Cape Kiwanda Engagement Photos

These Cape Kiwanda engagement photos with Austin and Jamie gave us all the feels! During our first call with these two, we knew that we were going to be fast friends. After booking their elopement with us, they decided they wanted to celebrate by booking an engagement session with us as well to celebrate this moment in their lives. After checking out our site, one location stood out to them. The sweeping and epic coastline of one of our favorite coastal spots, Cape Kiwanda. 

While there are literally tons of beautiful locations on the Oregon Coast, Cape Kiwanda is super popular, and for good reason! It’s absolutely stunning and the mix of colorful, warm, sandstone cliffs paired with haystack rocks that totally scream PNW, makes this location totally dreamy. We were so pumped to show our new pals one of our favorite spots and are totally gushing over their Cape Kiwanda engagement photos.

Why should you have engagement photos?

The time period between getting engaged and your actual wedding day is a precious one. It’s this chapter of your life where you’re planning this incredible day together and celebrating the beautiful home you’ve built within each other. This time goes by fast and celebrating it in a way that allows you to look back and remember it is something we’d recommend to every couple. 

Planning your Cape Kiwanda engagement photos

When we hopped on a call to plan their Cape Kiwanda engagement session we encouraged them to first imagine what their perfect date would look like. The goal with every session we have is always to create an experience. They loved the idea of planning a chill sunrise coffee date out on the coast near the beginning of June. 

TIP: It is always way more fun to approach your session like you’re planning a sweet little date instead of planning a photo shoot. 

For most couples, privacy is a big consideration when planning any type of session in public spaces. Austin and Jamie loved the idea of an early sunrise start on a Friday to help make sure there weren’t a ton of folks around. If privacy is something you value, choosing sunrise will rarely steer you wrong. 

Looking for an adventure elopement photographer to help you plan?

Even though we’ve been to Cape Kiwanda a hundred times, we always check out our locations the day before to make sure we’re super prepared and have an air-tight game plan and backup plans just in case. We love scouting out at Cape Kiwanda because we’ll always end up at Pelican Brewery sipping on some delicious brews and staring out at the ocean from their patio that is practically built on the beach. 

Sunrise Cape Kiwanda engagement photos

5:00 came early and we met Austin and Jamie in the parking lot to get started. We had received weather updates through the evening about scattered storms and were all keeping our fingers crossed that it wouldn’t be an absolute down-pour. Lucky for us, it only rained for about 15 minutes off and on and made for some pretty cute moments. 

TIP: Always stay prepared for less than ideal weather, especially on the west coast. We make sure to always bring along our clear umbrellas to help keep you dry. 

Thinking about a Cape Kiwanda engagement session?

We started out making our way up the smaller of the two massive sand dunes that take you to the tallest viewpoints of Cape Kiwanda. This gave us all the opportunity to see the most incredible views of the beach and the massive haystack rock that the Oregon Coast is known for. As it started to drizzle, we pulled out the clear umbrellas we brought so that they could stay relatively dry while checking out all of the sweeping views.

We were so happy to hear that their session was the first time visiting Cape Kiwanda and that this was a spot they had been wanting to explore for quite some time. We loved getting to witness them soaking up the incredible landscape from the viewpoints of the sandstone lookouts, and absolutely sending it down the massive sand dunes. Fair warning: going up these bad boys will make your quads burn, but running down them is an absolute blast.

Ready to start planning?

Exploring the tidepools was extra special with these two and being able to check out the colorful ecosystems that are only exposed at low tide was a bonus treat. The best part of this sunrise Cape Kiwanda session is that the only time we ran into another human was while we were all headed back to the parking lot. 

What to bring for your Cape Kiwanda engagement photos

Austin and Jamie brought along, super cozy blanket to chill out on to watch the sun come up. Watching them snuggle up together and drink in the views was the absolute best. Other things you could bring with you to a sunrise session might include:

• Breakfast picnic
• A romantic playlist to jam out to 
• Coffee in some super cute mugs
• Your pet!

We are so crazy in love with the Oregon Coast and while Cape Kiwanda has so much to offer couples seeking a little adventure for their engagement sessions. We are so in love with these Cape Kiwanda engagement photos and can’t wait to celebrate these two tying the knot later this summer. 

Want incredible Cape Kiwanda engagement photos like these?

As your Oregon elopement photographers, we LOVE shooting on the coast and Cape Kiwanda is truly a gem. Anywhere on the coast is the perfect place to spend a sweet morning together. We’re always down for an early morning session or a sunset expedition!

Want more Cape Kiwanda magic? Check out this Cape Kiwanda session for more inspiration.

Check out our complete guide to plan your Cape Kiwanda Elopement and our Oregon Coast Elopement Guide!