Your Local
Iceland Elopement Photographer
and Nature Nerd.
Your Local
Iceland Elopement Photographer
and Nature Nerd.
Your Local
Iceland Elopement Photographer
and Nature Nerd.
Pictured: I played roller derby for 20 years & am the Iceland National Team coach. A photo of me and my husband on our private Iceland elopement — yes I wore a black wedding dress!
Hey, I’m Steph! (she/her)
A local Iceland elopement expert, photographer, and planner living in Reykjavík.
Helping you navigate this big life milestone with ease.
I lived a landlocked life in Ohio, USA and didn’t see the ocean until I was a teenager.
So you might be wondering what the heck am I doing living in Iceland?
''I’m not kidding either – We eloped on November 2nd in Iceland and our experience was everything and more than we hoped for thanks to Stephanie.''
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Vanna & Kevin
I always knew that I wanted to see the world and experience what it had to offer outside of Ohio.
I moved to Florida, got a film production degree, and worked for Disney bringing couples straight to Cinderella’s castle for their wedding photos. (I know, that’s kindaaaaa coooool). After years of working for Disney, in my own photography company, and in the film industry— I found myself ready for a change with a one-way ticket to New York City.
I slept on the floor of my Brooklyn studio apartment, dreaming of the IKEA bed I eventually got, worked as a server at Hard Rock Cafe Times Square as I established my photography business in NYC, and worked in a super famous cannot-be-named-because-of-NDA studio as a production coordinator— at the same time.
Working in Times Square sucked, but, I would do it all again.
Pictured: me at an erupting volcano. Me and my husband hiking in Wales. Our Queen potato cat who is the most spoiled cat in all of Iceland.
Those years allowed me to establish myself as a professional photographer, producer, and production coordinator — the perfect combination to be your Iceland elopement partner in crime.
Even on days when people like Bradley Cooper screamed in my face on set. (That’s 100% true). I was shooting New York Fashion Week, on set of million dollar shoots, documenting weddings, and makin’ it werk. *finger snaps*
But I knew I wasn’t meant to stay in Brooklyn.
On a whim, I took a trip to Iceland. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I felt this clarity, peace, sense of awe, LOVE and freedom. I knew this was it.
After a long visa process, I moved to Iceland and never looked back. #worthit
Pictured: Me on top of a mountain. Roller skates are my love. I learned photography on film first. A combat boot because I am a punk-kid at heart. Music is half of my personality. And I am obsessed with ravens.
What’s your Iceland elopement photography style?
My photography style for your Iceland elopement or adventure session boils down to a few words: effortless, unapologetic, and grounded.
It’s kind of like a bridge between two styles, documentarian and directorial. I try to produce a vibe for the day where you can be unapologetically yourselves, where the images we capture feel effortless instead of awkward, and where you feel grounded around me like someone you’ve known for a lifetime. Because really, we will become friends by the end of it all.
What’s your favorite location in Iceland?
I have so many! I love the Central Highland, Snæfellsnes, The West Fjords, The East Fjords. Iceland looks so different from area to area, but my favorite areas are the ones I can get away from other people and immerse myself in nature.
How can I feel comfortable in front of a camera for my Iceland elopement?
The way I direct you in front of the camera doesn’t feel like a photoshoot. I’ve been doing this for 20 years, so I have many little things that I do to help you feel comfy. And, before you know it, I’m just your friend Steph hanging out for the day, with cameras, and you don’t even think about it. I really try to help make this entire experience as stress-free as possible.
What does an Anti-Wedding mean for my Iceland elopement?
(* pulls out a tiny soap box, stands on it * ) So, I’ve been in the wedding industry for 20 years and have been a part of practically every type of wedding and size of wedding you can think of from all over the world. And, in that time, I’ve seen how the Wedding Industry prefers a certain type of person with specific traditions I find unnecessary, and frankly it pisses me off.
An Anti-Wedding is the antidote to the wedding industry. It supports saying ‘no’ to the misogynistic traditions, the expensive costs, the waste, the singular body type it prefers, and the one kind of couple it prefers. An Anti-Wedding is for the nontraditional couples, the diverse body types, the diverse backgrounds, and not adding to the billions of pounds of waste the wedding industry adds to.
How would you get married, would you elope in Iceland?
That’s exactly what I did! I planned an Iceland elopement in the Central Highland to get married to my Icelandic husband with just the two of us. In a giant 4x4 Mountain Truck. It was epic.
Do you photograph and plan Iceland elopements for ADHD couples, previously married couples, or nerdy couples?
Yes! As an ADHD person myself, who got married later in life at 40 years old, and who is a big ole’ introverted nerd — You are just the couple who is perfect for an Iceland elopement. In fact, my Iceland elopement photography & planning service is made with ADHD in mind to help ease the overwhelmed and stress of planning a wedding abroad.
What makes you different than other Iceland elopement photographers I’m also looking at?
I don’t want to toot my own horn, but, toot-toot. Just kidding.
Honestly, every single person you are looking at or speaking to is an artist in their own right who has their own style, way of doing things, level of assistance they offer, and outlook on life. Everyone has different levels of professional (or not) gear, systems to ensure your experience and images are top notch, and a plethora of other things.
But what I can say is that my lived experience and who I am is one hell of a unique combination which I pull from to help you.
I’ve been a professional photographer for 20 years through basically every genre out there. So, I’m able to draw from that to solve lots of unique problems that arise throughout the process and time we are together.
I’ve been published and awarded many times so I know how to make you look like you.
I have a film degree and film background so my work is truly cinematic storytelling.
I'm actually obsessed with Iceland. Not just what you see in photos but the culture, vibe, quirkiness, people, and the peace the landscapes gave me. I care immensely for Iceland and it's environment and I love to share that knowledge with you.
I’m an introvert, so I’m amazing at observing and fading into the background. And, I used to be a production coordinator and a producer so I know when to step in, take charge, and make shit happen when need be.
I’m not what you’d consider a ‘cool kid’, so I really know how to connect with others who feel like they also color outside of the lines.
And well, I guess I’m funny, so there’s that.
FEATURED AWARDS & PUBLISHING
A few articles I’ve been featured in
Featured @ Rangefinder Magazine
Nelson & Joanne’s Iceland Elopement in winter and the wild weather we encountered (and how I prepare for my couples!) is Wedding of the Week! Check it out here.
Featured @ Junebug Weddings
Leigh & Molly’s intimate Iceland elopement on Reynisfjara’s black sand beach.
Check it out here.
Featured @ Rock n Roll Bride Print
Flo & Matt’s alternative London Fields, UK micro wedding was one of style, vegan treats, and rock’n roll vibes.
Buy the issue here.
Featured @ Rangefinder Magazine
Alexandria & Luke’s super epic Iceland elopement on top of a private canyon.
Check it out here.
Iceland Elopements allow me to do what I do best
be a nature nerd with the couples as we adventure through Iceland, scotland, norway, the us, and beyond.
(And, Maybe make a LOTR reference or two.).
sit back to observe the real chemistry and take the lead when necessary in order to get images that feel like you..
and create art that is directly influenced from the love the couple has for one another right there in front of me.
I will probably be helping you with your double-sided sticky tape, pinning that boutonnière, helping you hike the Iceland terrain safely, show you the best coffee stops along the way, and by the end of your elopement day we will feel like old friends.
''this was a celebration of our love and our future. We love to travel and love everything outdoors. I think it would have been a big compromise to ourselves and the beginning of our marriage to do it any other way.''
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Ashley & Joe
Iceland Elopements represent everything I am and what the core of getting married is all about.
Being around so many couples on their wedding days and being the only one they confide in to vent to as it’s all happening, I saw how stressed out the traditional wedding was for them.
I saw how they hardly saw their partner all day, they didn’t get to eat any of the food they spent THOUSANDS of dollars on, but most importantly- I saw that they never felt comfortable all night or enjoyed being in the moment.
So, I pivoted to exclusively documenting elopements & tiny weddings.
Elopements allow me and you to be our unconventional selves, to connect on a level that is life-altering, and when it’s all said and done you will have images that take your (and your loved ones) breath away.
So, that’s why elopements matter to me, how about you?
Curious if we will get along?
Here are some random facts about me.
I’m a self-proclaimed nerd. Nature nerd, traditional nerd, travel nerd, beer & coffee nerd.
I like to laugh, crack dad jokes, eat snacks, and enjoy the moment when in it.
I love to watch shows spanning True Crime Docs, to baking shows, to Gilmore Girls, to House of the Dragon. My first favorite movies were Poltergeist and The Little Mermaid.
I’ve been in a yelling match with Bradley Cooper, have been Micheal J. Fox’s studio stand-in, and Amanda Palmer’s album art photographer.
My introverted ways and being a certified Coach make me really good at noticing body language, couple’s little looks at each other, and energy which translates in my photos.
I played Roller Derby since 2005 on teams in Florida, then for Gotham in NYC, then finally the local Iceland team. I’m the current head coach to the Reykjavík team and the Iceland National team.
I am an Olympic Weightlifter.
My music choices range from Nine Inch Nails to Jose Gonzales to Death Cab for Cutie to Madball.
I’m a cat whisperer and animal lover, I’ve been vegetarian basically my entire life.
I’ve been told by almost everyone I meet that they have felt like they have known me their whole lives.
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