An Iceland Proposal Story:   I traveled all the way to Iceland to meet my friends Kara and Kevin for some portraits of them on their trip there this past March. Kevin emailed me a few days before the trip and told me that he was going to propose to Kara at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon! Kara had no idea this was happening, and I could barely contain my excitement for being able to capture my very first proposal in a pretty epic place. Traveling with these two was hysterical and flowed perfectly. You never know when you go on a trip with new people how the travel aspect will go, but let me tell you, we just jived great. From gas station stops (BONUS) to delicious meals and attempting to pronounce Icelandic words, it was a riot. They picked me up from the airport and a few hours later we spent the whole day at the Blue Lagoon. THAT PLACE IS UNREAL. A natural hot spring with aqua blue water and lava rocks surrounding you. You feel like you're in another world. I had a water housing on my camera so I was able to take a few photos along the way as well which was really fun. While we were there, it rained, sleeted, snowed, was overcast and sunny. Iceland has some of the most dramatic weather changes of a place I've ever seen. Icelanders often say, "If you don't like the weather, just wait 15 minutes" and it couldn't be more true!   The next day, Kevin and I schemed while Kara was inside the Jokulsarlon gift shop about the plan of action. Kevin wanted the most scenic spot in the glacier lagoon, and while everything was unreal, we spotted this iceberg that was easily accessed since it had a ton of rocks underneath it (no it wasn't floating in the middle of the water!). There was a photo shoot hysterically going on there of this poor girl in a DRESS. We not so patiently waited for that to stop happening so we could go over there. I had them walk over to do a "portrait" on the iceberg and then Kevin got down on one knee and proposed! It was pretty incredible and I kind of blacked out while it was happening because my heart was racing so fast! After the tearful moments that followed, we took portraits all around in the not so warm glacier. Totally worth every chilly moment! We spent 8+ hours in the car that day and were all ready for sleep after that. A big thanks to Kevin for driving on those Iceland roads! The next day we explored Reykjavík, going to the top of Hallgrímskirkja church where I got some cool shots of them from above and wandered around town! We finished with one of the most delicious meals of my life- so good in fact that I can't even remember all that we ate. Blame it on the food coma. The whole trip was an absolute dream and I am so happy to finally share the full set of images! Don't ask me why it took me so long to blog these! So much love to Kara and Kevin and I can't wait to be a guest at their wedding next year! This proposal was also featured on Green Wedding Shoes- go check it out! If you or anyone you know is ELOPING abroad, get in touch! I would love to document your story in an incredible place. Inquire at karen{at}karenobrist{dot}com Here's Kara & Kevin's Story: "What started off by meeting through a friend in college, Kevin and Kara carried their relationship through life in three different cities. Kara moved to Seattle shortly after graduation. Kevin attended law school and made his way to Denver, then to Sacramento. Many flights and late night phone conversations came to an end about a year ago, when they both moved to San Francisco. The first year was spent exploring and photographing their adventures around much of the U.S. Their biggest adventure yet was to be Iceland. They both had travelled to other countries, but this was the first together. Kara, who is normally behind the lens, arranged for her close friend and talented photographer( Karen) to join them and help document the first trip outside the country together. Kevin already planning to propose on the trip decided this was the perfect opportunity to capture the moment and maintain the surprise. He let Karen in on the plan and pinpointed Jokulsarlon as the spot, a picturesque glacier lagoon complete with floating icebergs and home to arctic seals. After a nervous month of hoping the ring would be ready in time, the two boarded a plane. Kevin hid the ring in his coat pocket with Kara by his side. The day of adventuring to the glacier lake had arrived and the crew set out to Jokulsarlon. What to Kara was supposed to be a day of hanging out and exploring turned into Kevin proposing atop an iceberg. It was there that Kara said yes to the man she loves."

An Iceland Proposal Story:   I traveled all the way to Iceland to meet my friends Kara and Kevin for some portraits of them on their trip there this past March. Kevin emailed me a few days before the trip and told me that he was going to propose to Kara at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon! Kara had no idea this was happening, and I could barely contain my excitement for being able to capture my very first proposal in a pretty epic place. Traveling with these two was hysterical and flowed perfectly. You never know when you go on a trip with new people how the travel aspect will go, but let me tell you, we just jived great. From gas station stops (BONUS) to delicious meals and attempting to pronounce Icelandic words, it was a riot. They picked me up from the airport and a few hours later we spent the whole day at the Blue Lagoon. THAT PLACE IS UNREAL. A natural hot spring with aqua blue water and lava rocks surrounding you. You feel like you’re in another world. I had a water housing on my camera so I was able to take a few photos along the way as well which was really fun. While we were there, it rained, sleeted, snowed, was overcast and sunny. Iceland has some of the most dramatic weather changes of a place I’ve ever seen. Icelanders often say, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait 15 minutes” and it couldn’t be more true!  

The next day, Kevin and I schemed while Kara was inside the Jokulsarlon gift shop about the plan of action. Kevin wanted the most scenic spot in the glacier lagoon, and while everything was unreal, we spotted this iceberg that was easily accessed since it had a ton of rocks underneath it (no it wasn’t floating in the middle of the water!). There was a photo shoot hysterically going on there of this poor girl in a DRESS. We not so patiently waited for that to stop happening so we could go over there. I had them walk over to do a “portrait” on the iceberg and then Kevin got down on one knee and proposed! It was pretty incredible and I kind of blacked out while it was happening because my heart was racing so fast! After the tearful moments that followed, we took portraits all around in the not so warm glacier. Totally worth every chilly moment! We spent 8+ hours in the car that day and were all ready for sleep after that. A big thanks to Kevin for driving on those Iceland roads! The next day we explored Reykjavík, going to the top of Hallgrímskirkja church where I got some cool shots of them from above and wandered around town! We finished with one of the most delicious meals of my life- so good in fact that I can’t even remember all that we ate. Blame it on the food coma. The whole trip was an absolute dream and I am so happy to finally share the full set of images! Don’t ask me why it took me so long to blog these! So much love to Kara and Kevin and I can’t wait to be a guest at their wedding next year! This proposal was also featured on Green Wedding Shoes– go check it out!

If you or anyone you know is ELOPING abroad, get in touch! I would love to document your story in an incredible place. Inquire at karen{at}karenobrist{dot}com

Here’s Kara & Kevin’s Story: “What started off by meeting through a friend in college, Kevin and Kara carried their relationship through life in three different cities. Kara moved to Seattle shortly after graduation. Kevin attended law school and made his way to Denver, then to Sacramento. Many flights and late night phone conversations came to an end about a year ago, when they both moved to San Francisco. The first year was spent exploring and photographing their adventures around much of the U.S. Their biggest adventure yet was to be Iceland. They both had travelled to other countries, but this was the first together. Kara, who is normally behind the lens, arranged for her close friend and talented photographer( Karen) to join them and help document the first trip outside the country together. Kevin already planning to propose on the trip decided this was the perfect opportunity to capture the moment and maintain the surprise. He let Karen in on the plan and pinpointed Jokulsarlon as the spot, a picturesque glacier lagoon complete with floating icebergs and home to arctic seals. After a nervous month of hoping the ring would be ready in time, the two boarded a plane. Kevin hid the ring in his coat pocket with Kara by his side. The day of adventuring to the glacier lake had arrived and the crew set out to Jokulsarlon. What to Kara was supposed to be a day of hanging out and exploring turned into Kevin proposing atop an iceberg. It was there that Kara said yes to the man she loves.”