Getting Ready Together Before Their Iceland Elopement | Wiebke & Alexander

Wiebke and Alexander didn't want to spend the first part of their elopement day apart.

There was no tradition they felt they needed to follow. No rule saying one person had to disappear into another room while the other waited somewhere else.

So they did something very simple. They got ready together.

Their morning began at ÖÖD Hekla Horizon, sharing the same space while they dressed, talked, laughed and watched the day slowly become real.

They were already experiencing the day together. And for these two, that was exactly the point.

Getting Ready Together at ÖÖD Hekla Horizon

Getting ready photographs are often treated as something that happens before the wedding day really begins.

For Wiebke and Alexander, this was already part of their elopement. There was time for coffee. Time to check that everything was where it needed to be. And time to actually enjoy the strange, exciting realisation that they were about to go and get married in Iceland.

Starting slowly meant we didn't need to manufacture emotion. It was already there.

Getting ready accommodation: ÖÖD Hekla Horizon
Hair and makeup: Sabrina at Pink Colours

Officiant: Erla Sigurdardottir

Travelling to Vík Together

Once they were ready, we travelled toward Vík for their ceremony.

This is another small part of an elopement that I think is easy to overlook. The drive isn't dead time between photographs.

You're in Iceland. You're getting married. You're probably feeling some combination of excitement, nerves, and " Is this actually happening?

Having already spent the morning together meant Wiebke and Alexander could experience that part together too. No separate cars. No coordinating an arrival so they wouldn't accidentally see each other.

Just the two of them heading toward the ocean.

Their Ceremony on Vík's Black Sand

Wiebke and Alexander exchanged their vows with an officiant on a quieter stretch of black sand near Vík.

There was no arch. No elaborate ceremony setup. Nothing needed to transform the beach into a wedding venue.

Their officiant guided them through the ceremony while the Atlantic moved behind them, and the rest was allowed to stay simple.

That's one of the things I like most about ceremonies like this.

When you've already chosen somewhere that gives you the right amount of space and the experience you want, you don't necessarily need to add very much.

If you're considering the coast around Vík for your own ceremony, I've put the practical information about privacy, conditions and planning into my Black Sand Beach Elopement in Iceland guide.

The Day Didn't Need to Be Built Around Traditions

There's an interesting thing that happens when you remove the traditional wedding timeline.

Suddenly you have to decide which traditions you actually want.

Not: What are we supposed to do?

But: What would we enjoy?

Maybe you want separate preparations and a first look. Maybe you want to write your vows separately that morning. Maybe you'd rather get dressed together while one of you tries to remember where the rings went.

There isn't a correct version.

For Wiebke and Alexander, spending the morning together made the entire day feel connected. And that choice affected much more than their getting-ready photographs.

It meant they weren't waiting for their elopement to begin. They were already in it.

Exploring South Iceland After the Ceremony

After their vows, we left the ceremony beach and continued through South Iceland. This part of their day wasn't about racing between as many famous locations as possible.

We had room to move. To stop somewhere when it made sense. To walk. To photograph them without turning every place into another scheduled photo stop.

That's also where having the ceremony and portraits serve different purposes can be useful.

The ceremony needed enough privacy for Wiebke and Alexander to concentrate on each other. Afterwards, we had much more freedom to explore. The landscape could change without the emotional rhythm of the day constantly having to reset.

What If You Don't Know Which Elopement Traditions You Want?

You don't need to decide everything before you contact me. This is exactly the kind of thing we work through during planning.

I'll probably ask you questions that sound less like:

What photographs do you want?

and more like:

How do you imagine the morning starting?

• Do you want breakfast together?

• Would getting ready separately feel exciting or unnecessarily formal?

• Do you want a first look?

• Would you rather drive to the ceremony together?

• Do you want family involved?

• Do you want your vows to be the first big emotional moment of the day?

Those answers help us design the flow long before we start worrying about an exact timetable. Because the timeline should support the experience.

Not the other way around.

An Elopement Can Start Before the Ceremony

I think that's what I like most about Wiebke and Alexander's story.

Nothing dramatic needed to happen before their day became meaningful. They didn't need to wait until they reached the black sand.

Their elopement started quietly. Together.

Getting dressed in a little cabin in Iceland, knowing that a few hours later they would be married.

And sometimes that's more than enough.

Planning an Iceland Elopement That Actually Feels Like You?

You don't need to build your day around wedding traditions simply because they're familiar.

We'll start with the two of you instead.

How you want the morning to feel. Whether you want privacy or adventure. Whether getting ready together sounds wonderful or whether you've always imagined seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony.

Once we understand those things, we can build the locations and timeline around them.