Dreamy intimate elopement at Oregon’s Smith Rock

When their original wedding plans fell apart due to a venue double booking, Michelle & Shawn had to regroup. With the blessing of their families, eloping felt like the right thing to do and took a lot of the stress out of the situation for them. They chose Smith Rock in Oregon "because it felt like a dream with its amazing scenery." Having travelled to several national and state parks together it felt like a fitting location and I'm sure you'll agree that these stunning images by MARIA LAMB capture the beauty of the day in more than one way!

With a romantic and moody vibe they were heavily inspired by nature. "We wanted the colours to fit in with the desert surroundings. I immediately knew I wanted to use Rachael Lunghi of LACE AND LIKES and SIREN FLORAL CO to help style and create floral arrangements. Her style is so soft and beautiful and her familiarity with the area meant she could include some unique local flora. Ideally I wanted a big, whimsical, foraged bouquet with plenty of greenery as well as pops of colour that represented spring flowers in Oregon. I dreamt of a rose petal drawn bath for getting ready and hanging petals in the kitchen for our private dinner. We stuck to a soft mauve, light pink and dusty purple theme that incorporated lots of natural elements and moodiness. Rachael used local cherry blossoms and garden roses around our lookout tower and dinner table and added hellebores to our centerpieces for mixed purples and bright greens."

HOW DID YOU MEET? We grew up together but didn’t start dating until high school. Funny that your soul mate can be in front of you for so many years without you knowing. We first started dating through our art and photography classes, that’s why hiring Maria was so important, we really loved the idea of involving film because its how we connected in high school

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: We were hiking in Tennessee on a trail that was so foggy you could only see the green tops of the pines and shadows of the mountains. Shawn pulled me in close and told me he loved me and never wanted to stop going on adventures with me. As soon as he got down on one knee we both started crying. All that I needed to see was that beautiful sapphire ring. Now that was a view!

TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: To be honest, I bought two dresses. I originally went on Black Friday to find an inexpensive dress and caved for something I didn’t actually love but seemed like a good price. Word of encouragement- BUY YOUR DREAM DRESS. I ended up selling the first dress to buy a Hayley Paige botanical beaded long sleeve dress I could not stop staring at in every bridal magazine I had received since we were first engaged. I bought the gown from Mia at Garnish Boutique located in Baltimore MD and would recommend any bride to shop there.

DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS: Ideally I wanted a big, whimsical, greenery foraged bouquet with pops of colour that represented spring flowers in Oregon. I dreamt of a rose petal drawn bath for getting ready and hanging petals in the kitchen for our private dinner. We stuck to a soft mauve ,light pink ,dusty purple theme that incorporated lots of natural elements and moodiness. Rachael used lots of local cherry blossoms and garden roses around our lookout tower and dinner table and added hellebores to our centerpieces for mixed purples and bright greens. I couldn’t have asked for a better florist.

FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: Our first kiss is something we will both never forget. Shawn picked me up and spun me around. Afterwards we popped a bottle of bubbly right next to the cliff.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? Plan it together and not dwell on what anyone else is expecting or wanting.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD CHANGE OR DO DIFFERENTLY? We wouldn’t change anything, Wedding planning taught us a lot about how to work together through stress and that the marriage really is about two people in love. Moving across the country after our original wedding venue got double booked only made us stronger as a couple. Eloping didn’t feel like we were letting anyone down. Our families understood the stress we had gone through from having to cancel our original wedding and they were all very happy for a celebration afterwards.