Ben left early without having a peak at Silje. Being Scottish, Ben was dressed in his family kilt, proudly wearing his kilt on a very hot, but windy afternoon. After Ben left, Silje and I got chatting. Silje is from Norway, also an incredibly scenic country. But Namibia has stolen her heart with its often barren, wide-open landscapes. Taking a shortcut through the reserve, we had ample time for photos. We even found a few zebras eager to pose for us. I was getting nervous as I saw the sun sliding behind the Matterhorn. I firmly believe that Namibia does not have a golden hour – we have a golden 5-minutes and my five minutes of golden light was quickly sliding through my fingers.

We arrived at the designated spot. The arch wasn’t quite ready yet, so Silje and I walked a bit to take a few more photos… and then Ben gave the sign…

Spitzkoppe is one of the most beautiful settings imaginable to get married in. The sermon was beautifully curated and as the musician’s song voiced their love, I quietly got rid of my own tears… getting married this way, just the two of them at the foot of the Spitzkoppe in the late afternoon sun, perfection.

I looked up at the sky and realised a mad dash for light was in order. Ben navigated us on the single tracks towards The Arch as quickly as he could. As were a tad late, we made a serious run for it until we had only a steep climb between us and the arch. Every run and scary climb was worth it… the scenes that played out were more than I ever could have hoped for.

The next morning

As time wasn’t really on our side, we decided to return to the scene the next morning for a few more photos. The location where we had the ceremony was dashed in bright light but looking up I saw the full moon sliding out of sight – and I knew – this was another great opportunity.

We then departed to another part of the reserve where we took a few more photos.

Ben and Silje dropped me off at our campsite and we said our goodbyes.