Roger + Niki – Portland, OR Engagement Session

Roger and Niki have a special place in my heart. I met these two through Andrew maybe 4, 5, 6 years ago? Time flies and we get older and all of a sudden I have no idea what day it is, let alone when I met friends that have become so much more than that to us. Through the years these two have traveled near and far, adventuring together and growing closer with each mile they trek further away from home. Their most recent move involved relocating to Portland, OR from Duluth this past Fall with Roger’s band (Dedric Clark & the Social Animals – do yourself a favor + check them out) After a long term journey to Guatamala, various countries and across the country together – Roger finally asked Niki to spend forever with him in December, after their new life on the West Coast was just beginning.

When these two asked me to capture their wedding in Minnesota next Summer it was a no-brainer YES! and we started chatting about how much we already missed each other. I thought about flying to visit, but then we talked about the pups (Roger & Niki have Jade, who has always loved our Cooper dog) So then it was settled. Drew, Coop and I would pack up the car and drive cross country on a 10 day road trip to end up on the West Coast – exploring Portland with our favorite Minnesota transplants and of course, plan an epic engagement session.

After a weekend of eating, drinking and adventuring through PDX (and as many breweries as possible) we headed out to the very spot where Roger got down on one knee on that chilly, Portland Winter day. Rocky Butte, which is just minutes from their house,  has a fantastic view of Mt. Hood and is an extinct volcanic cone in the middle of the city. It was the perfect start to an afternoon of photos, belly laughs and swoon worthy backdrops. We took a few photos with Jade at Rocky Butte and then headed out to the Columbia River Gorge + hiked through waterfalls and the most amazing scenery. The images you see below are from Mulnomah Falls (627 feet of insane waterfall beauty), nearby Wahkeena Falls and the Vista House at Crowne Point Overlook – which you can see in the last images overlooking the Gorge.

Going down as one my very favorite engagement sessions and road trips of all time, I cannot wait to capture all the awesomeness of Roger + Niki’s Minnesota backyard wedding next Summer! Cheers to great friends, good beer and amazing memories in the Pacific Northwest!