You know a story is going to be good when it starts with God's chicken and ends with an amazing sunset elopement in the PNW.
I met Andrea in the playground area of Chick-Fil-A as our kids were playing. We started talking, and she mentioned she was getting married in a few months. I told her what we do for a living, and the rest is history! A few months down the road, Steven and I were boarding a plane to Portland, Oregon to photograph her gorgeous elopement at Crater Lake!
We left the city and drove through Bend, going deeper into one of the most rural, beautiful areas I've seen: the Pacific Northwest. We spent the night in a camper with one of our best friends from high school who just so happens to live in Portland, ending our days with moonlit bonfires and awakening to a breakfast of pop tarts and lounging in hammocks. We grabbed some breakfast on the morning of their summer micro wedding and made our way to Watson Falls. Andrea and Joe met us in the parking area and we hiked up the falls with them. What a gorgeous place! I couldn't have handpicked a more gorgeous spot for pre-elopement portraits!
We made our way down the trail and drove up to Crater Lake, which is probably the most stunning place I've seen to date. I was surprised to see snow on the ground in July! Poor Andrea had to be freezing in her Reclamation gown, but I never heard her utter one complaint. Close friends and family gathered on the side of the crystal blue lake, and Andrea held their daughter Eres as they said their vows and joined their hands in a promise of forever.
The ceremony closed with a chanted blessing by Andrea and her circle of friends, and we took some time to capture a few portraits while marveling at the beauty of the PNW.
Being part of this stunning Oregon elopement was one of the highlights of our career, and more importantly it created a friendship between our families that we will treasure forever. Thank you Andrea, Joe, and Eres for welcoming us into such an intimate, special moment in your lives.
(Behind the scenes…)