Mary and Patrick's Moody and Romantic Forest Elopement on Mt. Hood | Oregon Wedding Photographer
Mary and Patrick originally planned for a bigger wedding in downtown Portland, but when gathering restrictions changed their plans, these two JUMPED on the idea of a Mt. Hood forest elopement! They booked one of my favorite AirBnb’s in the world (The Welches A-Frame) and worked with me to narrow down a trail that would shot off the PNW rainforest without requiring too much hiking and we landed on the Old Salmon River Trail. They built their own ceremony arch (and will hopefully be teaching me how to craft one soon, too!) arranged their own flowers sourced from local farms, and since they’re both chefs, made sure the food was incredible for their Wildwood Recreation Site cookout reception that afternoon.
I’ve never been more excited to wake up at 3am y’all. The second I walked in the door, the a-frame was immediately full of coffee (we all bonded over our love of pour over and chemex coffee, and I got to take them by Mt Hood Roasters later in the day) croissants, and laughter. We started at a 10, and stayed at a 10 all day. Mary and Patrick shared a first look on the deck in the woods with their close friends cheering inside, before we all headed out for their sunrise ceremony along the Salmon River. Together, the six of them put the arch together and secured all of the flowers, transforming the magical forest into the perfect ceremony spot.
Suzie from Heart Crafted Ceremonies led one of the most emotional, sentimental, beautiful, intimate wedding ceremonies that I’ve ever had the joy to document. In addition to vows and a hand-fasting ceremony, they chose to do a flower exchanging ceremony—something I’ve never seen before! They chose the seasonal Dahlias, and Suzie’s words were poetry when describing the symbolism and behind this favorite flower. Their friends even brought bubbles for a mini send off!! After some GLOWING portraits in the Mt. Hood National Forest, we headed up to Trillium Lake to pop some bottles, before heading back to the cabin for a zoom with the family and siesta time. We ended the day with a menu planned by the couple and executed by their chef friends (chef with chef friends = dream clients amirite??) and two DELICIOUS cakes—one for the bride and one for the groom made by the bride’s two best friends.
