Sam Starns - Adventure Elopement Photographer

09/09/2026

Listen, I know most elopement destinations are public places and *technically* folks can do whatever they want….

But why would you motor up to an ACTIVE wedding ceremony to record on your phone? This person was a stranger, and ended up getting so close to the dock that he nearly bumped it with his boat because he was too distracted filming.

There were plenty of boats out on the water, and that’s no biggie. But cruising right on up to a ceremony?

Fortunately:

1. Sam and Madeleine were so wrapped up in each other they didn’t even notice!
2. I’m really good at getting angles that obscure photobombers 😏.
wedding guests
wedding crashers
elopement crashers
elopement day

09/05/2026

All of this because Lookingglass Elementary School gave me the opportunity to experience the IditaRead.

I also got to participate in the Fur Rondy’s Reindeer Run downtown with my elopement couple — I’m so fortunate to know others who are also “yes and” people!

We get one life. Experiences are all we have. Do the thing.

09/04/2026

08/28/2026

August in Oregon is a killer time to find a dark sky sanctuary to catch the Perseid meteor shower, eclipses, and the Milky Way.

I got to head out to the local observatory, visit a friend who works there (and nerd out together about the particles that make the aurora borealis 🌌), and capture a few images of the lunar eclipse.

This crazy, beautiful, terrifying universe. What a gift to be able to be present, REALLY present and in the moment, to witness it. And what’s more, when you know even just a few tidbits about your environment, you can connect to it in a whole new way.

That is my goal for nearly every elopement. To help you connect to the world, as well as each other. Because that’s when the whole ballgame (your experience) changes.

Your elopement location doesn’t stay just a pretty backdrop. It becomes an indelible memory, and a place you feel even more drawn to. It’s a place you’ll want to return to.

It can feel like coming home, even if you’ve never lived there.

If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that magic actually, is all around.
Oregon dark skies
Lunar eclipse
Elopement inspiration

08/18/2026

I’m a big fan of places that aren’t crowded for elopements. Big big fan.

If you love hella popular places and want to elope there, by all means get your groove on! I just prefer to not have my elopement couples competing with 3 other couples in wedding attire for the same photo spot.

I LOVE showing eloping couples a spot that could be THEIR elopement location and possibly theirs alone (at least that we know of, because that’s how little some of the elopement locations I know of are visited).

Forever showing folks the secret locations that come with being a lifelong PNWer and a former park ranger.
Elopement destination
Where to elope
Elopement inspiration
Places to elope
Where to get eloped
Adventure wedding ideas

08/06/2026

I will tell you right now with my entire chest that some of the coolest (and most chic 😏) people I know chose to elope.

They chose to run toward themselves and adventure. To plan a next-level start to the next chapter of their lives. To maybe start an anniversary trip tradition. Or to just do something different.

It’s kinda chic to elope. It’s also:
kinda freeing
kinda empowering
kinda exhilarating
kinda whimsical
kinda badass
Elopement inspiration
Elope
Eloping
Elopement wedding
Adventure wedding
Kinda chic to elope

08/03/2026

When eloping in Norway after getting engaged on a boat, you board a 50+ year old sailboat and explore the Norwegian Sea for your elopement day.

I love when eloping couples get intentional and decide to bring things full circle.

There’s so much to share from this midnight sun, sailboat elopement in Norway, but these moments deserve their own post.

I’m thankful folks trust me enough to take a chance and climb the rigging (figuratively and literally) to convey the level of adventure it felt to sail a gently undulating glass ocean a half a world away from their home in Canada.

If this sounds like the down-for-anything type of elopement adventure you’ve been wanting, prepare to get even more inspired: the story of their Norway elopement is up on the blog (link’s in the bio).
Lofoten Islands elopement
Elope in Norway
Elope on a sailboat in Norway
Sailboat elopement
Elope at sea
Elope in the Lofoten Islands
Norway elopement inspiration

07/30/2026

When you spend nearly your whole life in Oregon (aside from that stint living in France — a story for another time), living in Southern Oregon, working as a park ranger and whale watching naturalist on the Oregon Coast, you know spots FAR beyond what’s shown on social media.

I love when couples trust me to show them parts of Oregon you don’t get to see. Glacier carved mountains, vast desert playas, alpine lakes, lava fields (yes lava), sand dunes in the desert, lava tube caves lit by a natural skylight, hills painted in vermillion and sienna hues, and a metric ton more.

Prime example: Madeleine and Sam let me take them miles into the mountains, where we didn’t see a soul for hours. They had set aside time to just sit and read (they’re voracious bookworms!). And TBH, I don’t think the backdrop gets much better than this for an SSR session.

If you’re searching for your OWN elopement location, one that hasn’t been done a million times like Yosemite, Grand Tetons, and Olympic NP, let a former park ranger show you around.

If you haven’t already, bookmark this for elopement location inspiration 🔖.
Oregon elopement inspiration
Elope in Oregon
Places to elope
Private elopement locations
Umpqua elopement
Elope in southern Oregon
Experience Roseburg Travel Southern Oregon

07/24/2026

Oregon elopements can be SO diverse, and it’s something I love most about this state.

If you let yourself get off the (figurative) beaten path and allow a lifelong Oregonian and former Oregon park ranger to show you around, you aren’t going to have the photos you’ve seen on Instagram or Pinterest.

You’re going to have a backdrop that feels like it’s all yours. You’ll be setting the trend.

If you want to beyond the viral locations and to places that AllTrails doesn’t know about, then LFG 🤘. I’m ready when you are.
Oregon elopement inspiration
Elope in Oregon
Where to elope in Oregon
Unique Oregon elopements
The best Oregon elopement spots
Elopement inspo

07/20/2026

A crimson mermaid standing at the foot of Ariel’s castle. So damn breathtaking. That rich red isn’t seen by everyone though, including the groom (who is red/green colorblind).

Good thing his bride got him EnChroma glasses, because she knew this moment couldn’t go without them.

After a hell of a pivot by us due to Switzerland’s unpredictable May weather (I was up for hours calling and emailing folks on the French side of the country for Plan C—or was it D now?— putting my French skills and time living in Poitiers to good use), we ended up at a fairytale location that was perfect for this surprise reveal.

A sneak peek of the moment is at the end of this carousel. Fair warning: I got teary-eyed, so you might as well.

“You guys see this all the time?!”

Nami and Hari, love you guys.
Adventure elopement inspiration
Castle elopement
Indian elopement
Lehenga wedding dress
Ideas for eloping
Engagement photos
Colorblind wedding
Colorblind groom