For some couples, a proposal is a build-up moment of nerves and celebration, followed by months, or even years, of meticulous wedding planning.
But for Jenna and J Pond, a Dallas-based couple who have been together for nearly 10 years, they stepped outside of the traditional timeline.
Instead, they opted for an Icelandic adventure that turned into a whirlwind of an engagement, elopement, and honeymoon — all within 23 days of travelling abroad.
“I always wanted to go to Iceland. I just always had this affinity for waterfalls and obviously, some of the absolute greatest in the world are in Iceland,” said J.
Jenna — an avid traveller in comparison to J — had previously travelled three times with G Adventures — and proposed booking an Iceland tour for the two of them.
The couple started plotting what a small marriage ceremony in Iceland would look like — inviting friends from Europe to join them — until Jenna suggested they elope.
From Iceland adventure to surprise engagement
On their first day in Iceland the two of them filled out marriage paperwork, but although they were technically married on paper, J still had a secret up his sleeve.
He had bought a custom engagement ring for Jenna, intending to surprise her during the trip. That moment arrived on the second day of their trip during a grueling hike up the tallest waterfall in Europe.
“We were at the top of this mountain, and we are not avid hikers… It starts raining, and these Germans are up in the glacier water doing yoga after us, and we’re shivering. And he’s giving me the ring,” recalls Jenna.
“I was not expecting it … I just knew we were getting married, and of course, I told him yes.”
The plan for the Ponds was to get married on the last day of their G Adventures tour but throughout their Icelandic adventure, they were greeted with joy about their wedding plans from not just their fellow travellers but local Icelanders as well.
“The entire time, all the people in Iceland wanted to marry us,” Jenna says.
During a visit to a glacier, where a chapel had just been opened, a local guide asked if he could officiate a mock ceremony.
“He goes ‘Can I marry y’all?’ and I’m like, ‘Sure, why not?’ So all the G Adventures travellers sat in the crowd and we had a whole little fake marriage,” she said.
And later during the tour, while baking bread at a lake, a local baker insisted on treating the loaf like a wedding cake. By the end, the Ponds jokingly conceded they had been married more than three times.
An unforgettable elopement in Iceland
On the final day of their trip, while other travellers were preparing for the journey home, Jenna and J set out with a photographer to make their union official.
“We ate breakfast with all of our G Adventures people, and then from there we headed out with a photographer, and we got married from there,” said Jenna.
“The honeymoon per se afterwards, we took a ship over to the Faroe Islands, which was a recommendation of Nick — our G Adventures guide — and we just kind of continued the party.”
“When you want to go somewhere and it’s built up in your head for so long, you’re like, ‘Man, I really hope it lives up to everything, and it really did,” said J.
Finding connection through group travel in Iceland
For J — who had spent 20 years of his career dedicated to summer football training — this trip was his first time away during the season. He admits he was initially hesitant about group travel, wondering if he would enjoy being tethered to a schedule with strangers.
He found himself surprised by the depth of connections formed in just a few days. The group, a melting pot of people from Texas, New York, and beyond, bonded over the intensity of the terrain and the unpredictable Icelandic weather.
The couple also credits their group and Chief Experience Officer(CEO) Nick for making the experience worthwhile.
“I think the group helped it out even more and our tour guide Nick was absolutely phenomenal,” said J.
“He spent energy and effort to get to know us. You have to get 8 to 15 people to mesh well, to talk well together… and he did an amazing job.”
Discovering Iceland through local experiences
Beyond the bonds of the group, Jenna and J were moved by the importance of the local connections curated by Nick. He didn’t just guide them, he championed local artisans and introduced them to small local businesses.
“He was very knowledgeable on bakeries and food. He took us to a little coffee shop that had these giant cookies… and this lovely old lady was owning the place, and she had been making these cookies for years,” said Jenna.
For Jenna, these moments are the essence of why she keeps returning to G Adventures. Having previously travelled with the company to Thailand, Vietnam, and Turkey, she has built a global network of friends — from an Australian priest to a doctor — whom she still connects with to this day.
“The world is really good and people from all over the world, they all have like-mindedness,” Jenna reflects. “Things you would never think that you would make those friends, but they are all like-minded people.”
As they look back on their Icelandic elopement, the couple doesn’t feel like they missed out on a traditional wedding. Instead, they feel they gained something far more meaningful: a month-long celebration, a collection of global friendships, and a story that perfectly captures their shared spirit of adventure.
Read more stories like this:
How small group travel became the perfect foundation for one couple’s relationship
How a solo trip to Mexico led to a lifelong friendship
Birthdays on the road: how one nurse started taking annual G Adventures trips
