LOCAL ICELAND ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER & PLANNER

What's included when I hire you as my photographer and planner for my Iceland elopement?

When you work with me for your Iceland elopement, you get a 3-for-1 partner: A photographer, planner, and coordinator.

I take a personal approach where I first put on my ‘‘planner hat’’ to help design the elopement day you envision and then bring all of the pieces together to make that happen from vetted vendors, timeline creation, ceremony organisation, hand-picked locations, and so on.

Then I put on my ‘‘coordinator hat’’ on leading up to your elopement making sure all of the pieces work together. Then on your elopement day I am coordinating everything — you, your vendors, your potential guests, your locations, everything.

And of course on your elopement day, I am your visual storyteller: your photographer documenting your story and day as it unfolds, your social content creator, and sometimes your highlight video cinematographer.

How much do your Iceland elopement packages cost, and what affects the price?

I have 3 tiers of experiences I offer which are different levels of my service — all with the anti-crowd mindset.

• Custom Designed For You™ Elopements: For couples who have a specific vision they want to create and want the extra hands-on support throughout their Iceland elopement experience. This is complete freedom and full support where nothing is pre-decided while you get my full expertise guiding you the whole way. Starting at $6200

• Signature Done For You™ Elopements: For couples who don’t want a custom-built day and instead want a quick, seamless, and stress-free Iceland elopement while staying closer to Reykjavík for trip planning ease — yet still want their elopement planned with those hidden gems, private locations, and badass adventure feel. Starting at $3900

• A Private 4x4 Mountain Truck Elopement: For couples who want the most private, remote freedom Iceland has to offer that’s only accessible via a giant 4x4 Mountain Truck and want a truly unique experience for their Iceland elopement that they will never forget. One of those truly once-in-a-lifetime moments. Starting at $12,000 including the excursion.

What affects the price is how much customization, time, planning, and excursions are needed for the experience.

How far in advance do I need to book you for our Iceland Elopement?

It depends on what experience you want and if you’re doing your marriage paperwork in Iceland or at home.

Most couples tend to book me about 12 months out, which is when my books for the following year officially open.

However, I also have couples who want a quickly planned elopement which is where my Signature Done For You™ elopement experience was created as we can have everything planned within 24 hours of booking.

If you want to have your legal marriage paperwork done in Iceland, I suggest booking me about 6 months out minimum as it can take a while to gather what you need from back home.

What if we have no idea where we want to get married in Iceland?

Honestly, I would say ‘‘PERFECT!’’.

That’s kinda my specialty. I’ve been location scouting this beauty island for about a decade and love being the ‘‘matchmaker’’ with my clients on picking out the best spots that match them.

All you need to do is know you want to elope in Iceland and know you want me as your partner on this experience.

What is the purpose of booking an Iceland Elopement consult with you?

You can think of it like a vibe check. This is for me to hear all about your elopement vision and for you to get clarity on how my service works, answer questions about my photography, and see how I would bring it all to life for you.

On the consult, which can be over the phone or asynchronous though email, is where we will see if we are a good fit and how I can help make your dream Iceland elopement come to life. Book yours through the contact form.

Any specific questions about logistics, elopement planning, and Iceland trip planning are saved for when you’re a booked client. However, you can book a paid Consult to have all of those specific questions answered and should you book your elopement with me the cost would go toward your booked Iceland elopement package. Book through my contact form.

Do you help with the legal paperwork to actually get married in Iceland?

Yes, I do. In all experiences I offer I help you with understanding the process and give you a step-by-step on what to do, when, and how.

In the Custom Designed For You™ and the 4x4 Mountain Truck elopement experiences, you get a little extra support with the Concierge Paperwork Assistance which includes extra consultations and contact with the Magistrate if need be to follow up on everything.

Do you offer Iceland Marriage Proposals to get engaged in Iceland?

Yes and I LOVE THEM. I love helping take the stress away from the partner proposing and help them plan something truly special — and help them keep it a secret. Each Iceland Proposal Package we can add on special touches your partner would love.

I offer 3 tiers for Iceland Marriage Proposal Packages:

• The Signature Proposal: a 1-2 hour proposal at an epic location within Reykjavík municipality starting at $1250 (+ VAT)
  Or up to an hour drive from Reykjavík starting at $14000 (+ VAT)

• The Custom Proposal: a multi-hour to full-day proposal at locations up to an hour drive from Reykjavík Starting at $2500 (+VAT)
  Or the rest of Iceland starting at $3700 (+VAT)

• The Ultimate Proposal: a multi-hour excursion (included) such as a helicopter, ice cave, Highland truck and more starting at $9000 (+VAT)

Each Iceland Proposal experience comes with a Social Media Package of sneaks within 48 hours and a vertical phone video to post.

Do you offer other Iceland Photography Sessions?

Yes, I offer other sessions outside of Iceland Elopements and Iceland proposals.

• Iceland Storybook Sessions: A couples session that feels like your own romantic love story in some of the most breathtaking Iceland locations. You’ll feel like you’re in a storybook romance the entire time. These are good for engagements, save the dates, and just because. Starting at $1250 (+ VAT)

• Iceland Vow Renewals: This is for couple’s celebrating their marriage milestone and don’t need all of the pieces an Iceland elopement needs. Not suitable for Iceland Elopements. Starting at $2700 (+ VAT)

• Iceland Personal Branding Sessions: If you’re coming to Iceland as a travel content creator, public figure, or a founder and want branded assets while in Iceland for your marketing and social media — I’m your girl. In my other brand Steph Zakas Creative Studio I offer editorial, commercial, and branded productions. Contact for quote.

• Iceland Family Adventure Sessions: Part posed family photos and part candid adventuring together, these sessions show the fun of being in Iceland together. Starting at $700 inside Reykjavík.

Do you do film photography, videography, or the direct-flash style?

Yes, yes, and yes. All of the above can be added onto Iceland Elopements, Iceland Marriage Proposals, and Iceland Branded Content sessions.

• Film Photography is not automatically included in my Iceland photography packages. However, I own many film cameras and can add that to your experience (with the caveat that film is a bit less predictable so I always shoot digital alongside it).

• Videograpahy storytelling for your day has two offers: A highlight video I capture alongside the photography with no audio (as I am but one person).
  And a dedicated Cinematography Videographer partner added to the team so you get two dedicated artists (photographer and videographer) all day telling your entire story with audio and more deliverables.

• Direct-Flash Photography can be requested if the situation fits: direct-flash is something we can do for work mainly done indoors, at a City Hall elopement, in the city, or close-up. Direct-Flash Photography doesn’t work for outdoor on location where you are far away from the camera and my dreamy storybook-like outdoor style used the natural light of Iceland to achieve that look.

Do you take people to the hot spot Iceland locations?

I will be honest with you, since the pandemic ended, Iceland has had another big boom in tourism which has drastically changed the most popular locations such as The Black Sand Beach (Reynisfjara), Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, The Hidden Waterfalls (that are no longer a secret), and so on. Basically, if it’s a spot you see often online then it’s crowded AF year-round.

In the past, I would suggest these spots. But lately I advise and help my clients go to other areas that have the feel they are going for because they almost all want to avoid crowds, have a private day, and just really love not being around other people.

So, if that’s your vibe, too, then I suggest letting me take the wheel here and show you other black sand beaches, waterfalls, valleys, and other locations I love that I know you can have that.

Is having an Iceland elopement a good fit for nerds?

OH MY GOODNESS YES. And please. Pretty please.

I am a flag waving, card carrying nerd myself and I think Iceland elopements are PERFECT for other nerds. You can add in any nerdy, fun, special touches you want to the day.

And, what better place to elope to than Iceland where I can take you to places used in nerdy films and shows such as Game of Thrones and Star Wars while simultaneously taking you to places that make you feel like you are in Lord of the Rings?

I have ADHD — is your Iceland elopement & photography services a good fit?

YES, one-million-percent. I also am diagnosed ADHD since childhood, so I get it. My service is not only good for people with ADHD and neurodivergence, it is set up to help you with the things you struggle with as a neurodivergent person:

• Decision Fatigue: Having executive dysfunction makes it really hard to narrow down choices, so, I literally spoon feed you everything in the steps you need to know, and, plan all of the logistics for you.

• Not knowing where to start: This is another executive dysfunction symptom which makes planning and putting things together overwhelming. So, I take care of it for you.

• Feeling stressed out and overwhelmed with big changes and decisions: My entire experience and service is set up to take away as much stress in this process as I am capable.

• Dealing with RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria): This is something that neurodivergent people feel deeply from living our lives being criticized, often bullied, ignored, and just because we are plain different in this world. So having to trust someone to come into your safe bubble for such an intimate moment in your lives can induce stress. And, there is an extra layer to this for Neurodivergent Queer Folks. So, I get it. And as a fellow NDer, I want nothing more than for you to feel like you can be yourself at all times. No masking needed.

Is eloping in Iceland a good fit for introverts?

Yes, it is actually the best, and I’ll tell you why as someone who is an introvert myself. Albeit I’m quite the personable introvert most people never know and assume I am an extrovert. But oh my, I am as introverted as they come.

• In Iceland you can truly get away from everyone and there is a wide variety of location types to choose from.

• Nordic culture is very introvert friendly, unlike cultures like America. And I love it. We keep to ourselves, generally don’t talk to strangers, and the level of our voices indoors is also much, much quieter. Unless, you’re in a bar with a bunch of drunk Icelanders then it’s a whole other thing.

• I work hand in hand with my clients in a very personalized experience. Introverts prefer deeper connections than surface level experiences. No corporate butthole vibes here.

How many locations can we go to on our Iceland Elopement?

The amount of locations you can go to on your Iceland elopement or photography session is largely dependant on these things:

• How many hours you have booked within your package.

• How much hiking and long-term walking you want to do.

• What your elopement day timeline looks like such as guests, a First Look, ceremony with a Celebrant, etc.

• If we are adventuring though the Highland in a Mountain Truck or not.

I try to always give as much location variety as I possibly can that will match the vision you have for your day. I typically say 1 location per hour.

How many images do we get in our final Iceland elopement or photo session gallery and when are they delivered?

This number varies greatly and is dependant on how many hours we have together, how much walking and photography we are doing vs driving, and just the overall flow of the day. What I can say is that:

• You can expect your Iceland elopement or photography session gallery to tell the whole story while I only disregard doubles or test shots — the ones you don’t want anyway.

• I do not hold any images hostage expecting you to purchase the rest nor do I cap the amount of images delivered in the packages. Typically it’s a few hundred for a full elopement day.

• You get both HighRes and WebSize, I do not expect you to purchase the HighRes later. You get personal usage and printing rights along with the images.

• Every package and experience comes with a Social Media Package that includes sneaks within 48 hours of me getting back home. The rest of your images are delivered in 6-8 weeks.

What makes your approach different from other Iceland elopement photographers?

• The Anti-Wedding — Empowering couples to unsubscribe to the wedding day stresses and traditional wedding industry bullshit to have a unique wedding that represents who they are. Even in the Elopement Industry, I see too much of the cookie-cutter BS that doesn’t represent the wide variety of people out there. I have been in the wedding industry for 20 years, and honestly, I kinda hate the industry as it’s very narrow on what it supports.

• Personal vs Corporate — I strive to be a co-creator and partner to my clients where they are working with me instead of a large team and often not speaking to their photographer until the day of. I don’t book high volume, my model is deep vs wide so my couples can be taken care of properly.

• I truly plan — most others offer a big PDF guide at the beginning and that’s kind of it. I know because I was a bride in Iceland myself so, I also have done this process you’re now in. My background is a production coordinator and publishing project manager, so, I really truly know how to plan the logistics and put everything together way beyond just offering some extra advice.

• Alternative Iceland — my couples are generally the people who colour outside of the lines and are not looking for a generic experience as a tourist, but rather be a traveler experiencing Iceland. I offer my couples the subcultures and cultures of Iceland outside of the popular mass-tourism things.

• Cinematic Storytelling vs Trends — I am a degree-having filmmaker turned elopement photographer so my photography style is storytelling at its core. I’ve been around for a long time and have seen so, so many trends come and go (and come back again) and my main driver is being a documentarian for your story that when you look back in 50 years you can still feel how it felt to be in those locations true-to-life instead of cringing at how silly it looks (and, doesn’t even feel like you at end of the day).

Is here a benefit to having 1 photographer vs a team of 2?

In my experience as someone who:

• has been in the game for 20 years and had many 2nd shooters on my weddings

• had 2 photographers by default at my own wedding

• and knows who the ideal people are to book my elopement experiences

I say that having 2 photographers could be a hinderance more than a benefit. Not saying 2 photographers is a bad idea or anything in particular about any photographer team at all. What I am saying is that two photographers doesn’t always mean more images, more storytelling, or more of anything.

When the final story is being curated, the images of the second photographer tend to be the ‘‘filler’’. And, when having to work with more than 1 person, it takes more time.

My couples really love that the flow of the day with just me alongside them means we don’t need to wait until everyone has what they ‘need’, we can effortlessly move around as the energy fits, and like I said before — lots of my clients are neurodivergent or introverted or just plain private people and would rather have just one person in their space all day than more than that.

I promise you, as a single photographer, I can still capture your entire story from multiple angles with multiple cameras and lenses.

Do you use AI in your photography or website copy?

Nope. I know what you’re thinking — ‘‘You use a lot of long dashes so you must use chatGPT’’. I am here in defence of the Em Dash and all writers and grammar nerds everywhere when I continue to use the Em Dash in all its glory.

The words you read here are all me. You won’t find those oddly weird quips chatGPT likes to use and you might find a typo or two because I am human.

In my photography and my edits, I do not use any AI for editing or choosing your images. Nor do I ever add anything that wasn’t there to begin with. In full transparency, I tried an AI culling software to see what it was about, but ultimately even after doing that, I went through and still hand picked everything and decided that it is not for me to have robots say what images to give you. And I sometimes use it to assist me for blogs to research and gather my thoughts.

I will, however, sometimes take out distracting items from the background or clean up a blemish or two. I want to keep the authenticity of the moment and the day.

Otherwise, it’s not really the photography art form, is it? But rather digital art.