Government Cove Elopement | Cascade Locks, Oregon
BECKY & DANNY
On October 29th, 2019, on a 34 degree morning in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge, amongst golden trees, rocky cliffs, howling wind, and seven of their closest family members, Becky and Danny made a promise to stand by each other for the rest of their days. These photographs are the visual story of those moments. But first, a little bit behind the images..
When Becky originally reached out, the plan was for a courthouse elopement with photographs in Portland’s Forest Park after. Of course I was immediately on board. We set up our coffee date/consultation, and after getting to know each other a bit I asked if they’d considered having an adventurous ceremony somewhere in the outdoors. Much to my excitement, they were completely about it. Ecstatic to help plan something incredible for their day, I started my research.
After finding what looked like a good location online, I went out to the gorge to scout it out myself. It had 360 degree views of the mountains and river and was absolutely stunning. I later sent over the details, we solidified the plans, created a timeline together and awaited the big day.
I left my house around 6 AM that morning, immediately noticing how bone-chillingly cold it was. I had checked the weather beforehand. Clear skies, sun, and a high of 48. What I didn’t think of, was the wind and the frigidness of the early morning. Upon arriving at the location, Danny and Becky got dressed and we all took shelter in their rental car and waited for their families. The ceremony was officiated by Becky’s brother-in-law and at one point each family member came up, tied a ribbon around their frozen clenched hands and said something special. We popped a bottle of champagne afterwards and they had their first dance to their chosen song which played from a little portable speaker I brought.
It wasn’t long until they decided it was time to head somewhere warmer. With no hesitation, I agreed, and we scratched our plans to hike around and instead headed to get some hot chocolate at Stoked Roasters + Coffeehouse and then beer and lunch at Pfriem Family Brewers in Hood River. Pfriem treated us like royalty, buying all of our beers and showing us around the brewery (shout out to them for some incredible customer service). We filled our bellies with all the deliciousness and made the most of an unexpected and yet awesome location.
If this day was any reflection of the kind of people Becky and Danny are, I think they’re the kind that will roll with the punches of life and always find a way to have fun together. The day didn’t go quite as we expected, but it was filled with memorable moments and plenty of love, which at the end of the day - is what truly matters most.
Cheers to finding forever you guys. Thank you endlessly for letting me be a small part of it.
