Kate Waterman Rose - Northern California Wedding + Elopement Photographer

When you have an adventurous spirit (and hot cocoa in your car), even a rain-filled October elopement in the forests of the Oregon Coast is an opportunity for excitement. These sweethearts met us at the trailhead near Lincoln City, hiked through the forest in their wedding clothes, and celebrated with a romance-filled ceremony and nonalcoholic sparkling cider toast in a moss-filled forest clearing. Afterwards, the enthusiastic pair trekked on through the rain to a high bridge and rushing waterfall, where they bundled up in a wool blanket and snuggled to keep warm.

venue | lincoln city OR

design + florals | the slow cult

couple | @kelseystacypearson + @lukewesleypearson⁠⁠

workshop | wild enchantment

dress | bhldn

blanket | trek light gear

vow cards | little canoe

Lincoln City Oregon Forest Elopement: The bride's bouquet by The Slow Cult and the couple's vow cards by Little Canoe, arranged on the rain-dappled hood of the couple's car after they arrive at the trailhead
Kelsey and Luke's hiking backpacks, adorned with a pair of handmade wood signs that form the phrase "just eloped"
The couple putting the finishing touches on their wedding looks in the trailhead parking lot, looking at their reflections in the car windows
As they begin to hit to trail, Kelsey, the bride, stops to adjust Luke's boutonniere. The two are surrounded by tall trees and lush green ferns
Kelsey and Luke laugh
The two set off down the trail together; with their backs turned, we can see the "just eloped" signs attached to their backpacks; Kelsey holds her bouquet out to the side, its long ribbons dangling towards the ground
The bride leads the groom along a forest trail; zoomed out, we see the trees and ferns loom large around the couple
The bride and groom turn towards each other and laugh as they walk along the trail
They pause for a kiss beside a large tree stump
The bride hugs the groom from behind as they pause along the hiking trail
Still hugging, the two look out at the enchanted forest landscape
The two stop in a creekside dell and take hands as if to dance
They turn to us and smile; the couple glows with cool forest light falling down from the canopy above
The groom puts his hand around the bride's waist; they bring their faces together, about to kiss
As the bride and groom stand together on a small wooden bridge, the bride lifts her skirt just enough to show us her tough leather hiking boots
The bride and groom look at each other and smile
The bride and groom hop up onto a large tree stump and gaze out at the forest around them
We see their rugged hiking shoes against the rough wood of the tree stump
The groom gazes fondly at his bride
As they begin their ceremony in a mossy forest clearing, the bride reads her vows off of a greeting card by Little Canoe; framed by the natural forest backdrop and a handmade macrame hanging by The Slow Cult, the two hold hands as they speak
In a close view of the couple's faces, we see them both smile with excitement during the elopement ceremony
The bride opens her mouth in awe and delight as the groom begins his vows
The groom smiles shyly at his bride, his grey eyes bright
A close view of the couples' hands as the groom reads his vows; in one hand, he holds his vow card, in the other, he clutches the bride's hand. In her short-sleeved dress by BHLDN, we can see goosebumps on the bride's bare arm
Set aside on a tree stump during the ceremony, the bright marigolds of the bride's bouquet contrast with the deep greens of the forest clearing
The bride and groom kiss passionately at the end of the elopement ceremony
The groom dips the bride back for a long, slow kiss
As the couple pop open their sparkling cider for an alcohol-free toast, they laugh as foam spray out from the top of the bottle
The couple poses with their glasses of cider and dampened apple cider bottle
On a high bridge, the couple snuggles together under a wool blanket; the tree branches drip and glisten with water around them
Through the branches of a tree, we see the groom gently brush wet hair from the bride's face
In the rainy October weather, the waterfall below rages
Through tree branches, we look up at the couple standing on the high bridge
Framed by the chains and handrails of the bridge, the bride and groom kiss in the pouring rain; raindrops dot the air around them
They kiss again, the waterfall raging behind them
As the couple begins to hike back to the trailhead, they bring their faces together and grin impishly at each other
The couple trek along the muddy trail through moss-covered trees, drenched with rain
They hike hand-in-hand through a forest of tall, narrow trees
The ferns and moss glisten with rain; a soft fog begins to obscure the more distant trees
The bride and groom arrive back at the trailhead parking lot
Their elopement adventure over, the groom smiles as the pair run back to their car to change into dry clothes and enjoy a hot cup of cocoa

Let's do this!

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