2 Day Oregon Coast & California Redwoods Elopement, including horseback riding and kayaking

I love it when couples tailor their elopements to suit their personalities, which is exactly what Corinna and Dustin—who are utterly incredible—did. Not only was their time adventurous, but they let me pick a location. Literally, dream clients who trusted my taste and judgment! I keep a wishlist of places handy, and I’ve had a couple of little-known groves on my list. We held their ceremony at one, and let me say that the results of shooting there are stunning! Honestly, their elopement was pretty freaking epic, but I’ll go back to the beginning. 

Corinna and Dustin are from New York, and before their big day, we chatted about and bonded over motorcycles and our mutual love for nature. Ultimately, they decided on a two-day elopement experience along the Oregon Coast and the California Redwoods. They stayed at the Lookout House Airbnb at Crook Point. Meghan from Fleurt Beauty Company provided concierge service, which is basically an “I go where you go” service for hair and makeup. She started by getting Corinna ready for sunrise photos and kept her looking perfect all day long. 

Then it was off to Natural Bridges for a first look, where Lauren, the videographer, was there to catch their early morning session. Honestly, this is the only way to do Natural Bridges, as the later it gets, the busier it becomes. Charles Wright—the sweetest older gentleman who is the only person on the planet who can get away with calling me “Samantha”—officiated their ceremony at the grove.

Post-ceremony, we visited Seaquake Brewing, which was awesome. Our group included folks that were a part of the wedding and a few extras, including my husband, Meaghan’s husband, and a group of Meaghan’s friends from out of town who just happened to be there, too. Hey, breweries bring folks together—what can I say? Then we met up with Crescent Trail Rides to ride on horseback through the redwoods. We rode for a little over three hours, and I’m seriously in love with those images. Our night was capped off by Corinna and Dustin enjoying sunset epicness with Lauren. 

On day two, we were supposed to start out going sea kayaking with South Coast Tours, but our contact, Marcus, suggested we swap tours due to rough conditions, so we headed to Port Orford to see wildlife, which was amazing. We discovered an old, abandoned coast guard station and even encountered friendly seals that got seriously close to us—so absolutely cool! We also explored some sea caves and got to experience the headlands of Port Orford and the Hell’s Gate rock formations. 

Overall, the experience was epic. On our way back from kayaking—literally paddling like mad to counteract the strong winds—Dustin said that he was thinking, “Sam Starns really delivered.” And that, I do, but it also takes fantastic, adventurous couples. Yes, I have the resources, but my couples are the ones eloping and choosing to do something super, super cool for their wedding day, which is exactly what Corrina and Dustin did.

HAIR AND MAKEUP: Meaghan, with Fleurt Beauty Company
FLORALS: Tall Drink of Water Floral
HORSEBACK RIDING: Crescent Trail Rides
KAYAKING: South Coast Tours