Love should always be like Iceland.

It should take your breath away at every new turn.

It should be wild and relentless. Beautiful at its most serene and most turbulent.

And an absolutely ridiculous amount of fun.

quote by Jenna Kanellakos

Reynisfjara. This black beach on the south coast of Iceland is a place that makes you feel like you’re on a different planet.

Its wild and dramatic beauty, big and dangerous waves of the Atlantic Ocean, basalt rock caves and volcanic rocks is a combination that I can guarantee – will take your breath away. It did that to me.

Reynisfjara elopement photoshoot in Iceland

It was such a perfect place for my first wedding photoshoot in Iceland, I felt to lucky to have worked with a couple who didn’t mind a 5-hour drive from Reykjavik to Vik and were willing to get cold and rained on for the photographs that me and my amazing photographer friend Michalina promised will be worth it.

The Icelandic love story – Alina & Þorvarður in Iceland

I asked Alina and Þorvarður some questions about love, relationships and their homeland – Iceland and they gladly shared their answers with me.

There’s nothing more interesting than someone’s story, especially if it’s a love story. It’s priceless to get access to it and be able to tell it, both in words and photographs.

I felt so lucky to be able to photograph them in Iceland, a place that became so close to my heart in an instant.

How did you meet?

We met each other eight years ago at school. He had failed a class three times and had to change schools for a semester and happened to choose to go to the one I was studying at. We were taking the same class and just happened to be placed in the same group together.

After that semester we became really close and by the end of that year we were dating.

What do you love about Iceland?

As a child I use to hate it, I thought it was to small and uninteresting.

Nothing exciting ever happened here and I could’t wait to go live somewhere else.

But after a few years and some travels. I started to love and appreciate it for its beautiful landscapes, calmness and the people. Even though a lot of people tend to say that Icelanders are shy and not really open I have learned that we are closed off towards strangers that we seat next to on the bus. But when it comes to people that surround us at work or on a school project we are friend from day one. I love it for how safe it is and of course the water here is the best I have ever tasted, and I doubt I will find cleaner and fresher water anywhere in the world.

It’s the little things that I love and make this place a home.

What do you think should be the foundation of a relationship?

Mutual trust and understanding. I know it a cliché, but it is so because it’s true. You can’t have love and happiness if you don’t trust each other, to make the right decision, to do the right thing and to love each other without condition. As for understanding, for us it’s understanding that we are not perfect. We make mistakes and we think differently.

Understanding that you have your flaws and working together in harmony without judgment and expectations is what makes it work.

What do you love about each other?

We love each others’ company, so much so that at one point in time we worked together for at least 4 years and people kept asking us if we weren’t getting sick of each other by now.

We love the night where it’s just us a good movie and a cuddle worth all the money in the world.

We love all the laughter that filles our apartment over something seemingly simple.

We love the small glance we give each other that say: I love you more than anything and I hope you never leave.

We love having our hearts filled with love and surprise over how much love is there so many years later.

Alina: I love all the little love poems he sends me, reminding me of how much he loves me. I love his face when he gets home and sees my face, how it light up with the expression of a man that has been waiting all day to see me. I love the little thing he does for me every day, without me asking and even remembering. I love his love…

Þorvarður: I love how she makes my life easier with all the little things that she does for me all the time. I love the way she smiles when I make her laugh and the fact that she doesn’t know how funny she is. I love how she surprises me with an evening out or by baking something I really like. How she can show me she loves me without saying a word. I love her love…

What does love mean to you?

Love gives life meaning.

It can be love for your partner, a deep bond that makes everything in this world feel better.

Love for yourself, a great appreciation of all that you have accomplished and gone through.

Love for a place, somewhere to call home and cultivate meaningful relationships.

Love for a parent, showing gratitude and understanding to a different generation.

Love for your fellow human, living in harmony and gratitude for what you have and can give to others.

Love for a friend, making connection is what drives us and makes us feel a part of this world.

It can be so many things for at the core of it, it’s what gives life purpose and meaning.

For me.

What does art and photography mean to you?

Alina: It’s a HUGE part of my life.

Ever since I found art I have never let it go. It fills my soul with constant ideas and happiness. Every face of art is connected and I love all of it, all of it inspire me in my house, life, work and everything I do.

Photography has always been a passion of mine since I got a camera at age 14 and took way too many pictures of nothing. I really feel like photos are a window into the life of so many and it can say so much. Having photos of yourself and your partner is like a capsule of your love and it will live on forever in these pictures. It’s priceless.

Again, big thanks to my dear friend Michalina, extremely talented photographer in Iceland, without whom this whole adventure wouldn’t have been so amazing.