An Oregon Coast micro wedding featuring Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach and Hug Point.
This wedding is the perfect example of having a more intimate wedding experience with less guests while still incorporating traditional wedding elements. There’s a lot of space between an elopement with no guests and a full traditional wedding. If neither of those options sound just right, you can always pick something in the middle. There’s elopements with time with a handful of guests, days with traditional elements with less than 20 guests, a split elopement and reception on different days, and so on.
We started this day at a gorgeous vacation rental in Manzanita, OR. Afterwards, the couple had their first look at Hug Point and exchanged private vows. After some photos a Hug Point, we moved onto a ceremony with all their guests at Cannon Beach. Cannon Beach can get very busy so it’s important to plan in a way that helps you avoid crowds. These two selected a section of beach further away from Haystack Rock which tends to be especially busy. Additionally, they selected a weekday over a weekend date and a time with a lower tide so the beach was larger (more space to spread out) than when the tide comes in.
To finish up the day, they had a reception at the Cannon Beach Community Hall. They had a wonderful catered meal and time to dance with their family.
Vendors:
Photography: Venturing Vows
Florals: Anderson Florist
Officiant: Oregon Beach Ceremonies
Reception Venue: Cannon Beach Community Hall
Catering and Rentals: Niblack Events
Getting Ready Photos
Micro wedding getting ready photos are an amazing opportunity to get candids with your guests. So many couples want candid moments with their guests but those opportunities don’t appear on their own. If you want more than a photo just talking with someone, you need to have an opportunity to interact with them. This creates moments like someone zipping up your dress, adjusting your boutonniere, reacting to your hair and makeup for the first time, and a more natural space to interact.
Vows at Hug Point
Private vows are one of my favorite variations to add for days with guests. You can do your personal vows 100% privately and do more generic or abbreviated vows with all your guests present. It’s a great balance between privacy and letting your guests feel included in your ceremony. It’s a small fix that can make a huge difference.
Wedding Ceremony on Cannon Beach
A ceremony setup like this requires a permit on the Oregon Coast. Whether a permit is needed is determined by the number of guests and whether any structure is being setup. The rented chairs and flower triangle are classified as structures so this event required a permit. If there’s no structures and less than 50 guests, you do not need a permit.
Wedding Portraits near Haystack Rock
You may notice that Haystack Rock is looking a little smaller than usual in these photos…you’ll also notice the lack of other folks around. When picking your photo locations, it’s important to balance privacy, scenery, and experience. If a couple wants a popular location in their photos, I always recommend a weekday, sunrise or sunset, and to avoid doing anything emotional like exchanging vows or a private picnic. A lot of photos you see online have people edited out of the background so it’s hard to know that the gorgeous location featured is actually packed. Some folks are more sensitive to crowded areas than others so it’s up to you to decide what crowd levels you’re comfortable with and what trade-offs you’ll make.
These two opted to use a beach with a clear view of Haystack Rock but far enough away that they didn’t have to work around the Haystack Rock crowds. Considering their entire ceremony, family photos, and couple portraits would take place here, it was important to them to have a more private experience without lots of people around.
Reception in Cannon Beach
Cannon Beach Micro Wedding on 35mm Film
All of my elopement packages come with one roll of 35mm film. While 95% of galleries are in digital, that roll of film adds something special to the gallery. Here’s some of my favorites from these two’s day.
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