Is Hiring an Iceland Local Photographer & Planner Worth It?

What does it really matter if you hire a local who lives in Iceland?

I know this isn’t a new topic for me, however, I have just seen for the * checks watch * probably the 10,000th time in photographer Facebook groups someone who:

• Booked an Iceland elopement. As in, fully accepted money from a couple and the responsibility of this.

• but doesn’t live in Iceland.

• and is not prepared actually to plan an elopement in a country they do not truly know scrambling for help.

But. Without their clients knowing that they are scrambling.

They are at the mercy of a Facebook group of strangers to plan someone’s elopement and deliver what they said they could. But can’t.

Look, I know this might come off kinda poopy, however, if I was the client and found out the person I hired to plan something for me doesn’t have the knowledge, network, or know-how to do it and is relying on strangers on the internet to plan my wedding- a super important day- I would want to know.

So, I felt compelled to write this because, to be honest, I think it’s such a disservice to couples who don’t know what happens behind the curtain.

Will other photographers maybe be mad because I’m shedding light on sketchy ways- sure. But my loyalty is always with the couples.

I thought about screenshotting every single time I see a photographer posting in a group freaking out because they booked an Iceland elopement, and, turns out they can’t actually plan it via Google.

Because there are 3 Icelands:

1- The Iceland online.
2- The Iceland when you are on vacation.
3- The real Iceland that only locals know
(which includes our customs, culture, food, holidays, locations, climate, safety, etc. And searches for things are in Icelandic with the answers also in Icelandic.
We even have our own ‘Google’ type directory.)

But, I’m not a total jerk so I don’t take screenshots.

So here are some of the reasons I see people asking for help and scrambling:

• they booked XYZ thing and it fell through and now they don’t know what to do.

• they booked the cheapest flights and now the flights are canceled or postponed due to weather, flight strikes, or whatever.

• they can’t find a hair & makeup artist that is available.

• they can’t find a Celebrant.

• they need help with locations because the locations they promised actually aren’t open that time of year.

• they need help planning a last-minute location itinerary because the locations they blindly picked are closed that weekend due to bird-nesting season.

• (I can’t believe this is true)- they need help because they planned locations, in the winter, where on the way there the car- WITH THE COUPLE IN THE BACK- slid off the road (that they shouldn’t have been on anyways) and now needs help with a new car and finishing the elopement.

• they are stranded because the rental car tire exploded, and they are with the couple in one car, and have no idea where they are, how to get a tow truck, or what to do.

• they got turned away at the airport because customs decided to go through their large bags and figured out they were working here illegally on Iceland soil and got their gear confiscated.

• they were not at all prepared for our weather and thought that because they are used to snow where they live it would be the same, but it’s not. So they need help last-minute planning a totally different day.

• what they planned had been postponed due to weather, like excursions or the entire elopement day, and they have a flight to get back home and needed a backup photographer.

• they need help finding a good venue or restaurant for the reception because they don’t know about the local culture and thinks everyone here eats hotdogs. (We do not.)

• they are here in months where ‘‘back home’’ are summer and sunny, but now there is a sudden blizzard. Or it’s raining a lot. Or it’s way, way windier in specific areas they did not anticipate. And they need help rerouting plans.

Honestly, I can go on. But these are real-life examples of things that have happened and then the couple becomes reliant on the internet of strangers to help.

Do you want to leave it up to a random Facebook group to be the ones planning your wedding?

xoxo Steph