Y’all know that two of my favorite locations to take couples are the southern Oregon Coast and the northern California redwoods. And because they’re super close to each other, they’re the perfect pair of locations for coastal elopements, adventure sessions, or couples shoots. I’ve got TONS of shoots at these spots up on the blog if you want more inspo, but for now I wanted to share Rylie + Siani’s Oregon Coast and Redwoods couples session. We explored Secret Beach, the iconic Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor, and the Jedediah Smith Redwoods and these two were the absolute dream couple!

Rylie and Siani’s Oregon Coast + Redwoods Couples Session

A post-elopement road trip 

Rylie and Siani are the sweetest Australian couple, they eloped in Canada with their family to make things official, and then roadtripped to Oregon for their elopement portraits + to explore. I freakin’ love the decision they made to split their celebration up into multiple locations + extend it into a longer trip—I’m such a big proponent of making your elopement feel like a full-on trip, vacation, and adventure, if your time and budget allows for it. So the fact that these two intentionally planned a set amount of time to be with their families + be supported by their loved ones, and then planned time to just be with one another, exploring the incredible landscape of the Oregon Coast? Such a great way to have a well-rounded celebration and incorporate everything/everyone they loved!! 

I put together a whole guide with alllll kinds of info about this part of Oregon for you, The Ultimate Guide to Eloping on the Southern Oregon Coast—highly recommend reading through it if you’re considering eloping here.

Adventure bridal portraits in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods

I knew as soon as I met up with Rylie + Siani that they were going to be a blast to explore with; just a super down-to-earth, fun-loving couple! We started our adventure in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods, which are part of Cali’s northernmost state park in the redwoods. I’m completely obsessed with these redwoods because they’re literally just a 40 minute drive from Secret Beach (the second location of our session), and 20 minutes from the Oregon-California border. A lot of people think you have to go further south into California in order to find those epic redwoods you’ve heard about and probably seen on Insta, but I looove showing my couples that we can just take a little drive from the southern Oregon Coast and be right in the middle of a GORGEOUS redwood forest! I’ll seriously never get tired of these epic, far-away shots of a couple wildly in love, dancing or snuggling or kissing beneath the massive old-growth trees. The vibrant greenery, the ferns, the giant fallen trees + the soft overcast light coming through the canopy—a dream come true. 

I was in love with the silk bridal gown that Siani wore for their Redwoods bridal portraits; a super minimalist + elegant open-back gown with spaghetti straps that looked stunning against the greenery of the redwoods. That dress + her cute beige hat + fuzzy sweater were the dreamiest combo! These two were the queen and king of minimalist neutrals and letting the backdrop speak for itself; Rylie wore a collared white shirt with black pants + sneakers (like Siani did!) that coordinated flawlessly with Siani’s minimalist boho look. Loved these two and their fashion sense!

Dreamy Secret Beach sunset bridals

The southern Oregon Coast never disappoints for evening portraits; even though we didn’t get blue skies and sunshine for Rylie and Siani’s day, Secret Beach is JUST as dreamy in cloudy + overcast weather. The mist was just starting to roll in when we arrived at the coast, covering the horizon but luckily staying away from the sea stacks for a while so we could see the epic view we came for. My favorite part about shooting along the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor is the diversity of the coastal landscape: you’ve got jagged cliffs, grassy hills, tidepools, and those iconic, uniquely-shaped sea stacks that tower over the shoreline—THE most epic backdrop for elopement portraits that you could ask for! Rylie + Siani were freakin’ naturals cozying up against the rocks and wading through the waves in their elopement attire, I swear I barely even had to prompt them. Obsessed with the shots of them running along the beach as a little bit of sunshine peeked through the clouds out on the horizon, it was magical af y’all✨

Jenn + Jon had the most STUNNING day at this same spot; check out their Secret Beach Elopement for all the DIY elopement ideas and inspo!

Romantic lantern portraits at dusk

Just because the sun goes down doesn’t mean we have to leave 😉 In fact, dusk, blue hour, + twilight are some of my forever favorite times of day to shoot. The peace and quiet, the intimate atmosphere, the cool tones as the sky fades to blue, purple, and pink; it all opens up such an amazing opportunity for super dreamy, romantic photos that are totally different than the rest of your gallery. There are so many different ways to get creative after the daylight fades away, from using light from the stars + moon, to pulling out camping lanterns, to sitting in front of your car’s headlights! For the end of Rylie + Siani’s session, we took advantage of the tranquil atmosphere of blue hour on the coast and used my favorite lanterns to create a soft, cozy vibe; it felt like it was just the two of them in their own little world, with nobody else around. Probably one of my fav parts of this session, and such a magical way to end this epic day!

If you’re curious about all the kinds of magic we can create after sunset, def read through my blog about Why I l Love Taking Photos After Dark + During Blue Hour.

So grateful that I had the opportunity to hang with + capture Rylie and Siani on their Oregon Coast adventure; I’d love to photograph your coastal/Redwoods bridal portraits, too! Reach out here and let’s get y’all married!

---

I’ve got tons more elopement inspo from this part of the coast up on my website, so here are a few of my favorites that I think you’ll love:

Private Sunset Elopement Ceremony in Brookings, Oregon

Sunrise Elopement at the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor

Unique Oregon Coast + California Redwoods Adventure Elopement