Skógafoss

Final full day, we fly home tomorrow! We packed our bags and said goodbye to the Silica hotel and headed out on our “bonus day” adventure. Two of our participants were celebrating their 10 year anniversary this month and invited whoever wanted to stay an extra day along to capture it. Although every shoot we did was a blast, this one came with alll the emotion since instead of models it was two people I have come to love deeply. On the very first day when they introduced themselves, KC and Aaron said “we’ve had a hard life, and we love to be open with our struggles so others feel comfortable sharing theirs and we all feel less alone”. And that’s exactly what they did all week long. They created an environment where everyone was vulnerable, friendships went beyond surface level and manyyyyy tears were shed. It was quite beautiful to witness the impact 2 people can have on a group, and this workshop wouldn’t have been the same without them ❤️

It was extra special that I then got to serve as their day of coordinator- calming their nerves, holding the bouquet, adjusting the dress, managing the crowds who wanted to take photos of them, etc. Their vows brought us all to tears and dancing on a cliffside to their first dance song from a decade ago was the icing on the cake.

We celebrated with a delicious dinner and I conducted “exit interviews” with each participant to get their feedback on the week. Their words brought tears to my eyes- from their gratitude to the impact the week had on them emotionally and professionally. I feel beyond grateful to have played a small role in bringing Ellie’s vision to life. Our strengths (and weaknesses or as we call them “opportunities”) really balanced one another out and made for a beautiful partnership.

On our way into dinner I spotted a “playground” with a zip line and we ended the night all taking turns and laughing hysterically. We said our tearful goodbyes and a smaller group of us made our way to the air bnb where we are staying tonight before flying out tomorrow afternoon.Read more