February 17, 2023

Secret Beach Elopement on the Oregon Coast

A beautiful adventure elopement featuring Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor in Brookings, OR.

With 373 miles of public land to pick from, the Oregon Coast is packed with gems. This couple opted for Brookings, OR and Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor which packs some of the most rugged coastline Oregon has to offer.

Brookings isn’t an easy place to travel to and that’s definitely a pro, not a con! Part of eloping is not needing to stress about guests and the logistics of coordinating everyone. The end result of picking a place 3 hours from the nearest airport and the most isolated piece of Oregon Coast? Less crowds and more privacy. All the beauty of the national parks without the crowding and lines.

This elopement is a perfect example of how you can have a relaxed, intimate, and personalized experience. We took our time moving place to place with an emphasis on time together at each spot. These two spent a lot of time pulling together details to include with a final product of a 100% customized day.

We did less than a mile cumulatively of hiking and still got all these epic backdrops. You don’t need to be a rugged adventurer for an elopement to be the perfect fit for you. The Oregon Coast has a wide variety of hike options, most of which being less than 1 mile. Don’t let the extra adventurous photos deceive you, an elopement could still be the right fit for you!

This elopement is also featured on Wandering Weddings. Check it out here!

Kind words from the couple:

Miki is reliable and her communication is beyond! She responds quickly and is very thorough, she will check the sunrise/sunset/tides/crowds/parking/etc. unique to your day. She is very enthusiastic and passionate about her work. Not only is she a fantastic photographer but she helped craft our whole elopement day. She listened to what our vision was and she had her own ideas and she was able to emphasize what is important to us, the couple. She is very knowledgeable in the area we had our elopement (Brookings, OR). Miki is also very active on Instagram-with her posts and stories, we felt like we knew her before we met her in real life! No awkwardness, we immediately felt comfortable around her on the day of our elopement!

Delivery: We received our sneak peaks the following morning after our elopement and we were astonished! Then we received our full gallery a little under 2 months!

Overall experience: We want to elopement again with her! 11/10 would recommend on your very own elopement!

Getting Ready

They started the day with a slow getting ready morning at their Gold Beach vacation rental. Getting ready photos are chronically under appreciated and a great way to get used to having your photographer around. Especially consider getting ready photos if you’re introverted and a bit stressed about getting your photos taken. Your mind will be on getting ready and the excitement of the day. It’s a low stress, slow paced environment so you an adjust to the camera being around.

For even more meaningful getting ready photos, consider getting ready together up until your outfits. While you’ll see a bit of the look early, getting ready together eases your nerves (I mean, that’s why you’re marrying them!) and gives me all sorts of opportunities to capture candids of you two.

This is also the perfect time to get detail photos. These are the kinds of photos that become more valuable with age. You’ll remember the big things one decade or five down the road. You’ll remember the crashing waves, crying during your vows, and exploring together. But you’ll start to forget the necklace you wore, the specific words of your vows (these two included those in their detail photos but they’re not here so they can stay between them), and the pair of earrings you wore that were originally your grandma’s. Sure, they’re pretty and look great in an album, but it’s also intentionally capturing the small pieces that made your day what it was.

First Look

My top recommendation is to use your getting ready space for your first look. In the final product, the point of the photos is your reaction. Any simple, basic background will provide everything you need to get great photos of the first look. While a more epic background can be tempting, the logistics of moving places without seeing each other can get complicated.

Your vacation rental also ensures complete privacy. Beautiful public land will always come with…the public. Start your day on the right foot by giving yourself space to feel all your emotions in this moment.

Vow and Gift Exchange

Next up on the timeline was exchanging vows and gifts. Janny and Loren actually ended up exchanging vows privately at the vacation rental (just like your first look, this is the best way to ensure 100% privacy in a way public land can’t) and during their ceremony with the officiant a second time. They were amazed at how many pieces of the vows they missed the first time and really enjoyed getting to read them twice during the day.

After their vows, they exchanged the sweetest gifts. I was thankful to be able to lend my local help so Janny could mail a whole guitar to my house so she could gift it day of.

Ceremony in Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor

The Wright Officiant came out to Brookings, OR to officiate. They opted to “seal it with a shot” for their unity ceremony. The waves crashed below as they reread their vows and said “I do.”

While elopements are largely kept simple, don’t underestimate the value of a great officiant. Most couples I work with opt for a basic vow exchange and officiating by me behind the camera and love it. Others want something more structured. This is especially helpful if you’re introverted and struggle to talk through emotional scenarios. You’re going to feel all sorts of feelings during your ceremony and having a professional to walk you through memories, the significance of the day, and providing opportunities to connect, can help you absorb everything swirling around.

Secret Beach Hike in Brookings, OR

My personal favorite elopement activity is a good hike. Let’s be real, you’re not having a day like this unless you love nature. Nothing allows you to sit in nature like a good hike (a short one because we’re also realistic about your unconventional hiking attire). You can walk among the iconic mossy, fern filled Oregon forests and listen to the birds sing.

This beach is a short hike but a steep one. This beach isn’t very large and very popular so make sure to plan accordingly. Expect to share the space and consider visiting at sunrise/sunset or weekdays to avoid crowds. This is why I almost always recommend doing your vows or other more private events at locations besides Secret Beach (or whatever popular location is near where you’re eloping). That’s the ultimate secret to getting epic pictures at popular places and still having an intimate experience. All you have to do is prioritize which parts of the day you want to keep private and which ones you would be okay working around crowds for. We lucked out though and got this spot all to ourselves.

This beach is only safe at certain tides. Make sure to check tide charts before visiting! Or better yet, hire someone local and familiar with tides. The same rocky coast that makes Samuel H. Boardman Park stunning is also why it’s one of the most tide sensitive places on the Oregon Coast. You’d be amazed at the difference tides make in your final images even if there’s no safety risks.