Jessica & Marshall - Hjorleifshofdi Yoda Cave Ceremony
Hjörleifshöfði Yoda Cave Wedding
The place is called Yoda Cave for a reason, but some also see it as a flying bird or a horned pagan. One thing is for sure, whatever you name the Hjorleifshofdi Yoda Cave, it is definitely one of the most magnificent and special places in South Iceland. It is about 200 km from Reykjavik and 15 km from Vik. Moreover, this was also the place where the wedding ceremony of Jessica and Marshall was held.
Hjorleifshofd cave offers a perfect hiding place from Iceland's typical very windy and often rainy weather. There's no rain or wind in the cave but some drops are falling from the cave ceiling from time to time. Just a few steps out of the cave and you might find yourself in the middle of a sandstorm. The good thing is that the cave is easily accessible and surrounded by fields of far-reaching black sand.
Jessica and Marshall's wedding day was exactly that classic Iceland’s windy and rainy day. Marshall was waiting in the cave when Jessica arrived with her father in the rain. ‘Pink Iceland’ had arranged amazing snacks and drinks by the end of the wedding ceremony and just like that, everybody was filled with such joy and warmness.
From there, the road took us to the Sólheimajökull glacier, which is one of the most easily accessible glaciers, if you start from Reykjavik (about 158 km away). Countless guide excursions go there on a daily basis. We took group photos there with all the wedding guests with picturesque views, and later I took photos of the couple on the glacier.
The glaciers in Iceland are melting with a whirlwind, it’s only a matter of decays when both the Sólheimajökull glacier and others can disappear from the horizon - each year the glacier retreats by about 50 meters.
On this glacier, we were caught by a strong sense of rain. We were soaked when we got back to the car. The rain was so heavy that one of my cameras (Nikon D5), which had never left me in trouble before, stopped working for several hours because of excessive humidity. Luckily, I have a backup camera for that. My cameras have seen the worst things you can imagine, but still, they are my trustworthy companions, even despite this one incident.
The wedding dinner took place at the Frost & Fire Boutique Hotel, which offers the perfect opportunity to host your entire wedding party and a fabulous dinner. This region is volcanically overactive and offers good opportunities for walking tours as well. Most of my photoshoots in Iceland are at least two days long, and so, the three of us spent the next day strolling along the picturesque paths of South Iceland.
