Greenville Family Photographer | Michelle Poteet Photography

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My Trip to Iceland

Last year, I went a little bit crazy with travel. I just showed you my entire 5 city series on my trip with my husband through Europe. And then, two weeks after I got home from Europe, I took another trip with two girl friends to Iceland. I had been obsessed with Iceland for so long, and had just been dying to go. I had been seeing stunning destination wedding photos from the black sands beach, and I knew I wanted to shoot a destination wedding or elopement in Iceland. Well, whenever there is a place I want to shoot a destination wedding, I like to go an explore it myself first to get to know the location and find all of the spots that would be perfect for photos.

We were in Iceland for the week in between Christmas and New Years. We started by going to the Blue Lagoon on our way from the airport to Reykjavik. It was just as amazing and beautiful as it looks on those travel Instagram feeds! It’s a natural hot spring with beautiful mountain backdrops all around. At the time of year that we were there, Iceland only has 4 hours of daylight. It was actually really cool, because the sun never gets very high in the sky, so you get a two hour sunrise and then a two hour sunset. The sky always has beautiful, soft, pastel colors in the daylight.

We stayed in Reykjavik for one night, then traveled around the southern rim of the Golden Circle for a few days. I took a one day solo hiking trip in one of the national parks. I’m not the type of person who loves to do things by myself, but I was the only one on the trail, and it was so relaxing to just be alone with nature. On the trail, I got to see the world’s largest glacier outside of the arctics. We also explored the famous Black Sands Beach in Vik, Iceland. Let me tell you, it’s just as beautiful as I expected it to be. It would be the most stunning spot for bride and groom photos for a destination wedding!

We returned to Reykjavik to celebrate New Years. There are huge bonfires all over the city, then there is a firework show in the middle of the city. After the fireworks, we went to the bars, had a few beers, and listened to live music. It was such a fun way to celebrate.

Iceland is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. It’s almost as if you’re on a different planet. I would love to go back in the summer when there’s almost 24 hours of daylight and lots of greenery. It would be such a different experience. Check out some of my favorite photos from my trip to Iceland!

Are you looking for a destination wedding photographer? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I have your wedding date available!