Hiking Elopement in the Faroe Islands

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Bailey & Joseph set their hearts on having their hiking elopement in the Faroe Islands back in 2019. And everything was planned out to happen in 2020. They were going to have their legal ceremony in Torshavn and then we had planned to go on an adventure together. And on either side of their elopement there would be hiking. Lots of hiking. But then a global pandemic happened. Originally their elopement was planned for October 2020, and it almost happened. The Faroe Islands had closed once and opened again. But one week before they were due to depart, things closed down once again. So we waited. And waited. Numerous emails back and forth discussed alternative dates and also alternative locations. In the meantime, they legalised their marriage by eloping in Scotland, but were still holding out for their elopement adventure. In April 2022 we finally were all able to make it over to the Faroe Islands. And my goodness was it worth the wait. We had three full days of glorious weather (although I’m quite unaccustomed to seeing the Faroe Islands with clear blue skies) and explored some incredible locations.

Now it’s time for Bailey & Joseph to tell their story:

How did you get engaged?

We were on a trip to Norway and had planned a shorter local hike near to Bergen, where we were staying. We reached summit and I was coming down off a tall rock after posing with the marker post and that is when Joseph asked me.

Any funny stories leading up to your elopement?

Now that travel has seemed to return to some sense of normalcy we can now look back and laugh a bit about how chaotic the time was leading up to this trip.

How did you decide on your location?

We had previously talked about both wanting to travel to the Faroe Islands as a top destination on our travel bucket lists. While looking into the traditional wedding process and reading into venue contracts and fine print on restrictions and costs it just was not sitting right and we both kept having a gut feeling that this just wasn’t exciting sounding or enjoyable. So we thought “why not elope and keep it between the two people involved in the actual marriage, us?!” and then thought “why not elope somewhere new since we love to travel!” so we started our research into countries that officiated international weddings, had an easier process paperwork wise and were recognized as well by the UK/US. The Faroes was it! Due to COVID we ended up actually marrying in Scotland instead of Denmark but still wanted to celebrate in the Faroes with photos.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in planning your wedding/elopement?

Oh the great joy of COVID-19. 🙂
Our elopement trip was cancelled the week before we were supposed to fly due to international restrictions put in place by Denmark. We held out on the trip hoping 2021 was going to be the year but that brief window of travel opportunity shut down pretty quickly. 2022 arrived and it was just meant to be our year to finally go.

What is your favourite moment/memory from the day?

The entire day just was just incredibly memorable. Just being with each other, exploring new places and getting to see some amazing views will forever be in our memories. The local teacher and his wife who invited us into their house and offered us some traditional Faroese food were a nice little highlight as we think they were more excited about us being there than we were!

Is there anything you are really glad you did? Or didn’t do?

We are so glad we waited! We had considered plan B, C, etc as travel restrictions kept causing us to despair a little on ever being able to make it to the Faroe Islands. We are also glad we chose the elopement and photos option as these will be precious keepsakes for us.

What advice would you give to other couples planning their wedding?

This day is for you and your partner to experience a loving milestone in your lives together – do what YOU want to do. Family and friends naturally want to be there for your big day to celebrate with you and if you want to share that moment with them then do so. If you want to keep it intimate and only invite a select few people in your lives, then do so. If YOU want to keep in even more intimate and just have the day to yourselves and no one else, then do so. This is YOUR day so don’t give into the pressures of expectations and others opinions as YOUR day isn’t to cater to others but to celebrate each other and the love you both share.

Relax and be flexible!! It is always easier said than done when it comes to something so important and meaningful that you are also excited about. But, self inflicted stress will dampen your mood, could negatively impact your day, how you feel, and how you look in photos. It may also now allow you to fully embrace the experience of your special day and your surroundings to the fullest. Things are never perfect and life really enjoys throwing curve balls of all types so understanding this and being open to embracing and working around these things goes such a long long way.

And, as always, read the fine print! Some of the fine print in getting married abroad was crazy! Don’t be afraid to research or ask locals if you can find someone to communicate with. We emailed someone in the local Faroese government a lot with questions and not only was she incredibly nice and helpful but made us feel much better about our decision and confident we had everything in order for the big day.

What wedding planning resources did you use whilst planning your elopement (if any)? (Instagram, Pinterest, Wedding Blogs, Magazines etc)

We researched the Faroe Islands in terms of rules on hiking, marriage regulations and anything that may impact our day. We also just checked with local governments on marriage certificate recognition . We researched travel photographers (and clearly found the best one!). The rest of our trip was a bit unplanned and spontaneous but some places we recognized from hiking websites and information shared by Cat.

What was your favourite thing about working with Cat?

We can’t put into words how incredible our experience with Cat has been as they wouldn’t do her any justice. Cat has been sheer perfection and amazed us. Her talent alone speaks volumes with the gorgeous images captured while her beautiful personality shines from the day you meet her. While maintaining professionalism she exudes warmth, kindness and humbleness that puts even the most awkward couples at ease and makes them feel like glamour models. While dealing with so many COVID restrictions for two years she was with us every step of the way, which made us feel all the more confident and kept us optimistic until FINALLY we were able to travel to our dream destination.
Just wow, what an extraordinary person we were so privileged to share this once in a lifetime experience with.

Her bunnies are pretty cute too!

Credits

Hotel – Hotel Føroyar
Restaurant – The Tarv
Bar – Mikkeller

Want to learn more about eloping in the Faroe Islands or elsewhere in Europe?