Boy oh boy is this an epic elopement! I was first introduced to Matthew & Chelsea by a former client of mine. They live on the East coast but wanted to plan an epic elopement that included a road trip up and down the Oregon coast. Being a Tacoma photographer makes it easy to take the 3.5 hour drive to Cannon Beach for just such a day! I started the morning by going to the Washington floral service wholesale shop to get all the flowers needed for the day. Chelsea had a dried floral hair clip that she wanted to use as the inspiration jump off point for her flowers. I based my designs off of that color palette and knew the style of arrangement she wanted. I created the bouquet first followed by the two ceremony vases and the boutonniere for the groom. Then I packed up the rest of the flowers and gear in my car and headed south. I made great time and had about an hour to check out some sights before meeting them at their airbnb. The couple got ready together while listening to music & before she put on her dress Matthew went outside for the first look. We did the first look at the Airbnb then took a few photos before heading to the ceremony site. We chose Arcadia Beach because it’s a lot less busy than Cannon Beach and had plenty of space to set up away from anyone. It was a bright sunny day so we chose to be up next to the cliff for some shade from the heat. I brought all of the accessories for the ceremony & reception snack time. I set up the rug and flowers/candles and then they had a wonderful ceremony led by the lovely Carolyn of Oregon Beach Ceremonies. We took photos at Arcadia Beach and then headed to Hug Point to see more landscapes to include in photos. After shooting for a while we headed to a parking area near Haystack rock. The couple took a break while I set up the food and decorations for their little reception spot. Normally I love to give my couples a little gift when I mail their photos out. This time I decided since they were flying I was going to give it at the reception as a surprise. I found an artist on Tiktok called Toxic Vinyl Co. who paints old records. I commissioned her to do a piece to commemorate the special day and the couple absolutely loved it! We ended the day with a truly epic sunset that made it to be a simply perfect day. If you are thinking about Eloping in the Pacific Northwest please reach out to me! Along with photography services I am now offering elopement planning, floral design and custom charcuterie set up to make your day a perfect one.