Iceland Elopement Inspiration

Iceland seems to be a place that's just everywhere at the moment, it's become one of those artist's must-go destinations as it just seems to conjure up a new level of creativity in people. It's not hard to understand why, when you see the incredible scenery and sunlight, not to mention the Northern Lights! The combination of the elements is amazing too - snow, sunshine, sea and mountains all meet and the results are mind blowing. We love the idea of eloping there, it would feel like a magical adventure with the universe blessing your marriage. This inspiration shoot has made me want to visit Iceland just as much as it has made me want to elope! Enjoy the incredible images from Rebecca Douglas, and apologies in advance for any wanderlust they may evoke...

Iceland

Rebecca the Photographer: Iceland is a place of vast landscapes and otherworldly experiences, it begs calm of you, cleanses your soul, reminds you that nature is all powerful and the humbling experience brings a contented comfort. It is a place where you feel instantly at home, yet it is so far detected from anything that is familiar but then to be there with your soul mate, sharing that experience and making promises to each other creates that home within those actions too.   Inspired by this connection between the falling in love with a person and a place led to the creation of this beautiful elopement inspiration. When researching Icelandic history and folklore, we learned about Vikings and the significance of Icelandic magical staves. When we discovered the words of The Viking by Shannon they echoed that connection between two lovers and the perfect magical stave ‘so girl loves a man’, together they created a beautiful narrative... The Viking by Shannon A powerful radiance is felt instantly. Flames of passion dance in his eyes. He makes my heart ache with desire. His words are music to my soul That fill me with love and longing. His mind holds the wisdom of the ancients. His heart holds compassion and love. His lips hold a promise of sensual delights. His arms provide security and warmth. He is as humble as a beggar on the street, Yet as noble as a Viking chief. There is a sense of mystery about him; But his life, he has opened for me to see. He is truly a beautiful and amazing man; He is the best of all my dreams. I will love him throughout eternity. With not part, but with all that is me.

The Suppliers

A wonderful collaboration of wedding suppliers came together to create inspirational ideas for the key elements of the shoot. Sally Parkes who runs Flowers by SP reflects, ‘For obvious reasons for a florist it had the potential to be a logistic nightmare, which I am sure is what a lot of couples think! Questions like - how will they survive the journey, let alone a week in Iceland before the shoot being the biggest challenge to overcome! But with every challenge comes great opportunity to be creative and overcome any obstacles and with this, I made the floral crown and hand tied posy with the elements and different textures in mind. Using faded natural earthy shades of blue, brown, grey and whites to reflect the different elements of the landscape. With texture of Eryngium Thistles, natural pheasant feathers and rope two different eucalyptus, heather, hypericum and berried ivy and even a little gypsophila, I used ingredients that I knew would look beautiful when the dried out and knowing everything in the designs would last the long journey ahead!’

The Fashion

The attire was styled in a simple, ethereal and elegant way, again with the logistics to travelling in mind, Karen at Rock the Frock Bridal Boutique had a spectacular range of dresses to choose from. She said, ‘I immediately thought of my range of Saja dresses. This non-traditional designer wedding collection features gowns that are effortlessly modern and elegantly ethereal. Perfect for the boho bride, these silk wedding dresses are a joy to wear & would suit destination weddings as well as city celebrations.’ For Rebecca Douglas Photography, narrating the connection between the natural environment and Paris and Joe was really important. Paris and Joe had always wanted to travel to Iceland and had flirted with the idea of eloping and so to be part of an inspiration shoot that brought all of this together was a dream! Rebecca has travelled extensively in Iceland and used her understanding of the location and coupled this with weather mapping for the day of the shoot to plan their route. One of the most iconic churches in Iceland is Vik Church, nestled about the southernmost village in Iceland and backed by snow covered mountains, it was a spectacular spot and Joe gave Paris a magical stave on a necklace which symbolised ‘Love’. Journeying on to the basalt cliffs and spectacular black sand beach at Reynisfjara before visiting Skogafoss in the glorious golden last light of the day. Like any couple would dream of, the treat of a short burst of aurora borealis graced us for one of those, once in a lifetime moments, silhouetting Paris and Joe against the vivid green skies.

The Film

The accompanying film made by Andy and Keith at Ignite Films follows Paris and Joe on a journey through the ever changing beautiful and sometimes harsh landscape that Iceland has to offer. The emphasis was to capture the connection and raw moments shared between two people in a magical land that is a world away from the busyness and distractions of our day to day lives. Iceland is the kind of place that makes you realise and reflect on what is truly important.