destination wedding photographer | Jessica Hill Photography

Wedding

Ellie & Nick
A Sunset Cove B&B Michigan Wedding

Ellie and I met while attending the School of Art at the University of Michigan during a “Art of the Nudes” summer class taught by the famous New York photographer Ernestine Ruben. It was a crazy amazing class where we photographed nude models in the woods around Ann Arbor (which later inspired me to start my boudoir brand Peekaboo Portland!) Needless to say Ellie and I hit it off right away that experience connected us ever since. We later worked together for years at both Cafe Zola and The Earle Restaurant (heyyy Earle crew!) in downtown Ann Arbor and even had a joint art show at a well known underground gallery bar together. I’m so lucky to know Ellie, (now an incredible pastry chef & baker) and I am so glad she found a fellow artist & soulmate in Nick. Nick is a musician in an amazing band called the Little Traps. He’s hilarious and they make a crazy magical couple. I am still smitten over their lakeside Michigan wedding one year ago today. The ceremony took place at Sunset Cove Bed & Breakfast, a stunner of a log cabin tucked between two lakes with sprawling views. Ellie wore a White by Vera Wang satin gown and couldn’t have looked more elegant and dazzling while walking down the aisle. She’s always been a total babe, but her bridal style was just perfect. (umm her nails though?) As you can probably guess from the photo, this was the moment Nick first saw Ellie and he was absolutely floored. #bestgroomreactionever The ceremony was coordinated by the talented Vows and Veils Wedding Crew and filled with special details like custom flasks for the groomsmen and hand-tied wildflower bouquets. After the ceremony, guests busted out on the dance floor to rock ‘n roll ballads, while enjoying food from Eat and a glorious custom Sweet Heather Anne black wedding cake with hand-applied sugar sequins. Wow! Rather than the traditional mother/son and father/daughter dances the couple chose to dance with their entire immediate families and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. (including my own! Also- can this be the new tradition forever? ) Cheers to Ellie and Nick, may the years to come be filled with endless happiness, creative genius and magic love. Love you guys!

Wedding

Ellerey & Dan
A Waverley Country Club Wedding

Wowzah! What a stunner of a wedding! Ellerey & Dan are such a fun, laid-back, intelligent and gorgeous couple and their wedding was pretty much the same! Waverley Country Club is a historic, elegant and beautiful venue on the Willamette River. Ellerey & Dan planned a super fun celebration with so many unique and imaginative details. The Llamas were such a delight (RIP Rojo!) and brought smiles to everyone’s face and the neon light- champagne escort card wall was bonkers elegant and fun! With stunning florals by Blum, perfect coordination & styling from Bridal Bliss, entertainment by Event Team, and a gorgeous 5 tier cake from Dream Cakes, this was one amazing wedding for the books! Happy 1 year anniversary Ellerey & Dan! Cheers on a lifelong adventure of laughter, joy and love!

Engagement

Alicia and Devon
A Little Crater Lake Engagement

Kind and stylish couple, Alicia and Devon, spent time camping at Little Crater Lake early on in their relationship and thought it only be fit to have their engagement in such a memorable & magical location. In pursuit of the perfect camping grounds they originally considered visiting Crater Lake National Park but stumbled upon Little Crater Lake while surfing the internet. Choosing to give this place a shot, Alicia and Devon soon fell in love with how tiny and off-the-beaten-path this magical landscape is. Little Crater Lake’s name was inspired by its larger counterpart, Crater Lake, due to this body of water’s resemblance to Crater Lake’s pristine clarity and deep blue hue. Nestled away in the Mount Hood National Forest, this cold spring lake is considered an oddity by geologists due to its speculated origin. Regardless of how this slice of heaven got here I am so happy it’s revealed it beauty to us! The blue waters and expansive meadow make for a majestic backdrop. The mosquitos even came out to enjoy this sweet day by feasting on all of us – especially Alicia! I am so excited for Alicia and Devon who celebrated their wedding this month and I feel so lucky to have captured their new beginning together!

Engagement

Elizabeth & Tim
A Crater Lake Engagement

Famous for the water’s deep blue color and pristine clarity, Crater Lake is a unique earth formation that I was honored to photograph. Elizabeth & Tim have connection to this sacred place. Being able to capture their love in such a historic and sentimental location warms my heart. Elizabeth and Tim shared genuine smiles and laughter as they enjoyed each other’s company sitting on a Pendleton blanket under a vast blue sky with epic mountainscapes surrounding us. There was so much love between them, it felt like no one in the world (not even me) was there with them! They are set to get married this month at Bingham Estate and I’m so thrilled to be documenting their first steps together as husband and wife!

Details

Billy & Griffin
A San Francisco Engagement

After photographing Griffin’s high school senior photos back in 2009 (omg) we’ve stayed Facebook friends since and I was overjoyed to see the notification that he and Billy were engaged! I met up with them in Sausalito for delish oysters and white wine and great convos before heading into the Marin Headlands to photograph their epic Golden Gate sunset portraits. I loved capturing their stylish and elegant yet laid-back styles and seeing them interact, laugh and love each other. I’m so happy these two found each other from Thailand and Oregon respectively in the Golden City.

Engagement

Christy and Addison
A Seattle Engagement

Having the opportunity to travel to neighboring PNW cities to meet my lovely couples is an honor that I deeply cherish. I met adorable and fun couple, Christy and Addison, in Washington for their Seattle engagement! I loved the variety of Seattle we explored beginning with Volunteer Park Conservatory. The 15,000 square foot glass structure is a product of years of thought, design, and vision beginning as early as 1878 until its completion in 1912. The conservatory, originally modeled after London’s Crystal Palace, added its famous greenhouses by 1922. We continued our time together at various locations within Pike Place Market where the couple’s laid-back and sophisticated style shined. The quaint coffee shop, Storyville was a location for a many a date and the famous Gum Wall with over 20 years of gum stuck to it were just a few cool local spots we visited. We also discovered a nearby rooftop to capture some fab skyline photos that included the iconic Seattle Space Needle. SO happy for this smart and sweet couple who are getting married this August!

Features

Top 18 of 2018
Best Wedding and Engagement Photography

It’s here! The top 18 from 2018! This is the sixth annual post I’ve created from the top photos from the past year!! For six years now, I have curated a collection of favorites from each wedding & engagement season. (See 2016 & 2017 for more eye candy) This year I just couldn’t decide because I love so many moments for such very different reasons; so I included 18 engagement and 18 wedding photos for a total of 36 finals. (Yeah- more scrolling goodness!) From stunning Crater Lake National Park to the snowy top of Mt. Hood to the historic rooftops of downtown Portland, this past year has been filled with some killer weddings, elopements and engagement sessions. Thank you all so much for your continued support, kind referrals and friendships. I was very humbled and honored to win 2018 best Portland wedding photographer and candid moments with kind and courageous couples, majestic light, and graphic architecture continue to inspire me. Enjoy and I can’t wait to share what’s in store for JHP in 2019 with you soon, including some very fun adventures. I absolutely love capturing the moments that make up your life. Happy 2019 and I look forward to another successful year of making magic documenting the start of your family’s legacy & beyond!

Wedding

Vi & Alex
An Oregon Golf Club Sri Lankan Wedding

Vi and Alex are not only a stunning couple, but also kind, super laid back and hella cool. We had a blast getting to know each other during their downtown rooftop engagement session and their September wedding took place at the elegant Oregon Golf Club in West Linn, Oregon. Their wedding was so full of color, light, joy and tradition and I had a blast photographing their remarkable day. Coordination by the always talented Bridal Bliss team with stunning florals by Bella Bloom and hair and makeup from Olivia Hawthorne. Dance party was insane with DJ Zimmie along with an equally insane wedding cake created by Dream Cakes along w/ killer party food with 1927 S’mores. I loved the beautiful Sri Lankan lamp lighting ceremony where the bride and groom and their families took turns lighting an oil lamp to signify the two families becoming one family. This was truly a wedding that I’ll never forget filled with bold colors, laughter, dancing and SO MUCH LOVE and you can see it in print now in the most recent Real Weddings issue of Oregon Bride Magazine.

Engagement

Stacie and Darik
An Oregon Garden Engagement

I met up with Stacie and Darik at the gorgeous Oregon Garden in for their engagement photoshoot and it was a beautiful evening making the day even more special. Stacie and Darik are a sweet, kind and fun couple. I loved the fall colors and we had a blast adventuring around the gardens and finding ponds, meadows, ponds and a hobbit house (for real!).They are getting married in Salem, Oregon later this month and we are very excited for their winter wedding!