Shannon and Vlad chose to have a Fall Elopement near Flåm, Norway. They reached out mid-summer, just a couple months before their trip, making their elopement a great example that you don’t need to plan things 6-9+ months out! Awesome things are possible if you stay spontaneous.
Although these two live in Baltimore, they wanted to go somewhere distant on their elopement day. They chose Norway since Vlad has a good friend who is Norwegian, and he fell in love with the place on past trips. At this time in early September, the fall colors were peaking and the weather bounced between warm and pleasant, and windy and cool. It’s hard to predict what the weather will do on any given day here, but these two absolutely lucked out!
Shannon and Vlad’s fall elopement near Flåm, Norway: Getting Ready and a Waterfall Hike
The day was sunny and warm, which was a sharp contrast to the cool and windy day before. I arrived at their cabin late morning, as these two were getting ready. They had rented out a Rorbu, one of the iconic red fishing cabins dotting the Norwegian landscape, and a great place to stay while traveling the country.
They took their time getting ready inside the cabin. Shannon had picked up a seriously impressive collection of fresh flowers the day before, and was busy making her own bouquet as Vlad wrote his vows.
Vlad’s Norwegian friend showed up as they finished getting ready, and this was the first time Shannon had met him. They had a short introduction, then we split up. He went to pick up their wedding cake while the three of us wandered off around the cabin on a short waterfall hike.
Brekkefossen is a waterfall overlooking Flåm and the surrounding fjord. It’s a short but steep hike on a well marked trail, and a popular viewpoint in Flåm. Because of the cruise ships that land here, there are times in the day when it’s crowded with tourists, but we were lucky to have it almost to ourselves this time!
Fall elopement in Norway: The Afternoon Ceremony and Prest Mountain Hike
We drove along the fjord near Flåm up toward the Mt. Prest trailhead. In Norwegian, prest means “priest,” and Shannon adored the idea they’d be married by a mountain named Prest.
Coincidentally, the three of us had ran into each other the day before on this mountain as we arrived separately to scout the trail. Since we knew the rest of the trail, we decided not to do the full hike on their elopement day (although the weather was incredible) since the views didn’t change much after the first 15 minutes.
This also kept things easy for the officiant, who led their vow ceremony. Shannon and Vlad stood overlooking the vast fjord below under the golden autumn sunlight, and read their vows.
They then sat down to eat their wedding cake, a small carrot cake topped with Norwegian raspberries. The air was a little cool, but the sun was bright and warm, so they sipped champagne and enjoyed the views a little longer.
Shannon’s hands started to get cold, so Vlad got out her favorite mittens. They were a pair of mittens he’d brought back from a previous trip to Norway, and were a bit special for them both.
The air kept getting cooler, so to stay warm, we got up and got moving for the hike down. We stopped here and there for portraits in the golden light.
For the rest of the evening, we just embraced the sunset light by driving around. We stopped whenever we saw something beautiful, getting out to walk around and explore.
Once the last light disappeared behind the mountains, we got in the car and headed to dinner. We ended with beers and warm food at a local viking restaurant, toasting our luck with the sunny weather for Shannon and Vlad’s fall elopement near Flåm, Norway!
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