Be sure to check out our companion article: How to Elope in Oregon!
Look at you; being a badass and making the super empowering and unique decision to elope! Your wedding day should be all about you + your partner experiencing a meaningful and intentional day together. When an elopement aligns with what you + your partner gravitate towards, there is no better adventure to start off your marriage together. Celebrate each other and your wedding day in a way that only you two can!
As adventure elopement photographers who travel along Washington, California, and Oregon, there's no place like Oregon.
We are partial to West Coast elopements, and find ourselves absolutely enchanted by all of the epic scenery that Oregon has. Eloping in Oregon is the best!
The state of Oregon boasts a plethora of opportunities for your adventure elopement! If you find yourself daydreaming about a waterfall elopement, a forest elopement, a coastal elopement, Oregon has a location for you!
- Oregon is home to at least 238 waterfalls!
- Though Crater Lake is the only National Park in Oregon, there are over 30 National Park Sites, National Natural Landmarks, and National Historic Landmarks. Oregon also boasts 230 state parks and 13 national forests.
- Nearly half of Oregon's total land is forested.
- Oregon's state tree is the Douglas Fir, which is the most common tree in Oregon. Peering up at the lush-green treetops in the Columbia River Gorge? Chances are, you're in the presence of Douglas Firs!
Now let's get down to it, where are some of the best places to elope in Oregon?! This is our ultimate guide!
With hundreds of waterfalls to choose from, being fed by 112,000 miles of rivers and streams, eloping in Oregon with a waterfall backdrop is totally possible!
There are waterfalls in nearly every corner of the Beaver State, with the majority existing in a scenic little corridor known as the Columbia River Gorge.
The Columbia River cuts through the states of Oregon and Washington like a knife, leaving epic waterfalls and gorgeous vistas in its wake. Hiking distances to waterfalls in "The Gorge" can vary between being right off of the highway, to 7+ miles! The Columbia River Gorge's waterfall corridor is an amazing spot for an elopement, whether it is just you + your partner, or if you have guests. There's truly a spot for everyone, in every season, too! Oregon gets about 41 inches of rain a year, so most waterfalls are still surging even in summer. The Columbia River Gorge is close to Portland, making it a great, centrally located area if you are flying into PDX!
If a more remote experience is what you seek, you can also find waterfalls scattered in other areas of Oregon, such as in the Cascade Mountains, National Forests, and near the Oregon Coast!
With so much of Oregon's geography being decorated with green trees under grey skies, forest weddings in Oregon are absolute magic. There are many National Forests to host your elopement: Willamette National Forest, Deschutes National Forest, and Mount Hood National Forest, just to name a few!
So many of Oregon's forests are readily available within close distance to populous areas, like Portland and Bend.
Each forest in Oregon is unique in its own right. Since many Oregon waterfalls are surrounded by lush greenery, a waterfall elopement and a forest elopement can go hand in hand!
Lakes and streams often reside in the forests, and eloping in the forest provides an amazing amount of diversity.
With tempestuous waves, rugged shorelines, unconventional rock formations, and fun tourist attractions, the Oregon Coast has the ability to be both your elopement and honeymoon destination!
Weather on the Oregon Coast is deliciously moody yet not too polarizing, and the cloudy skies gift us gorgeous lighting.
State parks such as Ecola State Park, Hug Point State Recreation Site, Cape Lookout, and Harris Beach State Park dot the landscape on the Oregon Coast. An exciting part of eloping on the Oregon Coast is the variety! Redwood forests hug the beach, and hikes lead to outcroppings with glorious views.
While the Oregon Coast frequently calls to visitors, it still contains opportunities for privacy. The Southern Oregon Coast, closer to California, is sparsely populated; and even tourist areas like Cannon Beach hold hidden gems.
50. 50 is the number of named mountain ranges in Oregon, with the Cascades being the most well-known. There are five mountains in Oregon that reach over 10,000 feet, all belonging to the Cascade Range! Chances are, when you close your eyes and think of an Oregon mountain; Mount Hood materializes.
Mount Hood is the tallest mountain in Oregon, and a favorite of close-by Portland residents for weekend recreation.
You can include Mount Hood in your elopement whether that is from a distance: with a magnificent view of the mountain from any angle, or ON the mountain: enjoying any of Mount Hood National Forest's miles of hiking trails!
Mountain elopements require special planning, with some roads and trails closed during specific times of the year. But eloping in the mountains gives such wildly different, irresistible aesthetics depending on season! Winter wonderland? Check. Sunshine in the summer? Got that. The vivid warm hues of leaves changing during fall? Why not?!
Oregon is synonymous with green trees, mossy ferns, waterfalls, and beaches. But don't let that limit you! Oregon holds multiple ecosystems, with endless possibilities when it comes to trading vows with your partner.
-Did you know Oregon has deserts? The Alvord Desert Playa, a dry lake bed in Southeast Oregon, stretches for miles as an alluring blank canvas for your elopement. Emerald + Cameron held their Oregon Desert Elopement in the Alvord Desert, and enjoyed the warm + inviting nearby hot springs afterward!
-Did you know Oregon has the most ghost towns out of any other US state? Greyson + Emily share an interest in exploring ghost towns, and wanted to incorporate that fun into their elopement day. They started off having their Oregon Grasslands Elopement ceremony in a remote area of the Spring Basin Wilderness, then roamed around abandoned ghost towns. So incredibly fun and unique! Friends, we absolutely ADORE when your elopement day truly embodies you as a couple!
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