Overseas Prewedding in Iceland
Iceland is filled with dramatic landscapes complete with a spectacular experience. One thing that Iceland is known for would be its ever-changing weather. Weather and climate conditions are highly unpredictable, so do prepare for the unexpected. Iceland is definitely an amazing destination for pre-wedding shoots for the adventurous couples out there.
There is a famous saying in Iceland that goes: “if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes”! This simply implies that weather can change in the snap of a finger.
Source: https://www.avis.co.uk/inspires/destinations/europe/iceland/ring-fire-iceland/
Source: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/iceland/articles/the-best-places-to-see-the-northern-lights-in-iceland/
Let us bring you along to Iceland featuring the couple Sophia and Anthony, photographer Kent Wong as well as our Autelier artist Cherry Au.
DAY 1 : Settling Down
Upon reaching Reykjavik’s airport, a feeling of familiarity greeted me warmly as I stepped out of the plane. I love Iceland, it is the most tranquil place on earth. I have even entertained the idea of retiring in Iceland.
And in Iceland, it feels as though time stood still, everything felt the same as it was when I visited it the year before. I was so excited to be back in Iceland again, this time with Sophia and Anthony! I felt the long trip of a total of 24 hours was worth it after all.
First thing upon arriving in Reykjavik and after collecting our car, was to look for food. And it is a must for Kent and I to have the famous hot dog bun. Everything tastes more yummy when the weather is cooling and with good company! And off we went to check into our apartment and we totally knocked out from our long flight.
DAY 2: Black Sand beach Reynisfjara
When I woke up the next morning, I was greeted with the sight of this winter landscape. As I watched the snow fall, the feeling was pure magic. As much as I would love to laze in bed, we had to start travelling to our first destination for the pre-wedding shoot.
After doing hair and makeup for Sophia, we headed to our first pre-wedding shoot destination - Reynisfjara. It is a world-famous black-sand beach found on the South Coast of Iceland, just beside the small fishing village of Vík.
With its enormous basalt stacks, roaring Atlantic waves and stunning panoramas, Reynisfjara is widely considered to be the most beautiful example of Iceland's black sand beaches.
Remembering my last encounter with this place, I knew better this time round and did an effortless, flowy hairstyle for Sophia as the place gets really really windy.
True enough when we arrived, the wind was so strong and within minutes, Sophia’s nose was red from the cold! I must really salute Sophia as I was wearing three layers of clothing and I still felt cold.
True to Iceland’s name, halfway through the shoot, it started pouring. We had been told to be really careful on the black sand beach as it can get dangerous when the tides come in. It definitely wasn’t the easiest destination for a shoot but the photos turned out so beautifully.
In cold countries, a windbreaker is a must in between shots!
DAY 3: Skógafoss Waterfall
On day 3, we had the luxury of staying in this cosy little cabin that had a really beautiful interior. There were touches of vintage photographs and accents of gold decor.
The next morning, the plan was to head to Iceland’s most iconic waterfalls, Skógafoss located in the South. Before setting off, we were delighted to be greeted with the sight of snowfall! And we had to document this moment.
The snow-filled landscape was truly captivating, it was as if we were in a winter wonderland. The high bun look on Sophia couldn’t be more perfect in bringing out her elegance. No one would have guessed this was taken just outside our Airbnb apartment!
Romantic shots of Sophia and Anthony. Looked straight out of a movie!
Then, it was time to leave for Skogafoss. It was truly magical as we took in the sounds of the water gushing down at an impressive height of 60 meters.
Our photographer, Kent Wong
Shopping in Iceland
Cherry in her newly bought scarf!
Cherry loves shopping here!
DAY 4: Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck and Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
We had a long debate if we should visit this location as we had read that the walk is long and the weather is cold. The couple was extremely sporting and we decided to give it a go! I was looking forward to this as I didn’t get to visit this place the last round.
We headed to the famous tourist spot, the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck to take a look at the abandoned DC-3 plane at the crash site. We trekked for close to 1.5 hours to reach there and the total journey to and fro took us 3 hours! There was a point when we felt like there was no end to this trek as there was only road and the sky and our destination was nowhere in sight.
Our long trekking path
However, we were handsomely rewarded with these beautiful shots. It was filled with quite a lot of people so it was a bit of a challenge for Kent to get these shots! And for me personally, a check against my bucket list for Iceland.
The beautiful long veil flowed over Sophia’s shoulders, creating a dramatic windswept effect.
Next, we headed to Seljalandsfoss waterfall.
Hair by Autelier Artist Cherry Au: elegant low ponytail for a chic, classy look
Gown by Truly Enamoured
Photographed by Kent Wong Photography
Candid moments like these truly capture the couple’s true bliss.
On the way back, we were also rewarded with a beautiful sunset and we had a really delicious meal of fish and langoustine.
DAY 5: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon & Goðafoss Waterfall
We travelled Southeast to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Needless to say, the glacier lagoon was freezing cold. We were all hesitant to go in initially, but we braved through and ended up spending less than half an hour there as it was simply too cold to bear!!
We must say that braving through the cold was definitely well worth it to get shots like these. These pre-wedding shoot memories will last for a lifetime. Sophia looks absolutely stunning as she blended in seamlessly into the vast glacier landscape.
Now for some postcard-worthy shots.
Hair and makeup by Autelier Artist Cherry Au
Gown by Galia Lahav from The Proposal Bridal
Photographed by Kent Wong Photography
“Let’s freeze this moment and make it last forever”
This lying on ice picture remains my favourite picture till today and it is now hanging beautifully in our studio. Each time I look at it, I remember the cold Sophia had to brave through to take this picture.
Iceland is known for its many waterfalls, so do not miss out on the spectacular waterfalls when you visit here. Next, we headed to the Goðafoss Waterfall (waterfall of the Gods). It is located in the river Skjálfandafljót in north Iceland, which happens to be the fourth largest river in Iceland.
We were blessed with sunshine on this day and even better, a beautiful rainbow!
Do not be fooled by the sunny weather, it was still freezing cold at -2 degrees Celsius! Kudos to the couple who braved through the chilly weather for these shots. Sophia’s hair and hem of her gown was even filled with ice! All our gears and clothing were coated with a thin layer of ice.
DAY 6: Akureyri
On day 6, we headed to Akureyri, which is often named the capital of North Iceland. It is my favourite town in Iceland as it feels like a Christmas town to me with its snow and lights at night.
We had a casual photoshoot session with the couple in this lovely town.
It was a relaxing day the next day as we took a break to enjoy the Akureyri and visit another waterfall known as Dettifoss.
We also passed by Grjótagjá, which is a small lava cave located near lake Mývatn in the North. It had a beautiful thermal spring nestled inside.
As compared to the previous waterfalls we visited, Dettifoss waterfall is known to be the most massive one. It is the most voluminous waterfall in Iceland and is crowned the most powerfall waterfall in Europe! It is 45m high and 100m wide with 500 cubic metres of water plunging over the edge per second.
Now, for the more dramatic shots - Sophia’s sultry red tulle gown from Vera Wang contrasted nicely against the frost white snow-filled mountain peaks.
DAY 8: Hallgrimskirkja Church
We are back to Reykjavík and the agenda for the day was the Hallgrimskirkja Church. It is the main landmark located in Reykjavík and it is the city’s largest church. Standing at an impressive 74.5 metres high, it towers over the centre of the country.
At the Hallgrimskirkja Church. Kent sure has a way of making everything look incredibly picturesque! The minimalistic architecture in a stone washed shade stood out even more in snowy conditions.
Hair and makeup by Autelier Artist Cherry Au
Gown by Galia Lahav from The Proposal Bridal
Photographed by Kent Wong Photography
In the days we had travelled, Sophia had become more than a client to me but a great travel companion! She is such a wonderful girl, who is very efficient with doing housework!!! Whenever we reached a new apartment, she was always the first to unpack and settle us in nicely. I think she will make such an awesome wife!!
One of the most memorable incidents in Iceland would be getting to experience all sorts of weather conditions throughout the 8 days. What you may not know would be that we travelled around the whole of Iceland for this pre-wedding shoot. Hence, we all experienced weather conditions ranging from snow, clear blue skies with sunshine, freezing cold temperature that dropped below zero degrees Celsius, stormy conditions to rain!
Last but not least, a big thank you to the wonderful team for making the shoot a success! It was our utmost pleasure to be a part of the couple’s wedding journey by providing them our hair and makeup services. As the quote goes: “happiness looks great on you.” Hence, our hair and makeup looks are only complete when they are worn by beaming, blissful brides!
