I have always loved the idea of eloping. It's something that my husband and I considered when we first got engaged. I had come across a gorgeous place in Lao when I was travelling in 2008 that was only accessible by motorbike or on foot and I just fell in love with the idea of getting married there. Just the two of us escaping to this completely private and beautiful place in the world that hardly anyone knew about was just so appealing. Even more so after the reality of planning a wedding set in. How romantic would it be to just disappear and say our I do's in a place that could just be ours for that moment. No stress, no hassle, just us.

In the end, once we thought about what we really wanted from our wedding, we decided that the only place to get married would be in the UK. We wanted our friends and family to be with us every step of the way and I have no regrets for this decision because it was the most incredible day and led to the birth of Festival Brides. But when I see images like the ones I am sharing with you today, there is still a part of me that thinks, what if.

Håvard and Stine chose to elope to the Lofoten Islands in Norway for their wedding and Steve Fuller was the lucky photographer to capture their day. Their images are a testament to all of the reasons I wanted to elope. They are intimate, romantic, at times dramatic and so very personal. The location is stunning and there is no denying how special it must have been to be just the two of them.

Håvard and Stine share their experience of their elopement shoot, but first a few words from Steve.

Enjoy.

Words by Steve Fuller Photography

I'm lucky to have travelled a fair bit in my time and have seen some breathtaking places that's for sure. But the Lofoten Islands in Northern Norway is something else, and certainly for wedding photography it's that and more so.

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel there recently, and was where on a beach of staggering unspoilt beauty, that I hooked up with the very lovely Håvard and Stine for their Lofoten Islands elopement photo session.

The weather changes in Lofoten at the drop of a hat, and ten minutes before the photo session began I had hailstones battering my face. But no sooner had it arrived, and with me sporting fresh exfoliated features, it had cleared leaving vistas of rugged cloud topped mountains and soft light to die for.

The awesome Håvard and Stine embraced all of this and even a local sea eagle drifted by on the thermals to take a peek at what was going on.

It was a dream to have been able to photograph in the Lofoten Islands. A location where simply turning a corner or exiting a tunnel reveals a new vista that blows your mind. I certainly hope to return to Arctic Norway for more wedding photography in the near future.

We both thought the photoshoot was really exiting! And a lot of fun. It`s hard to pic out the best memory, because the whole shoot was a great experience. Steve's enthusiasm was very fascinating. It was easy for us to sense how dedicated he is to his work. And the results are the best proof of that.

As a photographer, Steve made it really easy for us because he told us to just act natural and to have focus and care about each other. I felt good being able to just be husband and wife, with full focus on each other, in those stunning surroundings. Plus we liked the fact that Steve got all these new ideas all the time during the shoot, how you saw opportunities all around us and helped us with where to go and where to look. I guess that is the result of all of his experience as a photographer: enthusiastic, very professional and all in all just a really nice guy! It is easy for us to recommend him to other couples getting married, the results of the shoot was absolutely amazing.

Words by Håvard and Stine

We both thought the photoshoot was really exiting! And a lot of fun. It`s hard to pic out the best memory, because the whole shoot was a great experience. Steve's enthusiasm was very fascinating. It was easy for us to sense how dedicated he is to his work. And the results are the best proof of that.

As a photographer, Steve made it really easy for us because he told us to just act natural and to have focus and care about each other. I felt good being able to just be husband and wife, with full focus on each other, in those stunning surroundings. Plus we liked the fact that Steve got all these new ideas all the time during the shoot, how he saw opportunities all around us and helped us with where to go and where to look. I guess that is the result of all of his experience as a photographer. He was enthusiastic, very professional and all in all just a really nice guy! It is easy for us to recommend him to other couples getting married, the results of the shoot was absolutely amazing.

I dont know what my tip to others can be about a photoshoot or planning their wedding. Maybe just try to relax and enjoy the moment with your partner because the photographer will take care of the rest and make sure you`ll get amazing photos. And at the second I saw the pictures I forgot the fact that it was a rainy and windy day at the shoot. It was definitely worth it, being a little cold during the session.

Location: Lofoten Islands, Norway
Photography: Steve Fuller

If you want to lose yourself in more dreamy elopements then take a look at Matt and Mel's Sail Boat Elopement in Croatia and Poppy and Chris' Byron Bay Elopement.

Happy Thursday Lovely People.