Can’t choose between a beach or forest elopement around Brookings, Oregon?!
When you choose to do an adventure elopement, the possibilities are endless and most couples have an even harder time committing to one area. It’s a big decision, we get it!
If you’re stuck between the beach or forest vibes around Brookings, Oregon and you’re willing to travel…
Then simply do BOTH.
In the small beach town of Brookings, you’re greeted with epic sea cliff beaches and rainforest mist. Then, only 1 hour south and across the state line, is Redwoods national park in Northern California.
Adventure Elopement Timeline Idea
Need a realistic adventure elopement timeline in Brookings, Oregon?
Do what Sabrina and April did 👇🏽
Wake up for sunrise to exchange an intimate vow ceremony on the beach in Brookings where the sun pierces through the trees and you hear the quiet waves behind you. Then, drive an hour to the Redwoods for another special ceremony of your choosing. For them, it was a butterfly release and a surprise ukelele performance of Steven Universe mashup songs, how special!
Lastly, head back to Brookings for a dinner at a restaurant of your choosing. They chose Thai food at Khun Thai to-go. This is where we parted ways and they got to spend the rest of their evening relaxing at their airbnb with their meal.
Watch their full wedding film right here!👇🏽
Brookings, OR Elopement Vendors to hire
Videography: @alesiafilms (oh hey, that’s us!)
Photography: @lizastandishphotography
Style + Design: @curatedmess.co
Florals: @noblefloralco
Private Chef Experience: @dakota.eats
Officiant: Rooted and Wild Co
Sabrina and April’s Gallery
When I showed up to film their elopement day, I was expecting a photographer to be there, like usual. When I asked Sabrina if one was coming, she said, “Actually, we only hired you! We couldn’t afford both and we just figured we could pull some screenshots from the video.”
To say I was flabbergasted was an understatement.
I’ve never solo’d an elopement before and I immediately told them I *semi-ish-sorta-kinda know how to take photos, so I’d snag some simple portraits of them, but my main focus was still the video. They were over the moon!
I’m honored to have done both photo and video for their elopement! But, as for the future, I definitely won’t ever sell this as a one man package. You absolutely need both vendors if you’d like both photos and videos captured for your day!
To answer the question looming in your mind: you can hire me for one or the other – not both.
Details
First Look Portraits
Sabrina and April chose to do a first look on the deck of their host’s airbnb. With the morning coastal mist, it allowed for moody blue-toned photos which we LOVED!
Elopement Ceremony
These were taken at sunrise at Secret Beach, Brookings Oregon. To be more specific, their elopement was July 17th, 2022 and we were on the beach and starting their ceremony at exactly 8:30am.
Post-Ceremony photos
The post celebration of your ceremony is a core memory. For these two, it was all smiles. We stuck around on Secret Beach for about a half hour to capture the light coming in through the trees some more as well as the mist rolling in by the shore. Then, we changed back into some hiking clothes and did a celebratory champagne pop at the deck of Boardman State Park’s pull-off.
Vow Reading in Redwoods National Park
After a quick lunch at Burger King and a change into outfit #2 at the airbnb, we started our hour long drive to the Redwoods. Luckily, they already found a trail that they loved that was short, easy, and had both giant redwood trees and a waterfall at the end! This is where they not only read their vows, but also where Sabrina surprised April with her Steven Universe mashup song and where they released the butterflies!
How to do a butterfly release for your wedding/elopement:
Pro tip with a butterfly release:
Tip #1: Wake them up with bright light long before you need to release them so you know they’re awake. Tip #2: Move the container in an upwards motion to encourage the flight. Do not expect a grand release of butterflies spilling out like pigeons or doves in the movies. It’s nothing like that 😂 Instead, prepare for a gentle, slow moving flight of a couple butterflies when you open your box.
Tip #3: Spray your bouquet with sugar water so that they land on your flowers. This allows them to kind of “stick around” instead of flying far away.
Tip #4: Be aware of what type of butterfly you choose and how many. Sabrina and April went so far to even purchase 7O BUTTERFLIES!!! Specifically, “painted ladies” butterflies. In the end, the amount won’t matter. It’s just their nature to get comfortable in their box.
We suggest trying out monarch butterflies for your release. And then let us know how it goes in the comments!
In conclusion, we ended up making the most of it and we placed some of the butterflies on their hands and clothes to take more awesome photos with. So… win-win?!
To purchase butterflies for your ceremony/vow reading: go through the amazing company we did!
Fragrant Acre’s Butterfly Farm
Looking for a Wedding Videographer that specializes in elopements?
If you’re dreaming up a perfect elopement day in Brookings, Oregon, and you need a videographer that can be flexible with your timeline and offers simple-to-book packages, then you need Alesia Films!
We not only helped plan Sabrina and April’s day, but we also helped transport the butterflies and their bouquet, helped facilitate the timeline, choose locations, and more.
Our goal is to go beyond the professional relationship and get to know every single one of our couples. From doing so, our couples are comfortable to be themselves around our cameras and have the best experience on their day overall.
We can’t wait to chat with you!
