Best Portland Oregon Elopement locations & packages
Best Portland Oregon Elopement locations & packages
Let’s chat about the couple of this Portland Oregon elopement.
Liz + Sean + their two huge Irish Wolf hounds were the best part about this Portland Oregon Elopement. Yes, the scenery was to die for, and the sunset was gorgeous, but the love these two share in UNREAL. Liz is completely gluten free, and Sean is a brewer, beer is her favorite drink but it is SO HARD to find a gluten free beer that actually taste delicious, so what does Sean do? Well, he starts making his own beer, in hopes to open up a completely gluten free brewery so that she can enjoy her favorite drink without all the consequences of having gluten. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THAT IS THE SWEETEST THING EVER. Liz + Sean have a story like no other, and it is their story to tell, not mine, but let me say, they have been through it all. And Sean has been a constant rock for Liz, and it shows in everything he does for her, how he talks to her, how he serves her and how he just wants everything in the world for her. The way he holds her, you can tell she leans on him, she trusts him. The way she looks into his eyes, tells an entire story of hurt and pain and victory and recovery and love. Their love inspires me to be better, and inspires me to love stronger and more fiercely towards my husband. For them, they knew their pups had to be a part of this day, so we hit the Columbia river gorge and drove til we found something we were AMAZED by. And it did not take long, stopping at waterfalls along the way, to just look at and admire, geeking over how huge the ferns were on the side of the road, and taking time to just watch the mountains glisten different colors as the sun began to set, it was magical all in all.
So what else can we talk about besides my obsession over these two and their love for one another? A lot, let me tell you!
best locations to elope in Oregon
what to pack/how to prepare
Best places to stay
Oregon elopement photographer
Top Portland elopement locations:
Columbia River Gorge
Bend, Or
There are so many AMAZING and gorgeous locations all over Oregon to have your elopement at, so that is why I put together a few different lists for you!! So let’s dive into a few things to consider when planning your Portland Oregon Elopement.
Weekdays are always going to be better than weekends! Weekends, especially if the weather is nice are always going to be crowded everywhere you go, parking will be a pain, and photoshopping people out of your photos will be your life. So eloping on a weekday is going to give you more flexibility with your photographer and vendors involved, less wait time and less traffic and also more privacy in the area you choose to elope in!
Start your ceremony around 2 hours before the sunsets, as this lighting is going to be so freaking gorgeous and it gives you time to possibly drive to a second location and get those gorgeous sunset and blue hour photos! This is important especially if you are eloping at a waterfall, base of the mountains, or in the woods somewhere are there are going to be things blocking the sun, so it will get darker earlier in these locations as compared to on the beach or top of a mountain or cliff!
Handle all the legality of getting married before your actual ceremony! This is going to open up the options for locations WAY MORE if you are already legally married and just reading vows as compared to having an actual ceremony! Get your marriage license ahead of time, or just get married at the court house, and save your vows and letters for your epic location you picked out!
Take weather into consideration! Oregon weather can kind of be like Seattle, in that it is always changing, early spring and late fall are going to be the best times of year to elope in Oregon! Just make sure to keep an eye on the weather, have a backup location in mind in case of any closures or bad weather and always have a rain plan!!
Packing ideas: umbrella, rain jacket, water bottles, snacks and granola bars, gatorade powder packets, extra socks and shoes, cute jacket, cheap extra jewelry, sunglasses and bug and bear spray, sunscreen, wet wipes/toilet paper and a plastic baggy, your vows or letters to one another, hats, scarves or any accessories you want to add to your day, hiking boots (I do not recommend heels), any celebratory drinks you may want to have after your vows, your pups or babies, and always bring an emergency first add kit in case of any accidents!!
How to prepare for your elopement in Portland Oregon
Being prepared for your elopement is always going to make your life so much easier and way less stressful, so all of this is coming from the past bride in me who planner her own elopement from a completely different state in under a month (that is a story for another day- ask me about it!). Elopements are special in the way that they are far more simple than a grand wedding, yet there are still details that go into your elopement! So here is my best advice to you from a bride and photographer all in one!
Decide what is most important to you and your partner FIRST. Whether this is intimacy, and just the two of you, or if this is including your family and friends and furr babies. Decide on what you want and STICK TO IT. Tell your family and friends firmly your plan, and do not let them persuade you differently because it is what they want. This is about YOU not them! Remember that, always. Once you decide what is most important to you, plan around that!
Pick your location based on sentimental value to you and your partner or a dream spot, not just because instagram made it look good. Ask your photographer to help you out as well!
Pack accordingly!! Pack for your location and be over prepared! pack extra of everything, pack rain attire, and pack for a weekend not just the day!
Get everything on the legal side taken care of before the actual day of your elopement!
Find the dream vendors and reach out to them FIRST. Find them and book them ASAP and be flexible on your dates- consider off season and weekdays to get all those dream vendors of your!
Have a back up plan and a back up back up plan for your location and date in case of weather or sickness!
Forget about the small details, focus on you and your love and what matters most to you! You do not NEED anything, you do not need florals or a reception table, all that matters at the end of the day is marrying the love of your life and promising forever to them.
Best places to stay for your elopement in Portland Oregon:
So there are SO MANY epic locations, how in the world do you figure out where to stay?! One thing that will determine this is if you are bringing family and friends with you or not! If you are, it is always a fun idea to have a huge airbnb together and everyone split it, that way you can have a reception dinner or after party at the airbnb and not risk anyone drinking and driving and not have anyone miss out on because they cannot afford a place to stay! When my husband and I eloped in Colorado, we rented two cabins across from one another, one was for his family and groomsmen and the other for my family and bridesmaids and then we just got a separate airbnb for the night of the wedding for us two alone! It was the best decision we made because we got to spend the ENTIRE weekend in the hot tub, and hanging out with all our closest friends and family in once palace, and we were able to do a reception dinner without renting anything else, just using what the airbnb already had! So it saved us a lot of money for the ‘reception’ aspect of our elopement! SO.. here it is, my list of best airbnbs in Oregon for your elopement!!
I don’t want to give away all the secrets but this is a good start to helping you find the perfect airbnb or stay for your elopement! Oregon has so many gorgeous houses, just make sure to book far enough in advance as a lot of these book up to 6 months out from the date!
Portland Elopement Photographer: what to look for
Oregon is such a HUGE state and has so many photographers, so your options are sure as hell not limited when it comes to finding the perfect photographer for you. But that is just it, you want to make sure they are perfect fit for you. You do not want someone just because they have pretty photos. You want to connect with their images, feel what their stories tell and believe in them, and trust them to get you the best damn photos of your life for the best damn day of your life! So how do you do this?
hop on the phone or facetime with the photographer before booking them! Ask them questions and ask them about their philosophy on shooting and posing, ask them to send over full galleries in all different lighting scenarios! Make sure you love how they shoot indoors, outdoors, in direct sun, in shade, in the rain, in the mountains AND at a waterfall! You never know what the lighting situation will be on your actual elopement day!
look at their instagram feed. see what they are posting, are they inclusive? Or do they only shoot one type of couple and is that you and your partner? See how they caption photos and how they speak, see what they post on their stories!
Read their blogs! Are they informing you and helping you plan? Are they showing that they are an EXPERT in the area you are eloping in and are they an expert in shooting elopements in general?
Look for them on google and read reviews! You can also find reviews for most photographers on facebook, the knot, wedding wire, or any local directory and also on their website or instagram a lot of the time! but find out what past brides are saying about them and the experience they had with them!
Read any publications they have been featured in and see what credibility they have to their name!
most importantly. feel something. feel connected to them and their work, bond with them, they will be with you ALL day on your most important day ever, so you want to make sure you love who they are and what they stand for as well as their personality and how they are to hang out with and be around for a full day!
Ready to elope in Portland Oregon?!
