Tiny Airbnb Coastal Wedding // Neskowin, Oregon

The most beautiful small wedding on the Oregon coast — it was a sweet, intimate day for these two, with friends and family gathered they said their vows along the waves, frolicked up and down the beach, and made a feast together before dancing the evening away!

TIP: If you want a dreamy, memorable wedding day that’s intimate, find an Airbnb on the coast (or wherever else makes you happy) and invite your closest people to come celebrate. Spend the weekend exploring, drinking wine with the views, and making meals together. There is something SO special about these kinds of days.

Ellie and Scotty created an experience for their small wedding day, full of precious moments — they walked down to the coastline for their vows, where there were both tears and laughter (from the sweet words AND the waves sweeping up around their feet). The celebration moved up to the wrap around deck where they all made a homemade feast together and mixed cocktails. After dinner, we sprinted (literally) beside the waves to catch the golden sunset!

These are just a FEW of the images that make of the story of their special day! I hope these two can be an inspiration for your intimate day!

VENDORS //

FLORIST // Corvus Landing Farm
DRESS // BHLDN
SUIT // John Varvatos Suit
VENUE // Airbnb

TWO IDEAS FOR ALTERNATIVE WEDDING ‘VENUES’ —

check out Airbnb & Peerspace

Evening Surf Couple Photos // San Luis Obispo Beach, California

Catching that California golden sunset for this evening surf session in San Luis Obispo (plus the pups of course), and making all the magic happen for these adventurous couple photos!

San Luis Obispo didn’t disappoint — especially when we rolled up on the beach for this gorgeous sunset! These two rolled up with the coolest van, the sweetest dogs, and surfboards strapped in for some fun photos in the waves!

If you’re looking for a day to play in the sun, HIT ME UP — there are so many incredible places to go and explore in San Luis Obispo — so let’s go adventure in SLO together! ;)

So excited to share these fun photos with you, hope you enjoy and can feel the warmth and smell the ocean!

MAKE A DAY IN SAN LUIS OBISPO — a few of the bests:

COFFEE // Scout Coffee
DRINKS // SLO cider bar & Central Coast Brewing
FOOD // Bliss Cafe (delicious vegan food)
BEACH // Pismo State Beach - Grover Beach
CHECK OUT // Things to do around Pismo Beach

Palm Springs Windmill Couple Photos // Some Desert Gems in California

Hanging out in Palm Springs California? You don’t want to miss out seeing these views — desert plateau meets industrial windmills.

We met just before dusk to make this golden magic come true! After winding down some dirt roads, we walked out into otherworldly windmill field up against the desert mountains. I love finding the beauty in obscure places!

So, if you’re in the Palm Springs area, the windmills are a MUST see! And, here area few other gems to make the road trip complete —

I. COFFEE STOP // Ernest Coffee

II. SMOOTHIE BOWL // Fresh Juice Bar

III. BRUNCH // Farm & Cheeky’s

IV. GRAB A DRINK // The High Bar & Truss & Twine

V. COOL OFF // check out these ideas for some pool hopping!

Enjoy all these sweet moments, and then let’s plan your own adventure!! Scroll to the bottom to check out all the amazing people involved in creating this magic!

ALL THE CREATIVES INVOLVED —

DRESS // The Kindred Soul
MUA // Breezo
EARRINGS // Meesha Farzaneh

The Griffin House, In Home Cozy Session // Columbia River Gorge

A cozy in home couples photo session at the Griffin House overlooking the Columbia River Gorge — just about as dreamy as it gets!

WHAT. A. DREAMY. MORNING.

I was so grateful to finally get a chance to hang out with these two lovely humans — out time together was long overdue! After having to cancel their wedding due to COVID, we still wanted to get together and do a fun, cozy shoot! When Hana texted me pics of this beautiful home she found, I think I sent her more heart eye emojis than I can count! It was such a gorgeous house on the clifftops over looking the Columbia River Gorge! The whole house was basically a dream — a mix of boho modern decor, so many fun rugs, big windows, stunning natural light, and overall just the most perfect aesthetic.

ALSO… we found out it’s a WEDDING VENUE. What?!?! Check it out if you’re on the search for a cool Oregon wedding venue with indoor & outdoor options!

We had such a great morning together! We also probably spent the first 30 mins just running around the house exploring and gushing over all the fun rooms and spaces! Then, we had a blast getting creative (and eating cinnamon roles too, duh). Grateful for these two and the way they immediately felt like close friends!

CHECK OUT THE GRIFFIN HOUSE!

Sunrise Elopement in the Columbia River Gorge // Portland, OR

A beautiful, sunrise elopement in the Columbia River Gorge just outside of Portland — and an amazing story to go with it!

Oh man — this story will go down in the books for adventurous and SPONTANEOUS elopements! These two lovely humans slid into my DMs around 11pm on a Friday night, asking “Hey what are you up to Sunday at sunrise?!” A few messages back and forth later, and they had tickets from MISSOURI to OREGON for the next day!! They sent me a selfie of them on the plane, IN THEIR WEDDING CLOTHES (can you say, hello free upgrades) and they were heading my way!

Even though they had a bigger wedding planned for the following weekend, they wanted to elope — their hearts needed this kind of space, to breathe and to recenter on what they were choosing together.

We met on a very chilly morning, just before the sun came over the mountains. It was calm and clear. It was so evident that their hearts were bursting for each other, and the joy on their faces from this decision was beaming! Elopements are so incredibly special, it’s a unique kind of space, and the sacredness is almost tangible in the air. I’m always grateful and in awe of the people who make the brave (and sometimes spontaneous) choice to speak their promises in this kind of way.

Lake Powell, UT // Couple Photos + Creating an Experience

CREATING AN EXPERIENCE TOGETHER — OUR TRIP TO LAKE POWELL & IDEAS ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!

This story and collection of images is a little bit different than normal — it’s more personal, but also a space for you to begin dreaming up ideas for your own adventure!

Over the summer, we had the opportunity to go to Lake Powell with a group of our closest friends. We road-tripped through the night to Utah, rented a houseboat for 5 days, and floated out into the beautiful canyon arms of Lake Powell.

Living on a boat together — with no signal, just us and the lake — was a DREAM. It was a space of laughter, star gazing, late night conversations, kayaking explorations, living in swim suits, dancing to music, sleepovers every night on the top deck, and true connection with friends. It’s special. These are experiences we have to choose into. And, these kind of meaningful moments look different for everyone — they can be as big or as small as we want, we just have to be intentional about them.

These images are obviously personal to me — but they taught me a lot. They taught me that the feelings and memories an image carries comes with the authentic connection we create in the moment we snap them.

The experience.

THIS experience — it’s one I will never forget. We created it, we lived into it, and these images (along with hundreds of silly iPhone videos haha) will solidify the memories always.

Now, it’s your turn. What adventures can you start dreaming up? What experiences do you want to create?

TIPS & IDEAS —

LAKE POWELL HOUSEBOATS // Bullfrog Marina Houseboat Rentals
LAKE POWELL MUST SEE SPOTS // Points of Interest
BRING A STRAW HAT ;) // Billabong & Quicksilver & Patagonia

a few others…

bring sunscreen // bring books // bring lots of drinks to hydrate through the day // bring bug repellant // bring games to play // bring floaties for the water // bring lots of coolers & lots lots lots of ice (it gets HOT) // expect chill — this is a space to not rush — swim, read, swim, read again. Enjoy every second //

Want travel ideas? Check out my travel bucket list here →

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Dunes on the Oregon Coast // Engagement Photos

Exploring the Oregon Coast sand dunes with these two was a DREAM!

I was over the moon excited to get a chance to hang out with these two before their wedding next year!! We each road tripped to meet on the Oregon dunes for an evening of exploring the sandy coastline!

Having not spent much time on the Southern coast of Oregon, it was so fun to experience the new scenery and landscapes. I’m always blown away by all the different types of terrain the Oregon Coast offers — it’s truly incredible!

We spent the evening running around and soaking up the golden sun as it set over the dunes. Grateful for these two lovely humans — and goofballs ;) — and for an evening with new friends! It’s gonna be a freakin’ party at their wedding next year!

Redwood Forest Intimate Wedding // Crescent City, CA

AN INTIMATE TINY WEDDING DAY AMONGST THE BEAUTIFUL CALIFORNIA REDWOOD FOREST.

Talk about the dreamiest backyard, intimate wedding — especially when the REDWOODS are your backyard! Alyssa and Santiago chose to have a sweet, meaningful wedding with their close friends and family. A while ago, Alyssa sent me an email describing what the evening would look like, and I just had to share her beautiful words —

“People will be munching on grilled cheese and tomato bisque in a mug. Dinner will be homemade quiche and a salad. There will be a couple of kegs and wine from local sources. A friend will be making a cider whiskey cocktail from the cider from the apple trees around the yard. There will be a cider press. Even the food ingredients will all be from the local dairy, herbs from the garden, things like that. Musical ambience will be sweet jazz and Motown during dinner. After first dances there will be more funky motown and salsa transitioning into Missy Elliot and Lizzo by the end of the night (the dances that Grandma will be long gone for haha). At the end of the night we will drive my mom's white mini cooper as our get away car and drive off to a airbnb tree house in the redwoods.”

Um, wow. I love that they made their day unique and fully structured to THEM and what they wanted. The true beauty of a tiny wedding. We explored the Redwood National Forest, ran across the empty fog-covered coastline, and danced the evening away surrounded by an apple orchard! My kind of night!

ps. my husband, Josiah, created a beautiful film of their day as well…

DETAILS —

DRESS // BHLDN
GROOM’S TIE // ETSY
FLORALS // Picked from their yard

This wedding was a beautiful example of community gathering and collaborating to bring together an incredible space of celebration!

CHECK OUT THE FILM FROM THIS LOVELY DAY…

thinking you might want video too? Let me know!

Adventurous Crook Point Elopement // The Oregon Coast

An adventurous elopement on the Southern Oregon Coast at Crook Point.

Oregon showed up in its truest way on this elopement day — the hills and coast covered in low clouds, misty air, and rolling stormy waves. It was a beautiful fall day for an adventure elopement at Crook Point!

Dianne and Jeff are true champions at embracing every aspect of their day, even the weather! The drizzly skies didn’t steal their joy one single bit, and the excitement they both had was so contagious. Dianne told me, “he is the hum to my soul.” Jeff had a smile on his face every second of the day, and laughed with pure happiness the second they were announced as husband and wife. Their kindness and love is something I’ll always remember.

They rented an airbnb on a clifftop for the weekend (talk about a DREAMY getaway spot), and scouted out a bluff overlooking a private cove for their intimate ceremony.

It was just the two of them. Small, intimate, and so meaningful.

We hiked the trail in the rain out to a grove of trees where they said their vows to each other. Then, the rain stopped for 10 minutes for us to walk out to the point for photos and to soak up the view before returning to their airbnb for some bubbly and cake. They even hired a private chef to prepare them a romantic dinner to celebrate!

Every little piece of this day was beautiful.

DETAILS

VENUE // CROOK POINT
DRESS // WILLOWBY WATTERS
SUIT // MACYS & NORDSTROM
LOCATIONS // AIRBNB & OREGON COAST
FOOD // BLACK MARKET GOURMET
FLORALS // ABUNDANT BLOOMS
CAKE // COASTAL MIST

Summer Anniversary Photos // Columbia River Gorge, OR

These two picked a summer evening on the Oregon Columbia River Gorge for their anniversary photo session!

Summer evenings in the gorge are magical — golden skies, illuminated clifftops, lush forests, and warm, windy nights. There are so many incredible locations along the river for photos, but this might just be one of my favorites. I was so excited when these two reached out wanting their anniversary photos in the gorge!

Grateful for peaceful spaces and gorgeous views, and wonderful people to adventure with!

Intimate A-Frame Cabin Wedding // Mt. Rainier, WA

An intimate wedding day at an A-frame cabin in the forest near Mt. Rainier National Park — a beautiful, tiny ceremony with close friends and family.

These two must have a thing for cabins (and I LOVE it) — we spent a morning at a cabin in the Oregon woods near Mt. Hood for their engagement photos, then they found this adorable a-frame cabin on a river near Mt. Rainier National Park. Dreams do come true!

Paige & Brenden chose to have an intimate day, a small micro wedding with their closest friends and family. With wild fires burning across the West Coast, there was a layer of smoke that hung in the sky, but it only added to the moody, soft vibe that these two had wanted!

They had the most beautiful ceremony on the deck of the cabin, ending with a collection group shot of champagne (my new favorite way to end a ceremony)! Then, they spent the evening laughing, sharing stories, snapping polaroids, and dancing under the trees. With a long table set for dinner along the river to share a meal together, it truly felt like “family” being a part of this day — every single detail was intentional.

Grateful to be a part of sacred moments like these, enjoy these snapshots of their day!

THE DETAILS

DRESS // a&bé bridal shop
FLORIST // Wild Fern Florals
VENUE // Airbnb near Mt. Rainier National Park

Pacific Northwest Engagement Photos // Columbia River Gorge, OR // Mason & Grace

One of my newly discovered favorite locations in the Columbia River Gorge for engagement photos! This beautiful river spot has the most gorgeous views of the mountains reflecting in the water!

The Columbia River Gorge just East of Portland, OR is one of my FAVORITE places to watch sunset! It’s also one of the most beautiful drives — mountains on one side, river on the other. As the sun goes down, the entire gorge is illuminated with light, and the colors change every minute of the sun dipping down!

Spending the evening with these two, exploring a new location, was SO MUCH FUN. We had a blast trailblazing through the long weed-y grass, splashing in the river, watching salmon jump, and spotting sea lions (yep, that’s a thing in the river).

Grateful for amazing humans, stunning views, and deep breaths out in the wilderness!

Cannon Beach, Oregon Coast Elopement // Kaci & Dallin

WE CHASED THE SUN FROM ROCKY COASTLINES, TO COASTAL FORESTS, TO GOLDEN BEACH SUNSETS — THIS OREGON COAST INTIMATE WEDDING WAS PURE MAGIC!

These two travelled across many states to have their intimate wedding elopement day on the Oregon coast! Surrounded by just family (with the Pacific Ocean as their witness), they said their vows and spent the rest of the day frolicking along the beach, exploring lush coastal forests, eating fish tacos, and having cake and donuts as the sun set! My. Kind. Of. Day.

The Oregon Coast — especially Cannon Beach — can get pretty crowded in the summer months! But, these two scouted out the perfect little cove for their wedding ceremony, and had the whole corner just to themselves! I love when ceremonies have a unique aspect to them — in the middle of the ceremony, these two had everyone (including themselves) go and find a rock or pebble to bring to the “alter” and surround them with. A family roundedness for their promises. Then, they kept the rock they had chosen — a pretty special souvenir if you ask me!!

I adore these two — and being a part of their day was so incredibly special. They have such warm hearts, and I immediately felt like I was a part of the family! They truly embraced their day and went with the flow of whatever happened next. Every single second of it was soaked up to the fullest! If you’ve read my blog post on “Why Eloping or Having a Small Wedding is so Special” then you know my thoughts behind these special kinds of days — and Kaci & Dallin REALLY REALLY lived into all of it. It was beautiful.

I’m grateful I got to savor this piece of their story.

xx

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DAY DETAILS —

GETTING READY SPACE // AIRBNB
CEREMONY LOCATION // CANNON BEACH, OR
FLORALS // SOLABEE, FLOWERS & BOTANICALS
DINNER // TOM’S FISH & CHIPS

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Desert Lake Couple Photos // Bend, OR

A DREAMY EVENING OVERLOOKING A DESERT LAKE FOR THESE COUPLE PHOTOS IN CENTRAL OREGON

Golden hour is always magical — but, when you’re standing on a cliff overlooking a desert lake with mountains in the background, it’s a new level of beauty.

I had a blast exploring the central Oregon lake views with these two on this lovely summer evening. It was impossible not to take some pretty grand images with that background!

Always grateful for new friends, windy + golden evenings, and exploring this beautiful state!

Desert Evening Elopement // Central Oregon

ALL THE GOLDEN HOUR, DESERT ADVENTURE ELOPEMENT VIBES FOR THESE TWO! THE PERFECT SUMMER NIGHT, AMAZING VIEWS, AND INCREDIBLE PEOPLE — SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!

We arrived at the desert butte and grasslands just as the sun was starting to make the canyon glow! Kyra & Michael got ready in the parking lot (with the final touches being lint rolling puppy hair off his suit jacket haha)! They put on their old wedding clothes — almost two years later — and we captured some magic in the desert!

It was such a beautiful evening, running from one amazing view point to the next! Summer exploring is one of my favorite things, and good company makes it even better!

Excited for many more summer evenings to come!

DRESS // A&BÉ BRIDAL SHOP
FLORALS // UFLORA
EARRINGS // AMANDA MICHELLE HANDMADE

Rowena Crest Couple Session // Columbia River Gorge

A SUMMER AFTERNOON SPENT FROLICKING AROUND THE WINDY CLIFFTOPS OF ROWENA CREST OVERLOOKING THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE!

The rolling golden hills at Rowena Crest were dancing with the wind when we all arrived at the Columbia river Gorge overlook! It was so fun to prance around and laugh SO MUCH during these photos! It was an absolute blast to hang out and enjoy the summer afternoon together!

THINGS TO DO AROUND ROWENA CREST VIEWPOINT —

// Eat at Eastwind Drive-in

// Coffee at Dog River Coffee Co.

// Stay at The Society Hotel, Bingen

Intimate Portland Wedding at Tendue // Mallory & Robbie

This intimate Portland city wedding chose to embrace joy and presence, even in the midst of COVID-19 chaos and the roller coaster of plan changes! It was a BEAUTIFUL day full of so much love and laughter!

I adore these two!! We’ve been chatting about their wedding since early 2019, and it’s been an honor to both watch and walk alongside them in this journey! They have been absolute CHAMPS as they’ve rolled with the punches of 2020 and plan changes! I’m so grateful to have couples who are so gracious and still choose to experience all the joy a day holds — no matter what it looks like!

This intimate wedding was a small gathering of their close friends and a few family members — joined by a zoom party of other guests (of course)! They truly chose presence, and the whole wedding day was so fun to be a part of! I loved everything about these sweet moments.

So so so thankful that I get to witness some pretty amazing stories!

THE AMAZING VENDORS:

DRESS // BHLDN

SUIT // INDOCHINO

FLORALS // POPPIES & PAISELY

VENUE // TENDUE

PLANNER + STYLING // ROSEDAE EVENTS CO.

CATERER // WHITE PEPPER