iceland in off season to take advantage of lower cost flights and air bnb charges, this allowed us a much larger budget for other elements that were important to us. This decision came with more unpredictable weather than peak seasons may, but it was something we were willing and excited to accept. We were blessed with a wind storm on our wedding day, and honestly, it was so much fun and something we will never forget.<\/p>\n

Make planning a fun date and not a chore to do. There are a lot of decisions to make, but they can be super fun to make if you set yourself up well.<\/p>\n

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What a beautiful celebration.<\/p>\n

Thanks so very much to Asher and Nikky for sharing with us their Reynisfjara elopement in Iceland.<\/p>\n

Further Reading<\/h4>\n