Downtown Portland courthouse elopement photos with photo booth portraits

When you strip away all of the crowds, vendors, logistics, and just focus on your love and closest friends - the results are so romantic. That's why intimate, courthouse elopements are some of my favorite weddings to shoot.

I met JoJo in 2010 through a mutual bestie when I was a wee high school senior and she was a freshman at University of Iowa. Over the past 16 years, our paths have crossed for many different life events (including an iconic cross-country roadtrip we took with a group of friends from Iowa to San Francisco) - so when I got JoJo's inquiry to shoot her and Austin's Portland elopement, I literally squealed with joy.

JoJo and Austin have been together for 10 years after meeting in a graphic design class at Iowa, and wanted to celebrate this 10-year milestone by making things "official."

One of the sweetest parts of this Portland courthouse elopement is that one of their best friends as a last minute surprise for JoJo to officiate their intimate ceremony.

We showed up to the courthouse around 11am and found an open space on the top floor which has one of the best views of Portland I've seen. It was also a perfect overcast day so the view actually showed up in the background of photos (unlike a really bright day when the windows are just pure white, without any view).

We timed our arrival perfectly - the hallways were empty and we had plenty of time to take photos in front of the windows without any interruption (or feeling like we were interrupting nearby court cases). Because their friend was officiating, we didn't have to wait for a courtroom or courthouse officiant. It made the whole process so much more fun, laid back and personal. Plus the views from the windows is sooo much more scenic than the view from inside a windowless courtroom.

Of course we had to get some of the classic Multnomah County Courthouse photos right outside of the building, with the big stone columns and rain-soaked sidewalks.

Then we headed downtown to get newlywed portraits at an iconic Portland photo booth in the Clyde Hotel lobby.

This was the perfect vibe for JoJo and Austin who are a fun, artsy, and laid back couple. They really wanted to take photos in a photo booth that still printed physical photo strips. With so many of the photo booths around Portland moving to digital-only pictures, we had to do some research to find one that still offered these prints. And the Clyde Hotel was perfect.

We also took some newlywed portraits in the artsy, modern lobby of the hotel, and I'm obsessed with the results.

After we left the hotel, we went to Double Dragon for some lunch, drinks, and more photos. I love adding in a post-courthouse drink or snack as an extra photo opp.

We shot this Portland elopement on film and digital and I love the way they mix together.

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