Jill + Mark | Fire Tower Elopement

This fire tower is the perfect location if you want a private, outdoor elopement experience.

In April of 2021, I photographed this elopement for an east coast photographer, Hector Javier. At the time, the pandemic was still making travel difficult so I stepped in to assist and document Jill + Mark’s little elopement. The location was the coolest Airbnb I’ve ever seen, a decommissioned old fire tower in Southern Oregon called the Summit Prairie. The ceremony was held on the viewing deck that overlooks miles of national forest. The owners, Dabney + Alan, have a summer home on the property to manage the fire tower and they performed the ceremony and stood witness. It was just us and the most breathtaking views.

After saying I do, Jill and Mark led me back to the fire tower where they popped a bottle of champagne and cooked a spaghetti dinner. We talked about their life on the East Coast and their decision to elope in Oregon. They told me about their first time staying at the fire tower and how much they had fallen in love with the simplicity of an off-grid camping weekend. We talked about our shared love of craft beer. We exchanged pictures of our dogs. It was the most mellow evening and I’m so glad I was able to be there for it.

If you’re like Jill and Mark and you want a unique, private, Oregon elopement experience, checkout my blog post about the top 5 things to consider when choosing to elope in Oregon.