Oregon Coast elopements hold a special place in my heart and I was so deeply honored to photograph B & E’s magical, chic and windswept day. Because they had spent time at the Oregon Coast early in their relationship, they wanted to be surrounded by the forested cliffs meeting the ocean, the stunning rock formations, and the crashing of the waves. We planned their elopement with a focus on documentary and editorial style photos in several iconic locations: vows at Devil’s Cauldron, couple photos at Arch Cape, more couple photos at Hug Point, and a champagne toast with Deep Sea Sugar and Salt cake at their Manzanita Coast Cabin. It was an absolutely perfect day in a gorgeous setting - and I’m in love with this collection of photos (both digital and film)!
Tell us a little more about your love story and decision to elope:
“We took turns proposing to each other. Everyone should get to be both the proposer and proposee. Being proposed to is a really sweet, special experience. And proposing is terrifying even when you're pretty sure they're going to say yes.
We've never been big wedding people. We've seen friends stress about planning weddings--you can end up focused on making everyone else happy. We wanted to focus on the commitment we're making to each other, in a beautiful place we love.”
Tell us about your vision and planning process for the elopement:
“Each of us wanted to look and feel good, be surrounded by beauty, and feel enough peace to focus on the commitment we were making to each other. We knew we wanted to be on the Oregon Coast. We'd spent a lot of time there early in our relationship, and there aren't many other places where cliffs of old-growth forest meet the ocean. That kind of natural beauty doesn't require much decoration.
Our biggest decision was who to hire as a photographer. Since we planned to exchange vows without an officiant or witnesses, our photographer would be the only person there with us. We found the perfect photographer in Angelina, who is both absurdly talented and an absolute gem of a person.”
Tell us about the fashion! You two are so stylish:
“We each feel best in sharp tailoring. E wore a Kirrin Finch tux with suede Aquatalia loafers. B wore a vintage Armani tux, a 1960s deadstock veil, and Galician earrings. Most of what we wore was pre-owned - sustainability is important to us.
We also bought pre-owned gold bands to exchange during our vows. We liked the idea of our rings being involved in others' love stories beforehand.”
Tell us about your ceremony and how you felt:
E: “I felt calm and excited before the ceremony (I'd practiced out loud a bunch beforehand). The ceremony felt serious and important, but it was also funny--a strong wind kept blowing B's veil around and, at one point, blew away the notecards on which I wrote my vows. There will always be surprises and hiccups in life; it's good to laugh together and take them in stride.”
B: “The wind was our slightly unruly wedding guest. The sun showed up late to the ceremony, but the ocean and the trees more than made up for it. And I didn't mind the wind! It made managing the veil a bit more difficult--at one point, it fully blew away--but certainly added some drama and laughter to the ceremony.”
“Exchanging our vows in private felt right to us.”
What made your day unique? What did you enjoy most?
“We road-tripped to Manzanita, Oregon (a coastal town right by Arch Cape) the night before and stayed in a little cabin. We picked up a bouquet of dried flowers from River City Flower Farm at the farmer's market in Manzanita the night before the wedding. Everyone was very excited to hear we were eloping!
The morning of the ceremony, we took a walk along the beach, had a leisurely brunch, then got ready together. The whole day felt like a honeymoon (we then also took a honeymoon).”
What advice would you give couples planning and elopement?
“Really think about what is most important to you. How do you want to feel? What do you want to see and hear? How do you want to remember it?”
Scoll and enjoy this absolutely breathtaking Oregon Coast Elopement! -Angelina