A bride and groom got married inside a secret ice cave in Iceland. They had to wear helmets and navigate knee-high rivers to get there.
- Jemma Schofield and Chris Watson held their wedding inside an ice cave in Iceland.
- As dairy farmers from the UK, they rarely get the chance to travel and wanted something different.
Jemma Schofield and Chris Watson always wanted to get married in the land of fire and ice.
"It was just always Iceland," Schofield told Insider of their dream wedding destination, adding that she and Watson wanted "something different, an adventure."
As dairy farmers from Lancashire, UK, they rarely get the chance to leave the cows and travel together, and they're used to getting a bit dirty. So when it came time to say "I do," they booked a private elopement through Iceland Wedding Planner, an event-planning business specializing in adventurous weddings and luxury elopements founded by Ann Peters.
Peters ensures that the exact locations she brings couples for elopements and weddings remain secret. Many of them are located on private property, with landowners granting her exclusive access.
On June 2, 2023, Schofield and Watson exchanged vows inside a glacier, followed by a picnic at a waterfall and photos in a canyon and on a black-sand beach.
The daring couple first met in school when they were 10 years old.
"I was so in love with him, it's not even funny," Schofield said. "I told my grandma and granddad I was going to marry this boy, but he doesn't remember me."
The two eventually went their separate ways before reconnecting in their 20s, when Watson walked into a bar where Schofield was bartending. The way she tells it, she went home with him and never left.
Take a look at Schofield and Watson's non-traditional wedding.
Jemma Schofield and Chris Watson exchanged vows in an ice cave along Iceland's southern coast on June 2, 2023.
The wedding day began in the town of Vík, where the bride and groom boarded a super Jeep for the adventure ahead.
The wedding venue — an ice cave inside a glacier — was located in a remote area with no paved roads or tourists.
Iceland Wedding Planner founder Ann Peters spotted the cave from a plane she chartered last summer, and keeps its location secret to provide her clients with exclusive access.
"I've spent days, hours, hiking, droning, doing all the things to find this area," Peters told Insider. "Everything changes because the area is alive."
Peters and her team provided the couple with helmets, ropes, and other necessary equipment to safely enter the cave.
The bride wore white ... and crampons on her rubber boots. The groom wore waders over his suit.
Schofield and Watson climbed into the ice cave in their wedding finery.
After navigating knee-high rivers flowing through the melting glacier, they arrived at a scenic spot for the ceremony.
A local Lutheran pastor officiated the wedding over the roar of rushing water.
They shared their first kiss as husband and wife, then celebrated with a swig of Icelandic moonshine.
After the ceremony, Schofield and Watson posed for more photos in the cave before moving on to their next location.
At the foot of a private waterfall, the newlyweds shared a picnic of fruit, macarons, Champagne, and other treats.
They then posed for photos in a narrow canyon accessible only by super Jeep.
For their last stop before dinner, Peters used a drone to capture photos of Schofield and Watson on a private black-sand beach.
Back in Vík, they changed out of their muddy wedding clothes and sat down for dinner in the hotel's dining room.
"I loved every minute of it," Jemma said of their adventurous elopement.
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