Oregon Waterfall Elopement Locations
The Columbia River Gorge is known for its epic waterfalls. From Latourell Falls, to Wahclella Falls, here is a guide to my favorite waterfall elopement spots in the gorge, and in Oregon as a whole.
This guide will also include information on tips about how to elope at a waterfall, as well as my own package pricing.
Tips:
Shooting Time:
It’s super important to shoot at a waterfall at the right time of day. Otherwise, you may end up with half of the waterfall in the sun, and the other half in the shade. For most waterfalls, the best time to shoot is early morning, around 8am or 9am during the summer, and more like 10am or 11am during the winter. I highly recommend heading over to your waterfall of choice during your desired time frame to see when the lighting it best. You just want to make sure the falls are not being hit with any sun so that the light can fall flat/evenly your images.
Crowds:
As we all know, these falls are popular tourist destinations, and they can get a bit crowded at certain times of the day, especially during the summer. Going earlier in the day during the summer is super helpful to beating the crowds. However, sometimes, it’s just not possible to hold your ceremony at that time. I highly recommend holding your wedding on a week day if at all possible. Trust me, you are going to be much less stressed out about avoiding tourists during your ceremony. Early morning on a weekday, you’ll probably have a few tourists, but in my experience, they are always curious and understanding of your wedding. They typically stay back, as to avoid being in your photos, and watch pleasantly from a distance. I recommend having a family member or friend arrive early to let tourists know you’ll be having a ceremony, and to ask them if they’d kindly allow you to use the space.
Getting Wet / Dirty:
You’re going to get wet. These waterfalls are dumping tons of water every second, and they definitely splash everywhere. They’re also pretty loud. My best advice is just to be open to it. I would plan on your hair getting messy, losing it’s curl, and your dress getting wet/dirty. I personally think it’s best just to embrace this! It’s fun/adventurous, and that’s why you chose a waterfall in the first place.
Clothing for Guests:
Be sure to let guests know they’ll get wet / dirty, and to wear proper clothing. Comfy shoes are a must—definitely no heels or expensive shoes. Depending on the time of year, it also might be a little cold. I’d recommend letting your guests know they should wear a jacket. I personally love it when guests wear a specific color scheme. Asking guests to wear all black or all neutral colors can really help to make sure nobody is wearing anything distracting for the photos.
Rain:
It’s very possible that it will rain. I highly recommend ordering a bunch of clear bubble umbrellas off of Amazon or another site for your guests. Having consistency in umbrellas is much better for pics than having a bunch of random, brightly colored umbrellas. The clear umbrellas also do not cast as much of a shadow as solid umbrellas, and allow. me to photograph your guests faces better. One clear umbrella will typically cover two people, so you should only need to purchase a few.
Music:
I really love when people bring a portable speaker to play music on. It’s nice to have a little bit of sound in the background while things go down.
The Waterfalls:
This waterfall absolutely stunning. Rock formations create a bowl-like atmosphere, and add texture to your pics. Because this waterfall has such a tall drop-off point, the falls look long and slim. Green plants sweep across the rocks, adding some of that signature Oregon greenery. This waterfall is probably the easiest to access. You will want to park in the parking lot, then take the trail for the lower falls. The walk down is about .25 miles, and is not very steep. The trail is very easy to use. This waterfall is pretty heavily trafficked, so I would definitely recommend having your elopement on a weekday.
This is one of my favorite spots because it takes a bit of a low-key hike to get there. What I love about that is that you can tell more of a story of the adventure. There are tons of beautiful spots to shoot along the way to the falls, so it’s fun to stop a few times for photos. This hike is 2.4 miles roundtrip, so if you will have guests, I’d recommend making sure they are up for an adventure. The hike is not steep, so don’t stress about getting super sweaty. This waterfall is a little further from Portland, so it’s slightly less trafficked than some of the other easy-to-acess falls in the gorge. However, it’s still pretty popular and I do recommend aiming for a week day if possible.
This is a layered waterfall that creates a different look from the waterfalls I mentioned above. This is another easy-to access waterfall. It’s a 1.4 hike roundtrip. This waterfall is super pretty, but keep in mind that it’s a bit tricky to get close to the falls. You’re going to have to do some hiking, and I recommend being game for climbing on some rocks. Your photographer will need to bring a wide lens in order to best show off the falls. This is a heavily trafficked waterfall, so be sure to choose a weekday.
This is a super pretty hike, with a ton of water. Plan on hiking through water to get to the falls. I’d only recommend this one for the super adventurous. However, if you’re game, it’s well-worth-it for the dramatic photos. This hike is 4.9 miles roundtrip, and is pretty heavily trafficked, so again, choose a weekday. This hike was recently destroyed in the fire, so be sure to check to see if it’s open yet.
5. Abiqua Falls
(Closed due to Fire) Abiqua is one of my favorite falls if you’re up for a little hike! The hike is 5 miles roundtrip and is somewhat steep in parts, but well-worth the view. It sits down in a bowl, making for great lighting. The geometric rocks cascade the walls, making for a textured and stunning background.
Panther Creek Falls is a large, layered waterfalls with multiple streams, instead of one large stream. Moss grows along the waterfall walls all year. This waterfall is super easy to access, a small amount of walking is involved. This waterfall is actually in Washington, but I wanted to include it in this list because it’s not too far from Portland.
About Me:
I would describe my style as editorial meets adventure, meets documentary. I love a dramatic portrait just as much as I love an epic backdrop, and as much as I love real/authentic moments with friends and family. I love to incorporate all of these vibes together, in order to create a full and dynamic story of your day.
My editing style is classic and nostalgic. Although I am very particular about my editing, I am not a heavy editor. I don’t just apply one heavy filter to every one of my images. I edit your images individually and tweak the colors to perfectly fit your wedding day, while still maintaining a consistent style with the rest of my work.
Pricing:
2 Hour Elopement | $3,000
Includes:
—2 hours of coverage
—Travel
—Access to my location and planning guides
—Help with planning.. I gotchu!
—A min. of 200 edited images
—An online, downloadable gallery
—Full printing rights.. you can print through me, or anywhere you’d like!
—Full gallery delivered 2 weeks after elopement
*Request pricing for 3 or 4 hour elopements.