Columbia River Gorge Elopement | Oregon | Garrett + Vandella

This adventure bridal session in Columbia Gorge with Garrett + Vandella was definitely one of my most favorite sessions ever! Me and my friend woke up at 4:30 am grabbed some Starbucks coffee (the only thing open that early haha) and drove out to the Columbia Gorge to photograph the beautiful couple during sunrise.

Columbia Gorge is one of my favorite places on earth. I love the colors that come with every season, the breathtaking views, and the special quiet that comes with the off season in a place that's always crowded with visitors. And even so, we ran into landscape photographers that were at one of the location we planned on shooting at. We had a second place in mind but didn't know the exact location of it so we drove around in the dark till we finally found the cliff side that overlooked the beautiful gorge. It was fun finding a secret spot that was off the path and got some pretty rad views and intimate moments with nobody else around!

The weather forecast promised light wind but as soon as we got out of the car, it felt like it could literally blow us away! Right before the sun peeked through the mountains, we made it out onto the cliff side, full of excitement + that adrenaline rush, laughing at how crazy we were for doing things like this while battling the wind and trying to stop it from knocking us over the ledge. Vandella wore a beautiful bridal dress from ASOS and it flowed perfectly with the wild wind. We were frozen by the time we got back to the car and it felt so good to hide from the wind and turn the heater on full blast!

After finally feeling our fingers again, we drove down the mountain in search of a bit more peaceful scenery (after that insane wind!) and ended up stopping on the side of the road to snag a few pictures running round in the middle of the road + attempting to pop some fruity prosecco with the last bit of fall leaves on the ground. It was the perfect way to end the wild n adventurous morning!

Thanks to Garrett + Vandella for waking up real early for an amazing sunrise adventure in the gorge and for being down for all the crazy ideas like walking out on the ledge despite the wild wind! (you can find these photos closer to the beginning of this post)

I’m so happy on how their photos turned out and I can't wait for more crazy adventures like this one!