A couple who wanted a “small, remote and adventurous” wedding took things to the next level when they ended up climbing a wall of ice and saying their vows in a cave in Iceland. Dan Grimmer and his wife Caroline have always shared a sense of adventure, with the pair meeting in the U.K. after growing up in the U.S. and Germany. After getting engaged, Dan, from Oklahoma, jokingly suggested hosting their wedding in Antarctica, before settling on Iceland, a country between where he and Caroline’s German family are from. That decision was not long after the pair had gotten engaged in Oxford, in December 2023, and having carried out a little more research, they decided on a wedding that would incorporate ice climbing and caves. Soon, Dan and Caroline realized they were in a race against time: ice cave weddings in Iceland are only safe during the colder winter months, between November and March. Having worked quickly to secure the likes of a photographer, videographer, venue, a guide and their families’ commitments, Dan and Caroline headed to Iceland for their planned ice climb on March 6, 2024. What followed was a breathtaking series of events, which saw them say their vows in an ice cave in Vatnajökull National Park, before donning the likes of crampons to scale a giant wall of ice. Using sharp axes, Dan and Caroline made their way up the wall – both still wearing their wedding attire from when they had said their vows. After the one-of-a-kind climb, the couple then hosted a public ceremony for their families on a black sand beach the following day. Dan and Caroline admitted they had never done any climbing before their wedding shoot – but Caroline has since become a fan of bouldering as a result.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Most couples walk down the aisle, but this bride and groom climbed theirs.
00:06Dan and Caroline grew up in the U.S. and Germany, but met at university in England.
00:11So when Dan proposed and jokingly suggested having the wedding in Antarctica...
00:16We wanted to go somewhere, a bit of a destination wedding, but not somewhere too far from our families.
00:22And Iceland's right in the middle, and it's been on both of our bucket lists.
00:25We both keep saying it's otherworldly. It's really a magical, magical place.
00:29The idea quickly turned into something truly unique, an ice climb with a ceremony in a cave.
00:37But the clock was ticking. Ice cave weddings are only safe during winter.
00:41So they had just three months to plan everything.
00:44And of course, Caroline needed to find a dress that could handle an ice climb.
00:48One of the most difficult things was to find the right dress, which was both warm enough for me.
00:55And also, yeah, it should be possible to climb in it, right?
00:59So this was a bit tricky.
01:03Then came their big day, and a series of magical events.
01:07They exchanged vows in a stunning ice cave.
01:11What a day to get married.
01:13What a place and what a bride.
01:15I have adored you from nearly the moment I first saw you.
01:19I found what the world is searching for, right here, my dear.
01:27I don't have to look no more.
01:29It really felt like being inside of a blue gemstone or something like this.
01:33It was more beautiful than I thought it would be.
01:36I had high expectations, but this was just something else.
01:39It was such a magical place to, you know, declare our love for each other.
01:44And in the aisle, walk up a sheer wall of ice.
01:48Wearing their wedding attire, they wore crampons and used pickaxes to reach the top.
01:53We just got on the climbing gear and took a look at each other and said, we're going to do this.
01:58You're wearing these shoes that have knives up the front for kicking into the wall.
02:02So we're walking around with these extremely dangerous shoes and our very fancy clothes.
02:09And I never did any ice climbing before.
02:11I thought it would be super difficult, except for doing it in wedding dress.
02:15It was actually just really fun and also very connecting to do it together.
02:23After the cave ceremony, they hosted a second ceremony for family the next day on a nearby black sand beach.
02:30We hope they're inspired.
02:31We hope it inspires some people to go live out the wedding of your dreams.
02:34Because it's so many people just default to whatever is easiest to do.
02:43Make it your special day.
02:45It's going to be one of the best days of your life.
02:53Let's do this.
03:03Let's go.