An Icelandic Engagement

As I build my photography business, I still have a day job. While at this day job, I heard my coworker Kristen say she was planning to propose on an upcoming trip to Iceland. An Icelandic engagement? How romantic.

Kristen knows I love Iceland (everyone knows I love Iceland) and I asked her if she had hired a photographer. I just thought if she needed recommendations for one, I followed many talented Icelandic photographers on Instagram.

She hadn’t considered a photographer, so I jokingly offered to go. Really, it was a joke. Then I started thinking what a long summer it had been and how hard I’d been working. Also, it was August in Virginia, which is the hottest, most humid month. Running off to Iceland started to sound really great. Two weeks later, I was on a plane.

I mapped out a road trip to see parts of Iceland I hadn’t visited before, with plans to meet Kristen and Meghan toward the end of my trip. The south of Iceland offers many beautiful waterfalls, but I recommended Skógafoss because it would be the least-slippery (didn’t want to drop or lose the ring!) and because of the likelihood of rainbows there.

The Icelandic Engagement

I’d never actually photographed a surprise proposal, but in Iceland everyone is walking around with a camera anyway so it could not have been easier to blend in and wait for Kristen and Meghan to arrive. When I showed up, a gorgeous rainbow stretched across the waterfall. I texted Kristen directions about where to stand for the best shot at privacy and a good view.  Then crossed my fingers that the rainbow would last long enough to be in proposal shots.

Kristen dropped to her knee (and the rainbow was still there!). Meghan obviously said yes. Then there was hugging and kissing. Yay, I got it all! Then, wait, Meghan is dropping to her knee. There’s a second ring! More hugging and kissing. Kristen had told me that a double proposal was a possibility (after all, who in a serious relationship goes somewhere as romantic as Iceland without at least considering it?) and now it was happening!

While neither Kristen nor Meghan was particularly surprised about their engagement happening, Meghan was very surprised a photographer was there to capture it. We did more engagement photos at Skógafoss and then drove to Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach for sunset photos.

I LOVE the photos from this session. I love the story they tell, I love that Kristen and Meghan had their moment in a beautiful place on a gorgeous day (it’s Iceland, I was prepared with umbrellas!). I love that they’re real.