An Epic 3 Day Engagement Session Exploring Iceland’s Most Beautiful Locations
This incredible destination engagement session is unlike any other Iceland shoot you have ever seen. It was a full editorial experience and included not just one, but THREE DAYS in Iceland! Not only did they get some truly beautiful photos, Lillian and Leo experienced the most epic adventure of a lifetime! We started our trip by flying into Reykjavik airport and adventures through Iceland’s most iconically beautiful locations. We of course made time to tour and sightsee along the way too, but pics or it didnt happen right?
We planned and coordinated each outfit based on the shooting locations and completed the looks with the perfect accessories. Everything was able to come together to make some real magic thanks to the amazing work of these hardworking and creative individuals. Lillian’s custom designed outfits are by Grace Natkin, Leo’s outfits are from Ziani. Shoes for both Lillian and Leo are from Chuckies, Jewelry is from Ralph’s Jewelers, and Lillian’s headpieces are custom handmade by Miriam Navarro. We were accompanied by an amazing beauty team with hairstylist Regine Cohen, makeup artist Shirley Granger, and on set assistance by Jane (NY Bridal Attendant). All photos were shot collaboratively by me, Jacqueline of Jacqueline Soffer Studio and Shelly of By Shelly Studios. Video coverage of the trip was shot by our in house videographer, Jacob and we were endlessly entertained by Lillian’s brother Kal who joined our adventure and accompanied us on this trip. Links to all these incredible creatives can be found at the end of this article. This entire experience was a dream come true from takeoff to landing back home.
Lillian and Leo #FortheThrone👑 in the first look of this destination adventure session! This armor-inspired look by Grace Natkin was designed specially for Reynisfjara (aka Black Sand Beach), and with Leo by her side, they ruled the land ⚡️👑
The iconic basalt stacks of Black Sand Beach make for a throne fit for king and queen, and Lillian and Leo are already dressed the part 👑🖤
The inspiration to go to Iceland in the first place came from discovering the dreamy-underwater-feel of Iceland’s many ice caves. Planning our shoot here, we wanted to really draw from the “glow” of the cave for the entire look, and designed the dress Grace to allow for a flow and movement as well as curating her hair and makeup to look freshly “wet”.
Fun fact: the Katla Ice Cave sits right below a Volcano 🌋 that’s past due for an eruption. We’d be lying if we didn’t admit we were surprised it didn’t erupt from this FIRE shoot 🔥 Thank you to Extreme Iceland for the private access to the only ice cave in Iceland open in May. They went above and beyond to insure we got all the perfect shots.
Shooting at Jökulsárlón ( aka Diamond Beach) during high tide proved to be a pretty challenging venture. From soaking wet feet to icebergs coming and going while setting up the perfect shot- we had to work quickly and efficiently!
These photos are just the tip of the iceberg ❄️ 💎 Thanks to our travel coordinator @pointsrich we were able to fit this amazing location into our packed itinerary, was well worth the drive!
Alex at Points Rich helped keep us on top of all logistics during our adventure. As a nine person team, a lot of planning went into making this trip run seamlessly. From booking flights and car rentals, to getting the best deals on top notch hotels and experienced suggestions on itinerary choices we couldn't have asked for better advice.
As if our shoot locations weren't impressive enough, every moment of our (up to 3 hour long) drives gave us incredible sights. The ever changing landscape was something out of a movie. These long scenic drives were made even more enjoyable with a custom playlist by DJ friend Leo Tebele which you can snag here (insert link). We made sure to leave time in the itinerary for multiple roadside stops to explore turf houses and waterfalls.
On our roadside stop at Seljalandsfoss we couldn't help ourselves from squeezing in one more crazy session and quickly got Lillian and Leo back into the look originally shot at Katla ice cave. We mentioned that this dress was designed specifically with movement involved and here we made sure to let it show! Impromptu as this session was, it produced some of our favorite shots and most memorable behind the scenes moments.
After hours and hours of research and planning we came across this lesser know landscape we like to call Mars. Located not too far from Reykjavik is this beautiful gem we made sure to explore at and play around in. It took some time to locate and a few interactions with locals at supermarkets and restaurants eagerly showing them a photo we had found and asking for directions. Many of them had no idea what it was but finally one sweet couple was able to point it out for me on Google maps! And boy was it worth it.
Fun (or not so fun?) fact: I forgot one of these smoke grenades in my carry on in the airport heading home (I typically pack them in my suitcase that gets checked in without issue) and was stopped for some major questioning by the local police! They were very concerned as to why I was carrying an item clearly marked "grenade" but thankfully I was able to avoid arrest with much apologetic pleading and by showing them some behind the scenes videos of this insane moment.
Ice Princess moment ❄️ One of the most magical locations of our Iceland Dream Adventure Session, the Blue Lagoon and it’s icy blue hues were the perfect match for this custom Grace Natkin soft blue crystallized gown and the rest of Lillian’s frosted accessories from her head to her toes ☃️⚡️
We chose to end our trip with this session followed by a well earned spa day at the famous Blue Lagoon to decompress and process before heading home. We spent our two nights in Katla at the Hotel Kria and used that as our home base getting ready in between shoots. It was the perfect central location to all our chosen spots. Our last night was spent in Reykjavik at the Radisson Blu Saga Hotel. All our meals were catered by the amazing Jacqueline Elbaz and brought with us. This was especially helpful as our schedule was pretty packed and this way we knew everyone was well fed. With three days of constant hair and makeup we made sure Lillian and Leo’s skin got a little break with the help of our friends at Junk Free Beauty! They provided us with skincare essential travel kits to keep our couple looking and feeling extra fresh each day.
You can grab a copy of the entire detailed itinerary below!
If you’re as in love with these incredible natural wonders as I am let’s get in touch and schedule your own epic adventure session!
A special shoutout and thank you to all the small business and collaborators who helped this project and experience come to life! I’ve linked all their Instagram pages below so you can follow each of their creative journeys.
Photography and Videography: Jacqueline Soffer Studio & By Shelly Studios
Hair Stylist: Regine Cohen
Makeup Artist: Shirley Granger
On set assistance: Jane (NY bridal attendant)
Lillian’s custom outfits: Grace Natkin
Leos outfits: Ziani
Custom headpieces: Miriam Navarro
Shoes: Chuckies
Jewelry: Ralph’s Jewelry
Travel Coordinator: Alex Tourgeman
Meals throughout the trip: Jacqueline Elbaz
On the Road Playlist: Leo Tebele
Skin Care Travel Packages: Junk Free Beauty
Pre Flight Meals: Ouri’s Market
Preflight Decorative Cookies: Alexis Cohen
Check out the Print Shop for the full collection of wall art from this Iceland adventure!