Columbia River Gorge Engagement at Bridal Veil and Vista House

couples, Destination Engagement, engagements

February 3, 2025

Amr and Zaina’s vision for their engagement session in Oregon’s iconic Columbia River Gorge had me in a chokehold since day our first clarity call. For starters they were just the sweetest people ever! Time just flew by as we talked about what their dream engagement photos would look like! These two held such a deep appreciation for art, the landscapes around us, and their heritage. So it was super important to them (and me!) to highlight these in the photos we took.

Columbia River Gorge golden hour sunset engagement photos

Engagement Photos During Golden Hour—Bridal Veil Viewpoint

To start off their session, we met up at Bridal Veil Falls—a must stop in the Columbia River Gorge along the waterfall corridor! Bridal Veil has one of my favorite view points and we got lucky with clear skies both directions!

Their first outfit was a beautiful highlight of their family legacy and heritage. Zaina wore a traditional Pakistani gown, passed down to her from generations of women in her family. And Amr wore traditional Syrian attire. I was so blown away by the absolute artistry and detail of each one!

Outdoor engagement photos during sunset in the Columbia River Gorge Oregon. Couple wears traditional Palestinian and Syrian outfits

Outdoor engagement photos for Palestinian and Syrian couple during sunset in the Columbia River Gorge Oregon

They even brought their vintage super8 film camera! I loved snapping a few shots of them filming each other and the Columbia River from our viewpoint!

*insert Chandler Bing voice inflection* Could they BE any cuter??

Syrian and Palestinian couple taking Super8 vintage footage of themselves during engagement photos in the Columbia River Gorge

Couple taking Super8 vintage footage of themselves during engagement photos in the Columbia River Gorge

Columbia Gorge Vista House

After exploring the viewpoint for the first half of their engagement, Amr and Zaina changed to their second look for the day. We drove up the old historic highway to iconic Oregon location number 2: the Vista House at Crown Point.

The Columbia River Gorge has tonnnns of incredible locations for engagement photos, and this one is is the gateway to all of them! It’s the first main viewpoint offering a sneak peak into the rich colors, textures, and layers of the gorge mountains. We got lucky with only a small crowd of people, and a completely clear view of the river snaking its way through the valley as far as Beacon Rock!