In March of 2018 we announced an amazing giveaway for a free trip to Iceland for engagement photos. Free flights, free hotels, free rental vehicle and free goofy jokes from me, Andrew :)
One simple way of winning: tell us your unique love story and why you deserve to go to Iceland. With an overwhelming amount of entries we learned that every single couple that entered had a truly unique love story and all deserved to have the opportunity to express their love in such an amazing place like Iceland.

After a few months and a tough decision process we chose Tori and Nick. Both had never met us here at Niven Weddings before but we’re more than excited to be heading to Iceland for their engagement pictures.

We finally made the trip in September 2018, and these are their amazing photos…

Day 1 - We started our stay in the capital city of Reykjavik and explored the seaside city at sunset and visited the Harpa, the modern concert hall, and strolled around to the marina behind.

Day 2 - We started early and made our east towards the beautiful scenery along the Ring Road near the town of Skogar. When we arrived we visited the powerful Skogafoss and explored the waterfall all by ourselves. As the sound of rushing water surrounded us we made our way up the steep steps to the top of the waterfall and strolled up the river and shared an unforgettable sunrise with a few curious sheep.

As Skogafoss filled with tourists we made our way to a lesser known waterfall in the same area and came upon another waterfall that we were able to have all to ourselves and were able to walk right behind the incredible falls.

What better way to end a day than visiting a relaxing hot spring? We drove a short while and made the short walk to the Seljavallalaug hot spring, a popular spot, make sure you come early in the morning or late in the evening. While not as manicured as the famous Blue Lagoon, this hot spring is nestled in a cozy valley surrounded by breath taking mountains.

Day 3 - Another early morning that was made possible by the amazing couple who were more than willing to wake up before the sun and travel to the unique destinations that we had planned.

This was our Vogue day. Two things that help create the right mood for a great engagement shoot: wardrobe and location. Both of those boxes were checked off on this day. Tori looked stunning in a long flowing gown and Nick was dapper in a well fit trim suit. The location didn’t disappoint either, we made out first stop at Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon (no idea how to pronounce that). We made our way around the trails and took in the amazing natural wonder. The canyon was only made around 10,000 years ago which is a very short time in geological terms (ok, no more nerd stuff!).

Side note - If you ever go, and a lot of people are going, make sure you stick to the designated trails and respect the land and don’t venture into areas that are off limits and would ruin the natural landscape just to grab a cool photo. We stayed on the paths and got amazing photos and even had the safety ropes in the pictures…before photoshop :)

After leaving the canyon we checked out the Eldhraun lava field. The quintessential moss covered lava rock field that makes up a large portion of the southern coast near the city of kirkjubaejarklaustur. Eldhraun was created in one of the greatest volcanic eruptions in recorded history and is of the largest of its kind in the world.

Another nature side note: It’s pretty important to stay off the moss, I’ve heard it could take up to 30 years to grow back after disturbing it. To preserve the beauty for future visitors its definitely best to stick to the paths that already exist. While tempting as it was to take photos, and even sit on the pillow-looking-moss, we stuck to the paths and still got the feeling of being enveloped in it with our photos.

We made the long drive east to check out Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon and were not disappointed.

We even got a greeting from some seals. Pictured in the distance.

To end the most epic and long day we traveled back west to the small town of Vik. There we visited the famous Black Sand Beach exploring the beach and rock formations at sunset.

Day 4 - The Blue Lagoon is one of the highlights of Iceland. As its so close to the international airport in the city of Keflavik its popular to visit when first arriving or before departing. Knowing I was going to be making Nick and Tori wake up at unspeakable times I chose to book our visit at the end of our trip to allow for the most relaxing experience. We soaked in the geothermal silica spa and kicked back a few Gull beers at the swim up bar and exhaled after an amazing trip capturing another chapter in their love journey.

Side note: Because of its popularity, and to preserve the customer experience, they require tickets be purchased in advance. If you go and want to visit the Blue Lagoon make sure you book those tickets as soon as possible to allow yourself the ability to visit.

It was truly a unique experience for Nick, Tori and myself. Taking them and capturing all the beautiful moments between them was obviously the highlight of the trip for me. Tori might say it was seeing all the filming locations from Game of Thrones and Nick might say all the car ride naps he took :)

All in all an amazing experience.