I met Ashley & Chris in the Wahclella Falls trailhead parking lot, just off Highway 84 in the Columbia River Gorge, on a beautiful May afternoon. They are from Chicago, so we hadn't met in person before they came to Portland, but they felt like friends already. I believe anyone coming out from the Midwest to get married at a waterfall in Oregon's unpredictable but exquisite spring is sure to be wonderful.

We donned our North Face jackets, and Ashley slung her dress bag over her shoulder and grabbed her bouquet. We made the one-mile hike out to the falls where Ashley changed into her dress, and then walked up to the rocks overlooking the thundering pool at the base of a roaring Wahclella Falls.

Chris waited for her, along with their officiant and two friends, and so began a beautiful ceremony where they read vows to each other. It had such a timeless feel to it--two people in a gorgeous place, promising each other everything, crying, laughing. It was perfect.

After the ceremony, they popped a bottle of champagne, toasted, signed their marriage license, and sent friends and officiant off down the trail as we stayed to explore and photograph in the Wahclella Basin.

Later, we hopped back into the car and went further into the Gorge by Cascade Locks for the next part of our photography adventure. At the end of the evening, we waved goodbye from Dalton Point as a blue twilight settled down over the river, and I smiled the entire way home. What a wonderful day.