Portland OR Queer Waterfall Proposal
Happy Monday, all!
I am thrilled to share this dreamy and very secretive proposal mission with you. It all went down near Portland, OR with a quiet morning at home with the sweetest pups. Long overdue hugs were in order after following each other on Instagram for quite sometime! They laced up their custom “just married” rainbow Converse and we were off…a small roadtrip into the wilderness. Now a roadtrip with me wouldn’t be complete without stopping for gas station snacks and me yelling to “PULL OVER AND EMBRACE” near some abandoned auto shop. Nance hadn’t a clue what Chelsea (and I) had been scheming. Chelsea seemed cool as a cucumber about the proposal but the second we started passing large billows of smoke things took a turn. Nance held her hand & turned on some tunes…all is well. We pressed on. Meanwhile, I’m in the backseat checking the Watch Duty app for safety purposes whilst trying to remain calm with the ring…yes THEE RING sitting in the pocket of my ripped, cut off shorts. Cool cool. Just another day in the life of a wedding photographer. Fear not, I’ll be your backseat secret keeper.
I absolutely love how this misty day of adventuring near waterfalls played out. We lucked out with an uncrowded waterfall mostly to ourselves and any passersby squealed with delight offering small celebrations everywhere we ventured. We ended the day quite literally in the STREETS of Portland laughing at each other and taking film photos. Very much grateful to the Portland queer community and their thirst for adventure. Endlessly thankful for ALL of the queer weddings I have gotten to photograph over the years but the ones that involve some backroads & nature sniffing are it for me. To any LGBTQ+ couples looking to elope, propose or throw a micro wedding in the Portland, OR area…I welcome you with open arms and space in my pockets to hold wedding rings. 🌈🌲
Scroll down to take a gander of some behind the scenes film & iPhone snaps and a Q&A with the couple. Then click the play button to turn on one of their favorite songs while you take in the day from my view. 📸
MEET CHELSEA + NANCE…
We live in Portland, Oregon, but we just moved here from Phoenix, Arizona. We’ve been together for 2 years and 9 months and really enjoy dancing together. We spend a lot of time with our 5 dogs! Taking them for walks, exploring the city and finding new places. On weekends you can find us binging new tv shows, playing cards and get-to-know-you games, and hanging out with friends. We're still finding our way in Portland but Chelsea enjoys rock climbing and hiking, while Nance enjoys arts and crafts like painting and wood burning.
What is the first thing you remember about the other when you first met?
We first met in passing 7 years ago in the ballroom dance world, but reconnected 3 years ago at a lesbian bar in Phoenix. Nance was teaching country swing dance lessons there and Chelsea went to take her classes. Nance remembers naming Chelsea "the hot lesbian who's amazing at dancing" to everyone around and Chelsea remembers being mesmerized by Nance's dancing and how fun and fiery she seemed.
How did the first date go down?
We aren't really sure what our first date was. We went to a concert together as friends though and both were crushing on each other but weren't sure what to do about it because neither of us thought the other was interested. The first official date that Chelsea asked Nance on though was a New Year's Eve burlesque show.
What is something that you hope you've done together by the time you're 70?
On one of our first dates, Chelsea promised to dance with Nance all around the world so we hope to do that. So far we have Italy and Greece crossed off that list!
What are you favorite qualities in each other:
Chelsea's favorite qualities in Nance are how much she cares about all of the people in her life and how well she's able to stay in touch with everyone and check on everyone close to her regularly. She also loves how much she loves all their pups and is willing to take care of them the same crazy ways that Chelsea is (they're basically treated like our children). She loves how she can talk to just about anyone. She also really loves how beautiful and sexy of a dancer Nance is.
Nance's favorite qualities in Chelsea are how adventurous she is and how calm and organized she is. She loves how goal oriented she is. She loves how much she loves her family and how she treats her dogs like humans. She loves how talented she is - she can write, dance, and is really athletic.
Nance...Did you have any clue this was going to happen?
Absolutely not! I was in shock and went completely speechless because I was completely thrown off guard and forgot to even say "yes"!
When you were a kid did you find yourself dreaming about your wedding?
Chelsea did not. Nance on the other hand always wanted a beautiful wedding and all the parts of it but never imagined in a million years she would ever find the person she would truly want to spend the rest of her life with. Nance has had her perfect Pinterest wedding planned forever. Ha!
What is one piece of advice you would give to other couples planning their proposal?
Don't rush it - enjoy it and take in every minute of the day because it'll go by so fast. Be in the moment with each other. (and don't go to the woods during fire season if you can't help it ha)
Why'd you choose Steph to document your proposal? 🖤📸
Chelsea had followed and admired Steph's work on Instagram for near a decade and when Steph posted that they were in Portland now and so were Chelsea and Nance, it seemed like the perfect time to reach out!
Top 3 things that you feel make a marriage last?
Good communication, never stop dating each other, time is valuable - don't let life's stressors take away time that you could be enjoying together.
There are countless heavy issues queer people are experiencing with this administration. How do you hope your life & love story impacts the future?
Being a visible queer couple is important to both of us. Chelsea grew up with very little queer representation in her life so it was hard for her to picture her own future at times since she didn't see anyone like her or like who she wanted to be. She hopes that she can be that person for whoever might need it. Nance wants to show people that love is love and it doesn't matter what form that comes in and that there's nothing wrong with being queer. She's always felt like being outside of the box has been her life but showing other people that its okay and normal to be different is important to her.
