I had the privilege to capture Mariah + Chris’s Oceanside Oregon adventure session in June of 2025. This was the kind of love story that only gets documented once in a lifetime. The kind of love story that is so rich it can be felt. It was so full of moments that felt like them. The wild adventures the remarkable Oregon coast can take you on can feel effortless and intentional. If you are planning your own “I Do” on the Oregon Coast, keep scrolling to find some whimsical inspo for your own day!
M+C already got married at Hoyt Arboretum in Portland, OR [read story here] before they headed to the coast for more photos of their story. Having beautiful photos on the ocean was really important to them, so I stayed on the coast a few days after their special “I Do” to spend some more time with them running through the forests and sandy beaches.
We first met in the late afternoon at Cape Lookout State Park in Oceanside, Oregon. There is a trail in the park called Cape Trail. It is a long hike, but we only walked about a half a mile into the forest to get some of the *hoa hoa* twilight vibe photos. We just strolled through the forest and I made them stop when the spots felt right and the light was peaking perfectly. There weren’t many people out on a sunday evening, but everyone that we did pass stopped to congratulate them and admire their beauty in the forest. If you came from the other blog post, you can also see that both Chris and Mariah have a new hair style. They both chopped their hair after their wedding and I am obsessed with their new hair styles.
I always try to make sure my clients are having as much fun as I am. Being in new places can be both exciting and overwhelming so I am always mindful and will switch things up when moments get dull.
After we walked around the trail, we went to an overlook where we could see the beach and ocean collide. We captured some sweet intimate moments running through the road and people watching.
We raced down to the beach to capture that evening glow on the ocean as they ran through the sand. I had them running around like they were children again and it was so fun to experience that with them. We climbed on ginormous beach rocks with our bare feet and stood on some epic meadow cliffs.
A big inspiration for this adventure session was ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ Full transparency… I have never seen the movie, but I watched enough youtube clips of the movie to see the vision. Each scene feels more cinematic than the next. The landscape just tells their love story as if it was made just for this moment. The skies were perfectly clear and the ocean breeze was just the right amount of wild to make it feel dramatic but in control. The theme was a cinematic and organic love story. I wanted their loved ones that weren’t there for these moments to know how they were feeling in that moment. I gave them prompts based on the way they interact with each other so nothing felt stiff and unnatural.
I believe in love stories to their core. Love is what keeps this world spinning and each story is unique and deserves to be preserved in a way that is special and unique to its own.
If you are planning your own special “I Do” on the Oregon Coast or somewhere even more special, I would love to learn more about it and have the honor of documenting it.
Reach out to me below and we can start planning your own special day!
