Tropical Elopement at Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon Coast

Nonie instantly connected with Hannah when she inquired on Facebook about their intimate elopement in Cape Kiwanda! She and Devin are from the Northern Mariana Islands. The islands are part of the continent of Oceania. They are tropical, and just absolutely beautiful! (don’t believe us, go google them)

Nonie and Devin met at Devin’s birthday party in 2016, when his sister invited Nonie. They instantly connected and the rest is history! When Nonie inquired, she told us that they love sightseeing and exploring new places. They described their ideal weekend back home as a relaxing BBQ on the beach with cold beer, reggae music, amazing food, and of course, watching the sunset.

So, when they moved to Oregon in 2018, it obviously was a huge change from the Northern Mariana Islands. They got engaged at the end of 2018, and decided to elope on the Oregon Coast. It reminded them a bit of their comforts from home! And, even though the Oregon coast is not considered a tropical beach, it’s still absolutely stunning!

They had never been to Cape Kiwanda before, but the second they visited, both Nonie and Devin knew that that was where they wanted to commit themselves to each other. They even had a backup location that they didn’t go look at because they just knew that the Cape was their spot.

A month or so before their wedding date, Nonie told us that their Airbnb cancelled on them. So, despite really wanting to get married on the coast, Nonie was about to book another Airbnb in a town near Salem. We told her to wait jusssst a bit before she booked. We knew it wasn’t what she wanted, and we genuinely believe that your wedding day should be EVERYTHING you want. Our thoughts were that if she waited just a little longer, maybe something would pop up and they would be able to have the wedding she had originally dreamed of. Needless to say, a couple days later, she found an inexpensive Airbnb near the coast that would fit her family and friends!

Adam and Hannah made it down to the Airbnb on the day of their wedding. It was partly cloudy, which was nice! Nonie was getting ready and Devin was anxiously waiting for their first look. We took some detail shots, and captured some moments while Nonie got ready. She looked absolutely STUNNING! Everything from her dress, to her makeup, to her custom jean jacket (matching with her daughter), to her flower crown was beyond beautiful!

Our favorite part about this intimate elopement in Cape Kiwanda, though, was definitely their first look. HANDS DOWN. We did it in the backyard of the Airbnb. Devin was so anxious because he knew today was the most special day! When he saw Nonie for the first time, he burst into tears and couldn’t believe his eyes! If you love special moments like that, make sure to watch the film that Adam created below to 0see that special moment in action. There wasn’t a dry eye at that Airbnb!

After their first look, we all made our way to the Cape. Adam and Hannah had scouted out a private spot for their ceremony earlier, but it was a bit of a walk. The second we arrived, the weather took a turn. It started to sprinkle, and the wind picked up. Nonie had purchased clear umbrellas just in case (which was so smart), but the wind got stronger. It picked up sand and flung it everywhere! Even though the weather was not ideal, no one could take their eyes off of Nonie and Devin when they said their vows with the waves crashing behind them. Every second of the ceremony was so special, especially when they presented their daughter, Sirena, with a bracelet to include her in their unison.

After the ceremony, we cranked out some family photos, but the rain started to come down even harder, so we weren’t able to take as many as Nonie and Devin had hoped. Thankfully, we were able to meet up a couple days later to catch the sunset! We caught the most beautiful sunset, and we were able to document some really special moments. It was still extremely windy, causing the sand to go flying, and the temperature to be pretty cold. That meant that we only had about 30-40 minutes for photos. But we made it work!

We are so thankful to have been able to work with Nonie and Devin for their intimate elopement in Cape Kiwanda. They are two of the sweetest and more kind-hearted people we have ever met. We are so happy that they trusted us to capture their special day and we can’t wait to see them again!

Small Wedding Vendor Team

Video by Adam Osness

Photos by Hannah Falk

HMUA: Kaeda with Rust & Roses Beauty

Coordinating & Florals: Melissa Boothe with My Melissa Coordinating and Floral Design

Suit: The Black Tux

Dessert: Cup-n-Cake Creations