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Jakob taking a shot of Pia

Jakob

Posted on by Pia Eva Greiner

We first met Jakob at 8:00 AM on the morning of our wedding. It might seem odd that the only guest at our wedding was a complete stranger, but in many ways it makes sense. Jakob was our photographer. He is the co-founder of Nordica Photography, a Stockholm based partnership which specializes not in wedding photography but in capturing the stories of couples getting married. We had no clue about Jakob’s personality or appearance, but when he walked in to first meet us at Hotel Búðir, we recognized him instantly and felt comfortable in his presence.

Two hours later I was putting on my wedding dress and putting on my hair and make up while he clicked away on his cameras. Jamie was dressing in a separate room across the hotel, meaning that Jakob was running to and fro trying to capture both scenes as they unfolded. Our ceremony was at noon, giving us little time to prepare. Jamie of course put on his suit quickly and went downstairs to handle things with Páll Ágúst. I on the other hand struggled to do my own hair and make up in front of a tiny mirror without proper lighting. I was so focused on my task that I barely noticed Jakob hovering about, sometimes standing in the shower poking his lens out and who knows where else. On top of his constant shooting Jakob also played the role of sentry as Jamie needed to go in and out multiple times and various staff came to help. The entire morning I could catch the smiles coming off Jakob’s face as he snapped a particularly good shot or as he noticed a humorous quirk that had just taken place. At one point I had asked Jakob the time to which he responded that it was thirteen minutes to noon. He then laughed as I took my needle and thread and started sewing on two buttons not yet on my shrug. By the time I was ready for the ceremony I felt calm and relaxed around him though I can be camera shy sometimes.

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Budir Kirkja Door Handle

The Way

Posted on by jamie

Arriving to the hotel, Pia was already waiting for me in the lobby. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the figure draped in white as I walked in, as it dawned upon me that I was looking at Pia—that I was looking at my bride. The lobby of the hotel was filled with guests and staff, all smiling and watching as I took my bride, sharing with her a kiss and a firm hug. Pia was absolutely beautiful wearing the little chevron dress we had bought together a year earlier along with a white jacket and delicate Icelandic wool scarf. Pia seemed equally taken by me in my suit as she held me and looked at her groom.

Leaving the hotel, umbrella in hand, Pia and I proceeded arm-in-arm as we walked up the road from Hotel Búðir to Búðir Kirka. Arriving at the church, we opened its white wooden gate and crossed the grounds. Then we opened the church doors and peered into the little wooden church. Awaiting us in a white robe was Páll Ágúst, smiling as we proceeded down the aisle together. Though the church was empty and cold minutes before, we all could feel the warmth brought by our love and the love of all those who have been with us. And then, out of the silence and stillness of that little wooden church, our wedding began.

For the next forty minutes, the world was still. Inside that tiny church, the rain, which had been pouring down on the entire peninsula and all of Búðir, ceased its roar; the gray skies, which reached all the way down to the sea with lingering clouds, grew brighter. There were just four souls in the entire world for those forty minutes: Jamie, Pia, Páll, & Jakob.

We laughed and cried our way through the ceremony. Pia stared into my eyes as I gazed into hers. Páll read his blessings and shared with us his wisdom. Then a letter from Pia’s father, Marius, filled with sage advice, poetry, and colors as robust as any drawings he has made. Next came the vows written for each other. Pia and I had each filled a Moleskine postcard to read to each other. During those vows, everybody in the church just about lost it as the tears fell over our love for one another. A couple of ‘I do’s, two rings, and a tri-lingual ‘Our Father’ later the ceremony was complete. We kissed, turned, and walked out of the church exactly as we had entered: two souls bound together as one.