The rugged Oregon Coast called to Liz and Erik, drawing them from their Colorado home to celebrate their love among towering trees and crashing waves. When they reached out about capturing their elopement, I knew we would create something extraordinary, even with just 30 days to plan.

A Forest Ceremony

When Liz and Erik reached out to me to capture and help plan their Oregon Coast elopement, I was absolutely thrilled! We connected right away and even though we only had about a 30 day timeline to plan, I knew we would put together an amazing elopement day that authentically showcased their connection and unique love story.

They traveled from Colorado to Oregon and exchanged heartfelt vows in the solitude of the Pacific Northwest’s forest, among giant ferns and towering coastal trees. Through their tears, they each spoke of the heartbreak they had overcome, the adventures they shared, and the dreams of their future together. The love they expressed to each other seemed to fill the forest, as if the trees and wildlife around us were quietly listening and taking in this sacred moment.

Sunset Celebrations

We hiked out to the edge of the ocean and watched as the sun painted the sky, capturing every last drop of light. Liz and Erik shared a celebratory toast before hiking down the rugged terrain to sit together, sipping their beers and watching the sunset. If there is one word to describe this experience, it is gratitude. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know Liz and Erik and document this beautiful piece of their love story. It was truly such an honor adventuring with this amazing couple to some of the most magical places in Oregon for their elopement, and it is a privilege to be trusted with these moments.

Their Love Story

Part of my process when getting to know my couples is asking deeper questions about their connection and the shared experiences that have impacted their relationship the most. Liz and Erik’s love story is so incredible and so moving; having navigated unimaginable trauma, which ultimately further solidified their bond and love for each other. With their permission, I am sharing their journey as a couple alongside their magical elopement day images.

In her email to me, Liz expressed her experience so beautifully and eloquently, I knew it wouldn’t be as impactful to share it with my voice. Below is their incredible story in her words…

“Erik and I met in April of 2017. For about half a year we were just friends, getting to know one another through sporadic adventures and with friends. We ran together in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, went on a climbing trip at Red Rocks outside of Las Vegas, skied together in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado… I could tell he liked me, and I liked him too, but I was hesitant.

Finally after months of what Erik would half-jokingly consider “pure torture”, he told me he didn’t want to just be friends. I went home that night and spent the next three days thinking about what I was doing with my life, and the choices I was making. After talking with a friend, a therapist, and my parents about this conundrum, I realized with complete certainty that I’d be making a terrible mistake by letting go of the opportunity to see what life with the two of us could be like. I texted Erik and told him I wanted to see where this could go, and he tells me now he waited a day to respond in order to think about it, and partially so I could get a little taste of what I’d been putting him through over the past half a year.

Erik had a work trip in Los Angeles during the upcoming week and invited me to join for the weekend. I knew this was the moment everything had changed, and of course I went. When I got home after our trip I met a friend for coffee and told her I knew I was going to marry him. It was so clear that having him in my life was far better than not. It felt that simple and it’s how I’ve continued to feel from that point on.

Fast forward three years to January of 2021 and BAM, Erik was at the beginning of a ski-mountaineering race in Whitefish, MT, going up Big Mountain when his heart went into cardiac arrest. He had no heartbeat for 40 minutes while three medical professionals who were also racing and miraculously behind him when he went down, continued to do CPR on him while rescuing him off the mountain and into an ambulance. “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” Life is so difficult, and when the unthinkable happens, we wake up.

Erik survived when the odds say he shouldn’t have, and the last two years together have been immensely and deeply challenging, but equally as rewarding. We’ve grown together exponentially, our appreciation for this moment** **has been heightened, and this new awareness around life and death is a rare gift that drives us to want to soak up twice as much in life as we ever considered before.

Erik proposed when he got out of the hospital. The moment was traumatic, emotional and raw. But that’s who we are together. The picture-perfect idea of a proposal was never us in the first place. And that was symbolic of what we’d want for a wedding as well. We spent two years not wanting to plan a wedding because all we cared about was the fact that we still had each other. We’d talk about it and conclude the moment we were in right then was more important than some idea of a wedding a year later that may never come anyways. It maybe sounds brutal, but really it’s magical to be able to feel that level of being present in each other’s arms.

In October of 2022, we were driving home from Buena Vista talking once again about planning a wedding. We started breaking it down, realizing that if there’s anything that is the essence of who we are, it’s adventure. And if there’s anything that is the essence of what eloping is, it’s adventure.

One month later there we were on the coast of Oregon, with the waves crashing, breeze rushing over our skin, and the smell of decomposing pine needles and salt in the air. The Pacific Northwest has always called the two of us. Alaska, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia… It’s the contrast in the colors and shadows, the electrifying scent in the air, the towering trees that almost seem more human. It’s a place where Earth seems to be roaring and opening itself up to those who watch.

11.12.22 was a perfect day in time; it marked the end of a beginning that was packed with more than either of us had ever imagined five years ago. Our eyes are wide open, looking deep into the mountains and forests as we move forward together into this great unknown, that is both life and marriage!”

Kind Words from the Couple…

“Working with Amber has been one of the most wonderful experiences!! My husband and I hired her to shoot our elopement on the coast of Oregon after finding her work online from afar at our home in Colorado. She talked with us ahead of time and made us feel incredibly confident and comfortable as our elopement date neared. She was highly flexible to work with and incredibly attuned to our needs and who we are as a couple. She provided us with the perfect balance of recommendations and ideas that evolved seamlessly based on feedback we gave her along the way. It truly allowed our day to become perfectly unique and SO us. She has a true artistic and creative talent that is hard to find, and her ability to work so easily with people makes her an absolutely phenomenal photographer for an elopement. We recommend Amber and hope you love working with her as much as we did!!”

Ready to plan your own adventure elopement story on the Oregon Coast? Let’s connect!

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