Intimate Elopement at Crook Point on the Southern Oregon Coast || Leah + Jon
Summertime on the Oregon coast can often be cloudy, rainy, and foggy, so it’s always up in the air as to what the weather will be on a wedding day, but for this June wedding we lucked out with beautiful sunshine, and a bit of a breeze for this intimate elopement at Crook Point. Leah and Jon knew they wanted to include their sweet pup in their ceremony, so they scoped a spot on the coast with a beautiful view, but that was still an easy enough hike from the road. Some of the coastal locations can only be accessed by a treacherous hike, with slippery rocks, and steep cliffs that end 500 feet down in the ocean, but the spot they chose was an easy 10 minute hike from the road, and high up above the waves, but with enough room to walk around comfortably - even in the coastal winds.
They rented one of the beautiful cabins at Crook Point, one of my favorite southern Oregon wedding venues (you can rent these places as a vacation rental as well) overlooking the water, and had their own private path down to the beach. Here in Oregon we have “The People’s Coast” where the entire 363 miles of the Pacific coastline has been made and kept public by ORS 390.610 Policy, stating that the public has a right to use and enjoy any part of the coast for recreational purposes, and none of the coast can be made private. Oregon legislature thought they were signing it into law as far back as 1913, but technically only the “wet part” of the sand was protected, and the “dry part” of the beach was starting to be privatized, like has been done in California, so in 1967, then Oregon Governor, Tom Mcall signed another policy into law stating the beach all the way up to the vegetation had been assumed to belong to the public as well, so they could continue to use it. Or something like that - a lawyer I am not - but an avid supporter of the entire Oregon coast remaining public I AM. So, while on Leah + Jon’s wedding day it felt like they had their own private beach that came along with the cabin rental, technically it was still public - although we didn’t see another person the entire time we were there for their wedding.
They got ready together in the cabin overlooking the expanse of the Pacific Ocean, and read their vows out overlooking the jaw-dropping coastline in the Samuel H Boardman State Scenic Corridor, which, if you are headed down the Highway 101 along the Oregon Coast, you should make time to stop and see. There are quite a few turnoffs and pullouts that are marked with signs and have safe paths down to the beach, or overlooks to view from above, but there are also secret hidden gems that you can find if you stop and explore. The first time we visited here it took my breath away - both because the hike down to the water was steep and I was wearing a toddler on my back, but also because I’d never seen such a lush forest directly next to the beach before. The Oregon coast is wild in a way other coasts I have visited are not. We often wear jackets and shoes to the beach because it’s cold and windy, and the sea cliffs are no joke - but the beauty is unmatched, and it’s close to the Oregon redwoods, and again, it’s all public, so you can enjoy ALL of it!!
I personally think everyone should either elope, get married, or get engagement photos taken on the Oregon coast, and if you’ve already done all three of those things, I say plan a vow renewal for the coast on one of your anniversaries as a gift to yourselves. It’s so beautiful, and not to be missed - if anything, plan a trip down the coast, and give me a call because I would love to show you my favorite spots, and take your picture while we’re there!
Crook Point beach southern Oregon coastal elopement details
