Columbia River Gorge Elopement | Mount hood oregon elopement
Brian and Sara reached out to me in the spring for their June elopement in Oregon. When they mentioned their two fur babies names were Madi and Vik, I knew they had probably adventured to Iceland together. (spoiler alert.. I was right!) ;) They described themselves as very outdoorsy and said they liked hiking, kayaking, and camping. Sara mentioned that they had met at a trivia night at a local brewery and that their first date was a hike to a waterfall, where they also ended up getting engaged.
Sara and Brian told me that their favorite vacation of all time was a trip to Iceland in 2019. It was that trip that inspired them to plan an outdoor elopement surrounded by nature and waterfalls. Iceland is nothing if not a place that inspires, so of course this made a lot of sense. There are actually several areas in Oregon that remind me of Iceland. In fact, the basalt rock that seems to "hang" behind Latourell is a reminder of the basalt columns of Reynisfjara (or the black sand beach) near Vik, Iceland.
So of course it was fitting that these two chose Latourell falls, in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge, for their elopement. They wanted to include their closest family and friends, and even have Sara's brother officiate.
Planning Activities for their Day
When we talked about what they wanted to do during the day, aside from their elopement ceremony, the couple mentioned that they wanted to plan a picnic at the Portland Women's forum viewpoint. There is a beautiful view of the Columbia River, and the Crown Point Vista House from that spot up on the hill. It's truly breathtaking - especially in the morning and at sunset - when the light changes colors and fills the valley.
We planned for the guests to spend some time site seeing after the picnic, and then to meet the couple for dinner that evening. This gave the Brian and Sara the afternoon to themselves for some fun and some beautiful photos. They loved the suggestion of getting out on a lake near Mount Hood, so that's what we did!
We rented row boats and went out on the lake. Me in a boat with all of my camera gear and my expert rowing skills (thanks rowing machine!) ;) and Brian and Sara in their own boat. The lake was peaceful, the mountain was breathtaking, and the summer sun was like natures blessing on these two and their really beautiful day.
