Lakeside Intimate Wedding + Secret Sunset Clifftop Read in the Umpqua National Forest

“I don’t really feel comfortable having photos taken of me but the day was so natural and it wasn’t a thing at all…”

Out of all the things that Madeleine saw on her first trip to Oregon, the Crater Lake area really stood out. She knew she wanted to bring Sam back here and explore more.

Enter a Crater Lake local who was absolutely stoked to show them hidden gems in the Umpqua National Forest, with no one around for miles.

Madeleine & Sam wanted to really feel on their day.
Feel authentic, intimate, remote, organic, intentional, carefree, and connected.

These two are big fans of the quieter activities like reading, music, and board games. Sam has experience as a teacher and Madeleine is a junior designer at a residential interior design company. One of them said, “We’re not really that interesting, we hope that’s okay.”

The thing is, those things are interesting, because they represent Madeleine and Sam. I suggested they bring their favorite books and revert back to elementary school days with a “Sustained Silent Reading” hour during the golden light of sunset at a clifftop I knew would blow their minds.

Day One

Getting Ready, Letters, & First Look

Their lodgings were nestled along the North Umpqua River and a gem of a campground. The owners and hosts are welcoming, inclusive, and affirming — and to be honest, that’s a rare treat in Southern Oregon.

After getting ready in their tiny home, we curated a private moment for Madeleine and Sam, to get away from their families and share a moment to exchange letters. It’s moments like these, the thoughtful ones that take time to sit down and plan for, that still blow my mind when I think of how I get to witness and capture them in real time.

Lakeside ceremony in perfect weather

If you don’t want to deal with Crater Lake permits like M&S (Crater Lake has a history of being unresponsive or taking forever to respond), might I suggest a Cascade lakeside ceremony under the watchful eye of an extinct shield volcano? Diamond Lake might be the perfect place for a ceremony.

We carved out time for Madeleine to have a moment with her dad, whom she gifted an embroidered handkerchief. As they shared a tearful, tight-hugged moment, I knew the photos I took would appear at family reunions, wedding receptions, birthdays, and funerals. The images don’t have grand backdrops, but close-up, raw emotion. And I believe your gallery should have both.

It was practically perfect weather as Madeleine began to cry reading her vows. I looked around and saw family members begin to cry too. They reiterated what they both said to me during our first discovery call together:

“Sam is probably one of the kindest hearted people I’ve ever met. He’s crazy smart, almost too smart.”

“Madeleine is also so kind. She’s soft spoken, super creative, and talented in ways I’m not. We complement each other.”

WHAT TO KNOW FOR A LAKESIDE CEREMONY AT DIAMOND LAKE

Most of the year, Diamond Lake is a quiet, pristine retreat that’s a nice change of pace from other popular lodges in the Cascades. While you can have your ceremony on the dock like these two did, I wouldn’t recommend any time from Memorial Day to Labor Day, especially if you have guests. Despite calling, confirming, calling again, getting in touch with the forest service, and being confirmed by Diamond Lake Resort, no boat rentals were notified of the short event. When I arrived a few minutes before the couple, there were multiple boats moored to the dock. I spent time politely explaining that there was a short event scheduled an hour from present, and I ended up experiencing the ire of several boaters (others were happy to move their boats!).

Cliffside golden hour reading

While they’re close with their families, Madeleine & Sam also knew they wanted dedicated time alone to connect and decompress. I led them to one of my favorite overlooks in the Umpqua National Forest, up a forest service road that gave us a view of a new wildfire that had just started the day before (as always, I’ve got my Watch Duty app on full alerts, and am constantly checking in with firefighting contacts for relevant updates — we weren’t in any danger).

No one was around for miles, and in between gentle gusts of wind, the silence felt like a vaccuum.

Toward sunset, just before they tucked in for a good read, two people appeared at the lake below. They looked up, saw M&S in their wedding attire, and shouted an echoing cry of congratulations.

We took turns shouting into the void hoots and hollers of joy.

Day Two – Canoeing and Crater Lake

A more casual day two began with absolutely giddy lake staff at Lemolo Lake, who asked to snap a few photos of the couple before we headed out for Crater Lake.

Picture it: you’re sailing across a deep blue lake in a white (ofc 💁🏼‍♀️) canoe, with an extinct volcano spire looming in the background, Ospreys are flying overhead, and there are only 2 other boats on the lake, a long way away.

“I really loved our time canoeing!” – Sam

And while they didn’t have their ceremony on the caldera, we had to visit Crater Lake to bring things full circle, and end the day with an Ansel Adams-like view at blue hour.

Craving a place to escape people and discover lesser known elopement locations that you can confidently call your own? It sounds like an Umpqua elopement might be a destination that’s a perfect fit, with its countless backroads and fewer crowds. Let a local help curate your Oregon elopement.