A Waterfront Portland Elopement With Island Roots | Steven & Jamae
Jamae is Filipina and grew up in Guam. I’m Filipina and lived in Saipan, so we had the neighboring-island and heritage connections from the start. That already had me excited. Then I learned Steven went to college across the street from Fenway Park. I’m a ride-or-die Red Sox fan, so the jealousy of his proximity to the greatest team on earth was immediate and intense. We had a lot to catch up on for people who had just met. That connection was part of why they chose me, and we spent our time together talking about family, traditions, and the islands.
Somewhere between all those conversations, these two got married, we wandered downtown Portland, and I talked a restaurant manager into letting us in while they were closed. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning like civilized people.
Steven and Jamae chose Tom McCall Waterfront Park for their Portland elopement. They live in the heart of the city and wanted that unmistakably Portland view, with the water giving a nod to their roots. Their families gathered beside the river, and these two brought the kind of chill, sincere energy that makes you feel immediately at ease around them. Uncanny, because that’s usually MY job.
They started reading their vows, and everyone’s composure became a little less dependable.
Island Roots and a Very Good Suit
Jamae wore a custom-made Filipiniana dress with those beautiful, distinctly Filipina sleeves. She donned a mwar, a floral head garland that added a touch of her island upbringing to her wedding look. Steven wore a tailored blue suit for the ceremony, and even though his family is from Korea, he changed into a barong Tagalog for family photos, knowing that Jamae would love the gesture.
I loved having these little details to work with in addition to the Portland scenery. Her flowers and sleeves, the bridges, the water, and even the canvas bag they brought that proudly displayed “Asian Book Club,” the name of their podcast highlighting Asian authors. For a double exposure addict like me, this was exactly the kind of layering I love to weave into the story.
Portland Waterfront Vows, With Some Assistance
While judges usually conduct civil ceremonies at the courthouse, this particular judge offered to officiate their ceremony beside the river, with their favorite people gathered close. Both Steven and Jamae cried during their vows. At one point, Steven was holding his microphone and vows while trying to get through the emotion, and Jamae held his arm for support.
That little gesture got me. She was emotional, too, but she reached for him while he worked his way through the words. I wanted them to have that photo just as much as the kiss.
His mom was quietly wiping away tears nearby, so I was watching her, too. Small ceremonies give me so much to photograph. I’m able to get in closer and move seamlessly between the couple and their family, catching all the little exchanges and reactions without needing to weave in and out of aisles like a stealthy, silent ninja. When they were officially married, Jamae lifted her bouquet into the air with the biggest smile. Can’t contain the happy in an island girl.
Grandma Hugs and Family Selfies
After the ceremony, we took family photographs, and Steven brought out his barong. Then their little niece spotted Grandma.
With a little squeal, she ran toward her with her arms wide open, and Grandma was absolutely delighted to pick up the giggling cherub. Maybe that’s their usual greeting; maybe it was a special circumstance. But regardless of the frequency, that hug is one everyone will want to remember when that little one isn’t so little anymore. Plus, I love a diva who knows what she wants and isn’t waiting around to get it. Cheers to you, boo.
There were hugs, family inside jokes, and phones coming out for selfies. I kept photographing through those, too. The official family portrait matters, but so does the photograph of you squeezing together around someone’s phone, throwing up a shaka, and trying to get everyone in.
A Downtown Walk and a Detour to Their Spot
After the group shots, I took them on a little walk through their stomping grounds in downtown Portland for portraits. We talked as we went, stopping wherever the light, colors, or scenery sparked a new idea.
Photographing them so nonchalantly walking through the city they actually live in made things feel even more connected. We had the waterfront views, sure, but we also had crosswalks they strolled past daily and storefronts they frequented with their morning coffee cups in hand. Their formal attire might’ve been different from their everyday commuter look, but all of it had a strong air of belonging, and that vibe fit beautifully against the industrial streets of Portland.
Well into our walk, I asked if there was anywhere in the city that meant something to them. Steven casually mentioned that Lúc Lắc Vietnamese Kitchen was just around the corner. He told me they’d met up there for lunch once and loved it so much that it became their spot. He was a big fan of the dragon wall inside. Hearing that lit a fire under me, and I was determined to make a photo with that wall happen.
Unfortunately, we arrived between lunch and dinner service, when the restaurant was closed. Fortunately, I’m not above embarrassing myself by groveling to the manager and asking if we could come in for a quick portrait.
Sincerity helped me win my Oscar that day because they let us in. That’s how quickly a seemingly simple question during our walk turned into a wedding photograph next to a dragon wall that meant something to them. Very grateful the manager said yes, because pointing to a “Closed” sign outside a restaurant doesn’t exactly capture the feeling in the same way.
In the street’s defense, though, just around the corner stood the restaurant’s pickup window, complete with a lighted sign. A kiss under a pun that happens to be at your favorite restaurant? I have to give props to Portland for that one.
Why Tom McCall Waterfront Park Worked for Their Portland Elopement
Tom McCall Waterfront Park made sense for Steven and Jamae because it wasn't just a pretty Portland backdrop. They live in the heart of the city, the water gave a subtle nod to their island roots, and after the ceremony we could walk straight into the streets they move through in everyday life.
For a small Portland elopement, that gave us two completely different settings without turning portraits into a full on field trip. We had waterfront views for the ceremony and downtown architecture, color, storefronts, and crosswalks a few minutes away. Everything was convenient and had all the notes of what home meant to them.
Married, Then Off to Karaoke
I was having so much fun with them that only one thing could realistically tear me away from my newfound friends. That thing was karaoke. Steven and Jamae arranged to celebrate at a karaoke bar with friends and, I’m assuming, battle it out to ’90s ballads. Which means they got married, cried through their vows, walked around Portland, and still had singing left to do. As a Filipina myself, I have high respect for that kind of vocal stamina.
By the end of our time together, we felt like island cousins. We’d talked about family, traditions, the islands, red rice, and Boston, with a wedding and a downtown Portland portrait adventure somewhere in the middle.
They booked a photographer and accidentally activated the cousin package. It comes with deep emotional investment in your photos and an unwavering level of encouragement to belt out a Spice Girls song.
Planning Your Own Portland Elopement?
Your elopement doesn't need to follow anyone else's idea of what a wedding should look like. Maybe it's waterfront vows with your family, a walk through the neighborhood you call home, or a stop at the restaurant where your story started.
Whatever you have in mind, I'd love to photograph the people, places, and little details that make it yours.
