Chaise and Beau Eloped in Neskowin, Oregon, and the Sky Celebrated With Them


Chaise and Beau reached out to me almost eight months before they planned to elope in Oregon. I already knew them from Nevada, and they were so excited to know someone in Oregon. Once we talked through location, time, and pricing, everything just kept falling into place, which is easy when you have four adults and a baby attending: the bride, groom, and her sister and her husband. And how could I forget Chaise and Beau's sweet border collie. They are family too.

We planned their elopement around a stay at Ourplaace, an Airbnb in Neskowin, Oregon. Yes, with two A's.


The drive there:

Neskowin is about a two hour drive from Portland, and I don't charge for travel up to two hours outside the city. On my way there, it was dark, rainy, and gross out. I was really nervous that we would either have to push the ceremony or shoot in the rain, and truthfully, I was not prepared for that.

Some days on the Oregon Coast, the weather does exactly what it wants. October 26th in Oregon can be completely unpredictable. On my drive over, I watched the clouds go from dark to darker. Then, only thirty minutes before the ceremony was supposed to begin, sunshine finally peeked through. It was one of those days where you expect rain and gloom, and somehow that made everything better. I was so giddy about the sunshine, I started laughing and "whooping"  in the car... do people still "whoop"?


Right as we began shooting, the sky changed its mind. The clouds broke open, and the sun came out, warm and golden, and suddenly it was sunny and beautiful. After that dark, rainy drive and all the worry about pushing the ceremony or shooting in the rain, it felt like the earth was celebrating with us. Everything just fell into place, exactly when it needed to.


Why Neskowin works so well for elopements:

Before this shoot, I had not realized what a perfect location Neskowin is for elopements. Here is why it works:

It is small and quiet. No crowds, no production, no feeling like you are on a stage. A tiny group can actually be present instead of performing.

The beach itself does the decorating. Wide sand, dramatic coastline, and that wild Oregon light that changes by the minute.

There is even a rock on the beach named Proposal Rock, which felt so fitting for a wedding day that I still think about it.

Staying together in one place, like the Ourplaace Airbnb, keeps the whole day easy. Everyone wakes up in the same place, gets ready in the same place, and nobody is running all over town between events.

It is close enough to be simple and far enough to feel like a real getaway. About two hours from Portland, and a world away from a ballroom timeline.

If you want your wedding day to feel like you, instead of feeling like a performance, a place like Neskowin gives you room to do that.


A small day, done right:

Chaise and Beau's day was proof that a small wedding is not a lesser wedding. Four guests, a baby, a border collie, and a beach that went from storm clouds to sunshine right on cue. Nobody was exhausted. Nobody was performing. They just got married, in a place that felt like them, with the people who know them best.

That is the whole point of eloping. You do not need two hundred guests or a timeline that leaves you wiped out. You need a place you love, the people you love most, and a photographer who will let the day actually feel like yours.



The deets:

Date: October 26, 2025

Location: Neskowin, Oregon

Stay: Ourplaace

Guests: 4 adults, plus a baby and a border collie

Vendors: none to note, besides Ourplaace



If this sounds like your kind of day:

If an Oregon Coast elopement sounds like your kind of day, I would love to hear about it. I am booking 2027 in the PNW, the Oregon Coast, Tahoe, Reno, and Dallas. Reach out through my contact page and tell me about the two of you.


Gold wedding bands and a diamond engagement ring rest on a handwritten note on a rustic wooden table.
Gold wedding band and oval diamond engagement ring with pavé band resting on a handwritten vow card.
Bridesmaid in a mauve dress styles a woman's hair as she takes a selfie with her phone, in a cozy room with a stone wall.
Smiling barefoot groom in a green suit with a boutonniere stands on a wooden deck overlooking a windswept coastal beach.
Groom in a green suit and patterned shirt adjusts his cuff, wearing a floral boutonniere, on a windswept beach under a dramatic cloudy sky.
Barefoot groom in an olive green suit stands in beach dune grass beside a border collie with a tennis ball at his feet.
Bride in an off-the-shoulder lace wedding dress and veil admires her reflection in a wooden-framed mirror in a bright room.
Bride in an off-the-shoulder white gown and veil holds a floral bouquet by a window with a sunlit ocean view.
Bride in an off-the-shoulder lace wedding gown holds a rustic bouquet of roses and greenery at the beach.
Smiling bride in an off-shoulder lace wedding gown holds a rustic bouquet beside a window with an ocean view.
Bride in a lace off-the-shoulder wedding gown and long veil glances back, holding a bouquet by oceanview windows.
Bride in a long veil and white gown looks out glass doors toward a sunlit ocean view from a beach house balcony.
A toddler in a brown outfit sits on a shaggy carpet beside a black and white dog, both gazing at bright ocean-view windows.
Smiling groom in a sage green suit with a floral boutonniere kneels beside his border collie in a sunlit beach house.
A man in a dark suit holds a young child while standing on a wooden boardwalk overlooking dune grass and ocean waves under a cloudy sky.
Bride in a lace mermaid gown and veil walks along a sunlit wooden beach deck toward the ocean on her wedding day.
Bride in a white lace gown faces a groom in a gray suit who looks up emotionally on a wooden beach staircase overlooking the ocean.
Bride and groom stand facing the ocean in tall beach grass, holding a bouquet under a bright blue sky with soft clouds.
Bride in a long veil and groom in a gray suit share a quiet moment in tall golden grass beneath a blue sky.
Smiling bride in a white gown and veil faces her groom in a gray suit amid beach grass beneath a bright blue sky.
Bride and groom stand together in tall beach grass beneath a blue sky near a seaside building on their wedding day.
A groom in a gray suit leans toward a bride in a white gown holding a boho bouquet in windswept coastal dune grass.
Silhouetted bride and groom stand together in beach dune grass as the sun glows over the ocean.
A woman in an off-the-shoulder dress holds a toddler while standing in tall beach grass with a hazy ocean and sandy shoreline behind them.
Bride in a white gown and veil and groom exchange vows on a dune-covered beach as seagulls fly over the ocean and a dog sits nearby.
Intimate beach elopement ceremony with a bride, groom and officiant on grassy dunes as seagulls fly over the ocean under a blue sky.
View through large windows of a small beach wedding ceremony on the sand, with ocean waves and a wooden deck railing.
Bride and groom touch foreheads in a tender moment on the beach as her sheer veil drifts in the ocean breeze.
Bride and groom share a kiss during their beachside wedding ceremony as the officiant looks on beneath a blue sky with dune grass.
Bride and groom share a joyful moment on a sunlit beach, her veil blowing in the breeze as he holds a rustic bridal bouquet.
Bride and groom raise champagne glasses in a toast against a bright sun and ocean backdrop on the dunes.
Bride in a lace gown holding a bouquet poses with a woman and toddler among dune grass on a sunny beach.
Bride and groom hold hands and walk through windswept dune grass toward the ocean as her veil blows in the breeze.
A smiling groom in a green suit leads his bride in a white gown by the hand through golden beach grass on a sunny coastal day.
Groom lifts his bride in a flowing white gown and veil as they embrace among beach dune grass at sunset by the ocean.
Bride in a flowing white gown and veil twirls on a sandy beach while the groom watches from a distance.
Bride in a white gown and groom in a dark suit hold hands and run along a wide sandy beach under a bright blue sky with billowing clouds.
Bride in a white dress and groom in a dark suit run barefoot along a sandy beach with a black and white dog under a bright blue sky.
Bride in a white lace gown and groom in a gray suit sit with a border collie in sunlit beach dunes and tall grass.
Newlywed couple in wedding attire sit close together among beach dune grass under a clear blue sky.
Couple's hands with wedding rings reach together against a clear blue sky, the bride's lace sleeve visible nearby.
Groom in a gray suit carries his bride in a white wedding dress across a wide, wet sandy beach with a building and hills in the distance.
Groom carrying his barefoot bride in a white wedding dress along the wet sand of a sunlit ocean beach.
Two champagne glasses and a small floral bouquet sit on a wooden deck railing overlooking beach grass and ocean waves.
Quiet sandy beach with windswept dune grass in the foreground and a distant headland under a clear blue sky.
A groom carries his bride in a white wedding dress down wooden stairs through beach grass toward a sunlit ocean shore.
A couple in wedding attire is reflected in a window, raising champagne glasses toward a glowing sunset over the ocean waves.
Bride in a lace wedding gown and veil shares an intimate moment with her groom, holding champagne glasses by a large window with cloudy sky.