Oregon gave its coastline back to the public in 1967. Every beach. Every cove. Every wet, salt scoured stretch of basalt. Under the Oregon Beach Bill, all 363 miles belong to anyone who shows up to stand on them. That includes the two of you.
What that means for an Oregon Coast elopement: most of the coast is yours to marry on, no permit needed, as long as your group stays small and you bring nothing but yourselves. The hard part isn’t getting permission. It’s choosing the spot.
We have four stretches in the Elope Atlas Oregon directory that couples come back to most. Each one fits a different kind of day. Here’s how to tell which is yours.
Before we get into spots: about group size
Oregon’s Special Use Permit threshold is 50 people. That’s the legal ceiling, not a recommendation. The Oregon Coast doesn’t have room for fifty person events at the spots people actually elope at. The sandstone at Cape Kiwanda is actively eroding. The cove at Secret Beach is the size of a living room. Ecola Point is a small grassy bluff. The wildflower headlands at Cape Ferrelo crush easily.
For an Oregon Coast elopement, our editorial cap is 20 people, including the two of you. Some spots fit even fewer. We’ll call those out as we go. The framing here isn’t “what does Oregon allow.” It’s “what fits the place without changing it.”
Quick comparison
| Cannon Beach | Ecola State Park | Cape Kiwanda | Samuel H. Boardman | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vibe | The icon | Bluff and beach | Golden sandstone | 12 miles of wild |
| Crowd | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| Recommended group | Up to 20 | Up to 15 at Ecola Point, fewer at Indian Beach | Up to 20 | 6 to 20, spot dependent |
| Permit (small ceremony) | None | None | None | None |
| Parking | Town lots | $10 to $12 per vehicle | $10 county pass | Free pullouts |
| From Portland | 90 min | 90 min | 90 min | 6 hours |
| Best for | The classic shot | A split day | Warm light, smaller crowd | Total solitude |
Cannon Beach: the one everyone knows
Haystack Rock rises 235 feet straight out of the surf. It’s one of the most photographed sea stacks in the world, and the town behind it has no high rises, no chains lining the sand, just a long quiet treeline. See the full breakdown on the Cannon Beach elopement page.
Under the Beach Bill, ceremonies on the public sand need no permit and pay no fee. You walk down, you say your vows, you walk back. For an elopement here, plan on up to 20 people including the two of you.
What couples trade for the ease is solitude. Cannon Beach is the most trafficked stretch on the coast. The fix: time it. Sunrise on the beach in October is empty, the light is pink and gold behind the rock, and you’ll share the sand with maybe a dog walker. Low tide exposes the rock pools at the base of Haystack and turns it into a different landscape entirely. Check the NOAA Astoria tide station before you book the ceremony hour.
Pick Cannon Beach if: you want the shot people recognize, you don’t want to think about permits, and you’re willing to set an early alarm for it.
Ecola State Park: two locations, one day
Ecola is the elevated cousin of Cannon Beach, two miles north and a couple hundred feet up. It runs as two distinct ceremony zones inside one park. Both are documented in detail on the Ecola State Park elopement page.
Ecola Point is the panorama. A short paved walk from the main lot drops you onto a grassy headland where Haystack Rock and the entire Cannon Beach coastline stretch south to the horizon. Up to 15 guests on the lawn, including the two of you. The bluff is small and the wind is constant. Pin your veil.
Indian Beach is the secret. A 0.3 mile downhill trail through old growth Sitka spruce ends on a crescent of sand framed by forested headlands and sea stacks. It’s smaller than Ecola Point, and the trail back is uphill in wedding clothes. We’d cap this one even lower than Ecola Point. Bring the people who’ll really hike it.
Ceremonies under the permit threshold with no decor need no Oregon State Parks Special Use Permit. Day use parking is $10 for Oregon plates and $12 for out of state, credit card only at the kiosks. The lot holds about 40 cars and fills by 11am on summer weekends.
Pick Ecola if: you want a ceremony in one location and portraits in another without leaving the same park, you like the idea of forest meeting beach, or you want a panorama and a secret beach on the same itinerary.
Cape Kiwanda: golden sandstone, warmer light
Most of the Oregon Coast is gray basalt. Cape Kiwanda isn’t. The headland is golden sandstone that glows warm orange and amber when the sun drops, and it sits across from its own offshore Haystack Rock, the Pacific City one, not the Cannon Beach one. Two Haystacks, same coast, different rock entirely.
Ceremonies here need no permit for small groups with no decor. For Kiwanda, plan on up to 20 people, and walk softly. The day use parking is where Kiwanda gets quirky: even though it’s a state natural area, the lot is owned by Tillamook County, and the fee is a $10 Tillamook County Day Use Access Pass per vehicle. Credit card kiosks only. Annual Oregon State Parks passes don’t work here. Tell your guests in advance.
One real warning: the cliffs on the north side of the cape are unstable sandstone and have claimed lives. Stay well back from the edges. The beach in front of the cape is wide, flat, and the safer choice for a ceremony with guests.
Pick Cape Kiwanda if: you want warmer tones in your photos, a smaller crowd than Cannon Beach, and a sunset that glows.
Samuel H. Boardman: 12 miles of wild
The Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor runs 12 miles along Oregon’s southern coast between Brookings and Gold Beach. It is the wildest stretch of Oregon shoreline you can drive to. Sea arches, hidden coves, old growth Sitka spruce dropping straight to the surf, and dozens of unmarked pullouts that each hide a different ceremony spot.
It’s also six hours south of Portland. Oregon State Parks lists Medford as the closest reliable airport. Most couples base in Brookings for two or three nights and explore the corridor across multiple days.
Group size depends on the spot, and the spread is real:
- Secret Beach. The cinematic one. Sea stacks with trees on top, mist, a half hidden cove. The cove itself is the size of a living room. Best with just a few witnesses, six people total or fewer.
- Cape Ferrelo. Wildflower headland in spring. Open and beautiful, easy to trample. Up to 15 people, walk single file.
- Lone Ranch Beach. Easier guest access, room to spread out without crushing fragile coastal plants. Up to 20 people, the bigger group option in the corridor.
Ceremonies under the permit threshold with no decor need no permit. Pullouts are free. The corridor doesn’t have a single visitor center, so the data couples find on trail apps, especially for Secret Beach, is often wrong. Trust the official Oregon State Parks corridor map and a local who’s actually been to the spot.
One asterisk: the trail to the Natural Bridges arches closed in 2022 for safety. The viewing deck is still open, but you can’t get the couple in front of the arches anymore. Don’t plan around it.
Pick Samuel H. Boardman if: you want zero strangers in your photos, you’re willing to drive (or fly to Medford), and the words “secluded cove” do something for you.
How to pick yours
If you want the shot you’ve already seen on Pinterest, go Cannon Beach. Set the alarm.
If you want a single park that gives you two completely different ceremony spots, go Ecola.
If you want warm sandstone tones and a quieter day than Cannon Beach, go Cape Kiwanda.
If you want to feel like the coast belongs to you, drive south. Boardman is the answer.
Once you’ve picked your spot, the next steps are the same everywhere on the Oregon Coast: get your marriage license sorted (Oregon has a three day waiting period), build a day-of timeline, and run through our elopement checklist so nothing slips.
About the photographer
Every photo in this guide was made by Mikalynn (Miki) Amos of Venturing Vows. She is an elopement photographer based in Tillamook, Oregon, and part of the Elope Atlas vendor directory. After 12 years as a professional photographer (the last 7 dedicated entirely to elopements), she knows which tide tables matter for which spot, which Boardman pullouts don’t show up on AllTrails, and which hour of light each headland actually gives you.
If you want a coast specialist for your Oregon Coast elopement, see her full Elope Atlas profile or visit venturingvows.com.
Plan your Oregon Coast elopement
Start in the Oregon state guide for permit context and seasonal notes. Browse coast-specific spots on Explore. Or jump straight to the vendor directory to find your photographer.