For Lauren and Dave, getting to their ceremony was never going to involve stepping out of a car beside a perfectly convenient viewpoint.
Their winter elopement took them from Vík towards Mýrdalsjökull, travelling across Iceland's rough volcanic landscape by super jeep before continuing on foot towards the ice.
And that's part of what made this day theirs.
When you choose somewhere as wild and changeable as Katla for your elopement, the journey isn't something you rush through to get to the photographs.
The journey is part of the experience.
They Already Knew What an Icelandic Winter Could Feel Like
Lauren and Dave weren't completely new to Iceland in winter. They had previously travelled here in January, which meant they already had some understanding of what winter could bring: cold temperatures, changing conditions and the reality that Iceland rarely behaves exactly as expected.
That also influenced some of the practical choices around their wedding day.
Lauren chose a long-sleeved wedding dress and practical footwear that allowed her to move comfortably outside rather than designing everything around how it would look in photographs.
Starting Their Elopement in Vík
Their day began in Vík before we left the relative comfort of town behind and headed towards the glacier.
This is one of the things I love about ice cave elopements from Vík. The transition happens surprisingly quickly. One moment you're surrounded by little houses, cafés and everyday life. Then the road changes. The landscape opens up. And eventually you're travelling through terrain where an ordinary rental car simply isn't taking you.
For Lauren and Dave, that meant continuing towards Mýrdalsjökull by super jeep with the people who knew how to get us there safely.
The Super Jeep Was Only Part of the Journey
Reaching Katla isn't quite the same as pulling into the car park of a waterfall. After travelling across the rough terrain by super jeep, Lauren and Dave still had approximately a 20–30 minute hike ahead of them.
Not because an ice cave elopement needs to be made to sound difficult or extreme, but because couples deserve to understand what experiences like this actually involve.
There can be uneven ground. There can be cold. Conditions beneath the glacier change. The route you take won't necessarily look exactly like the route another couple took. And sometimes the place you finally reach feels even more significant because you didn't simply step out of a vehicle and find it waiting for you.
Arriving at Katla
Eventually, the volcanic landscape began giving way to ice. This is where planning an elopement around a natural ice cave becomes very different from choosing a fixed wedding venue.
The glacier isn't static. Ice changes. Conditions change. What is accessible changes. That's why I don't plan these experiences around the promise of one exact formation or photograph.
Lauren and Dave weren't there to recreate somebody else's Katla elopement. They were there to experience whatever the glacier gave them that day. And once we'd made the journey in, it was time for the part that actually mattered.
Their ceremony.
Private Vows in the Glacier Landscape
After the travel, the super jeep and the walk into the glacier environment, everything could become much quieter.
Lauren and Dave exchanged their vows privately. No audience. No need to perform the moment. And nowhere else they needed to be while it was happening.
That's one of the reasons I care so much about how we build the journey around an elopement ceremony. Adventure can be exciting. But the ceremony itself doesn't have to feel like another activity squeezed between locations.
There should still be room to stop. To look at each other. To realise where you are and what you're actually doing there.
An Ice Cave Elopement Is More Than the Cave
It's very easy to look at photographs from Katla and think the ice cave is the entire experience. It isn't.
For Lauren and Dave, their elopement included getting ready in Vík, travelling away from town, crossing rough terrain by super jeep, walking into the glacier landscape, watching the environment change around them and finally having enough quiet to exchange their vows.
The ice was extraordinary. But it was one part of a much bigger experience. And that's how I prefer to plan days like this.
Not around collecting as many spectacular photographs as possible, but around giving you enough time to actually experience the place you've travelled all this way to see.
Thinking About an Ice Cave Elopement in Iceland?
If you're considering an ice cave for your own elopement, the most important thing to understand is that your experience won't be an exact copy of Lauren and Dave's. And it shouldn't be.
Ice caves change from season to season. Access changes. Weather changes.The safest and most interesting areas of the glacier change.
That's why I build these elopements around the experience of going into the glacier environment, rather than promising one exact cave or photograph.
I've put the practical side — including how the experience works, guides, access, seasons, privacy and planning — into my Ice Cave Elopement in Iceland guide.
Lauren and Dave's story is what all that planning looks like once you stop reading about it and actually head towards the ice.
Iceland elopement vendors
Hair and makeup: Asthildur
Florist: Thordis
Videographer: Kaco Films
Grooms suit: R. Douglas Custom Clothier
Wedding dress: Berta
Tour by: Iceland luxury tours
Guide: Sigurdur from South Coast Adventures
Hotel: Hotel Kria
I couldn’t help myself not sharing Kaco Films’ work on capturing Lauren & Dave's elopement day and pre-wedding day in the film. Make sure to have a look and get inspired by winter elopements in Iceland!
