Rachel and Michelle’s wedding was the most special and intimate event I’ve ever had the honor of photographing. The day started with a snowy morning drive up Mount Hood Hwy to the Clear Lake Lookout Tower, a 40ft tall fire watchtower nestled in the Mt. Hood National Forest with stunning panoramic views of Clear Lake, Timothy Lake, and the south side of Wy’East herself. The wedding guests consisted only of the couple’s two best friends, their baby and their beloved doggos. Myself and my videographer husband were the only other beings in attendance, and we felt lucky. Their morning was spent stoking the fire, drinking champagne, doing each other’s hair and scouting ceremony locations in the forest. Come afternoon they walked hand in hand down the snowy trail, where they were married amongst the trees with their dogs running around at their feet. We finished with some moody evening portraits of the brides, and Michelle invited us to stay for dinner she had prepared herself. Their dinner table adorned with napkins hand stitched with their new last name; a hybrid of their respective maiden names. The whole day felt simultaneously momentous but quaint, distinguished but humble.

A heartfelt congratulations to the Winnward’s.