Coral and Joshua's elopement wasn't designed around fitting as many Icelandic locations as possible into one day.
Katla was the experience.
They travelled from Vík with Katlatrack, exchanged their vows privately in the glacier landscape, explored the ice together and then came back into town as newlyweds.
There was pizza. There were drinks.
And later, when there was still a little more Iceland left in the day, we headed to the black sand beach.
It's one of my favourite examples of what an ice cave elopement can actually look like when the experience is given enough space.
Travelling From Vík to Katla
Coral and Joshua's journey into Katla began in Vík with Katlatrack.
Reaching this part of the glacier isn't something we simply drive to in a normal rental car and walk into. The journey itself is part of the experience, with specialist transport and a professional glacier guide getting us safely into the area.
And that's something I think is worth understanding when you're considering an ice cave for your elopement.
You aren't just choosing somewhere to stand for your ceremony. You're choosing the journey that comes with it.
For Coral and Joshua, that meant leaving Vík behind and travelling together into a landscape that felt increasingly removed from the town we'd started in.
Finding Their Place for Private Vows
Once we reached the glacier area, Coral and Joshua had something much simpler to do.
Get married.
They exchanged their vows beside a frozen circular ice formation, with nobody else involved in the moment they had travelled there to have.
There was no need to immediately move on because we'd taken the photographs we needed. They had time to stand together, say what they had come all this way to say, and let that be the important part.
The ice happened to be around them. Their wedding was still about them.
Exploring Katla After the Ceremony
After their vows, there was nowhere we needed to rush to.
Coral and Joshua put on their headlamps and continued exploring the glacier and its naturally formed blue ice with their guide.
This is one of the things I particularly like about building an elopement around an experience such as Katla.
The ceremony doesn't have to become the end of the adventure. Once the nerves around the vows disappear, you get to actually enjoy where you are.
And because Iceland's glaciers and ice formations are continually changing, what you encounter is determined by the conditions at the time rather than a photograph we've decided we need to recreate.
That's also why I don't plan an ice cave elopement around one specific cave or promise that the ice will look a certain way.
We work with what the glacier safely gives us that day.
Back to Vík as Newlyweds
Eventually, Katlatrack brought us back to Vík.
And after spending part of your wedding day inside a glacier, doing something wonderfully normal can feel very good. For Coral and Joshua, that meant pizza at Black Crust. Then drinks at Skool Beans.
An elopement doesn't have to remain an expedition from beginning to end. You can exchange vows somewhere extraordinary and still come back into town hungry, sit down together and realise:
We're married.
That counts as part of the wedding too.
Later, Coral and Joshua still had enough energy for one more place. We headed to the black sand beach.
It wasn't there because an Iceland elopement needs to include an ice cave and a black sand beach.
It was there because there was still time, they wanted to go, and it gave the end of their day a completely different pace from the glacier experience we'd started with.
Then we stopped. No race around South Iceland. No checklist of every famous place within driving distance.
They had travelled into Katla, exchanged their vows, explored the ice, celebrated over food and drinks, and finished beside the ocean.
That was enough.
What Coral & Joshua's Elopement Shows About Katla
When couples first ask me about getting married at Katla, it's understandably the ice cave that gets most of the attention.
But after photographing and helping plan elopements here, I think the experience is much bigger than the few minutes you spend standing inside the ice.
There's the journey from Vík. The change in landscape as you travel towards the glacier. Putting on the equipment. Walking and exploring with your guide. Finding somewhere that works for your vows based on the conditions that actually exist that day.
And eventually returning to Vík, usually very ready for something warm to eat.
That's why I don't think of Katla as another Iceland elopement location. It's an experience that can become a substantial part of the wedding day itself.
Considering Your Own Ice Cave Elopement in Iceland?
If you're wondering about the practical side of getting married at Katla, I've put the detailed information in my Ice Cave Elopement in Iceland guide.
That's where you'll find more about access, professional guides, safety, planning and what an ice cave experience can involve.
