Elopements

Keila and Ociel’s Emotional Elopement in Brookings, OR

Post Author

Amanda Morales

updated Aug 23, 2024

Amanda is Wandering Weddings’ executive editor and first joined Wandering Weddings in 2019.

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About This Elopement
Permits and LNT
Memorable Moments
Final Words of Advice
Photos From This Elopement

Keila and Ociel decided to elope in Brookings, OR at Samuel H. Boardman after their first look in the Redwoods. For their elopement, Keila honored her Indian heritage with traditional jewelry, while they kept the ceremony simple, letting nature take center stage. Guests lined a small aisle with beach rocks, and the couple exchanged vows on a boho-style rug, surrounded by flowers and photos of loved ones. Get all the details below.

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About This Elopement

Videography by Katy Nevinsky Photography & Films

“As a free spirit, Keila never saw herself settling down or getting married until she met Ociel. They immediately connected over similar values and got engaged on their 4th year anniversary.

For her elopement, Keila chose jewelry to honor her Indian heritage. She wore a Maang Tikka as well as a traditional bridal choker. The traditional Indian jewelry represents not only the union of marriage between bride and groom, but it’s also believed to protect the bride from negative energy.

Rather than flood their ceremony with decor, Keila and Ociel (“Oc”) let nature be the focal point of their wedding ceremony. Keila and Oc’s guests found rocks on the beach and lined a small aisle. Keila and Ociel stood on a boho-style rug adorned with flowers and pictures of loved ones for the exchange of vows. Their small party of guests sat on colorful Mexican blankets that also doubled as wedding favors (along with handmade soaps!).

During the ceremony, Keila and Ociel washed each other’s feet as an act of selfless love to each other. The pledge of service to each other is a Christian tradition that also symbolizes respect for each other. They also held a flower blessing ceremony that invited guests to send positive intentions into the flower as they placed it in a vase on the ceremonial rug.” [Katy, the videographer]

Permits and LNT

“We chose this spot the day of because their Airbnb ended up having some technical difficulties… we learned that no permit was necessary as long as we didn’t set up any structures or bring chairs (and had under 50 people total). We purchased blankets for guests and brought a rug for the ceremony area. I personally LNT’ed and have a video of that as well. This included moving all sticks and rocks that were used for the aisle (guests setup the aisle), and picking up flower petals.

Top tip: Make an entire 3-4 day weekend out of it, if not longer.

Spend a full day or half day in the Redwoods, walk around and experience the beauty. Vendors are hard to come by in this area, as well as venues. The most affordable venue is Capella by the Sea, but it can get super hot in the Summer (not much air flow), and the color is super yellow-y inside (not the best light). It’s a great option for keeping guests out of the rain. The weather tends to be great (not super rainy and relatively warm) up until the beginning of November.” [Katy, the videographer]

Memorable Moments From The Elopement

From the videographer:

“The bride’s traditional Indian jewelry was not only beautiful but also protected her from negative energy and symbolized their union. She wore a Maang Tikka as well as a traditional bridal choker.

I loved that the first look was in a separate dress. It made the ceremony a little more special (a second “first look”).” The white wedding outfits were really stunning.

I love how the fern spores were flowing off of the ferns in the video (we didn’t notice it was happening in person)! It added to the ethereal vibes that the couple was hoping for.”

Final Words of Advice

“The planner, photographer, and I put together an all-inclusive package, and it was great to be able to problem solve together as a team. The planner’s mother is a florist, so she (the planner) skillfully put together a bouquet as part of the package. I loved how organically everything came together and how the day was more about the experience and the energy. If I could do it all over again, I would have spread everything out into two days because we lost some time driving between all 3 locations (Airbnb to redwoods to Airbnb to beach to Airbnb).” [Katy, the videographer]

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