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On Bryce & Whitney’s first date, Whitney’s phone rang. And her heart stopped. Her dad had died suddenly. As she made her way through the shock and the grief, Bryce was by her side for every second. They got married off the beaten path, nestled in the orchards of Mt. Hood Organic Farms on a bluebird July day as Mt. Hood provided a stunning Oregon backdrop. Surrounded by friends and family, Whitney made a point to incorporate her Dad into the ceremony in unconventional ways: by wrapping his bow ties around each bouquet, saving her favorite for her own; and by having Bryce wear his socks. The bridal party dressed in a two bedroom cottage with idyllic 60s music setting the perfect vintage scene. With lawn games, live music, wine, and h’ors devours galore, they couple celebrated their union in true vintage chic style. And it was a true pleasure to photograph.

Photographer: Jane Johnson Photography & Design / Location: Mt. Hood Organic Farms / Wedding Coordinator: Cassandra Cass / Caterer: Ginger Powers of Orchard House Catering / Flowers: Lucy Gorman of Informal Flowers / Gelato: Randy Walton of Alotto Gelato / Cake: Jutta Bach of La Joconde / DJ: Michael J Olsen / Pre-reception music: Joseph Appell (Guitar), Benjamin Hartman (Saxophone), Skip von Kuske (Cellist) / Hair and Make-up: Jessica Sappington of Jet Salon / Dress: Augusta Jones bought at Ania Bridal / Videographer: Aaron Almquist

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2012. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Aaron Almquist, AniA Bridal, Augusta Jones, Informal Flowers, Jane Johnson Photography, Mt. Hood Organic Farms, Orchard House Catering, Oregon
Post categories: Casual Elegance

When Ryan and I became engaged I was so happy and excited but also a bit overwhelmed.  I wasn’t the type of person who had dreamed of their wedding since they were a little girl and so wasn’t sure what I wanted my wedding to look like – aside from knowing that I wanted to get married in the summer and that I wanted our wedding to be beautiful and fun.

I began scouring wedding blogs (including SMP) for ideas and inspiration and found myself drawn to many different styles.  Modern, rustic, eclectic and vintage weddings all appealed to me and I was a little confused with what style to focus on.  Luckily when we found our our venue I was able to draw on it for inspiration.  Our venue had a gorgeous grand lawn and an amazing conservatory and English garden that reminded me of a place that would have hosted a fabulous garden party in a later time.  I decided to focus on the idea of a vintage, French garden party with some modern and quirky touches to reflect our sense of humor and fun.

Lots of time was spent at antique stores and online looking for vintage pieces that fit our theme and color scheme.  I ended up collecting vintage milk bottles (for the centerpieces), along with milk glass, table clothes, cake plates and anything that really struck my fancy.  I wanted our wedding to be something that we really loved so I focused more on finding things that Ryan and and I adored more than things that fit into our theme exactly.   I also found tons of amazing things for the wedding on Etsy.  One of my favorites was a hand-carved stamp of our faces that was made by a woman in France.  We used it on our invitation envelopes and our candy favor bags and everyone found it so delightful.

I also decided to do quite a few DIY projects for the wedding (with help from my friends and family) for a more personal touch.  My favorite of them was the flags that we made for each of our guests out of muslin that were hand stamped with a “Hooray!”  stamp that I had custom made.  I intended that they be fun favors and had our caterer tuck them in with our menus on everyone’s reception plate.  To my delight when Ryan and I were announcedand made our entrance into the reception area everyone waved their flags and shouted “hooray!”  I was so excited!

I love our wedding.  We worked with such amazing vendors and even though everything didn’t look exactly as I had envisioned some of it was even better than I had imagined.  I will never forget how amazing it was to see my soon-to-be husband (who I had never seen cry) with tears in his eyes when he first saw me in my wedding dress and the joy of having our family and friends around us on such a special day.  Hooray!

Photographer: Daniel and Lindsay Stark, Daniel Stark Photography / Floral Designer: Solabee Flowers / Wedding planner: EJP Events / Invitation Designer: By Invitation Only / Cake: Beaverton Bakery / Pies: Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery / Wedding Gown Designer: Watters and Watters via Ania Bridal / Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: Bari Jay / Bride’s Headpiece and Cuff: Doloris Petunia / Venue: DeArmond Garden Estate

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 38 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AniA Bridal, Banners, Bari Jay, Beaverton Bakery, By Invitation Only, Chalkboards, Daniel Stark Photography, DeArmond Garden Estate, Doloris Petunia, EJP Events, Flower girls, milk glass, Oregon, Portland, Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery, Solabee Flowers, Streamers, Vibrant Color Palette, Vintage Chic, Watters, Watters and Watters, Wedding Photography, Whimsical
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Whimsical

Ryan and I have had a whirlwind romance.  We met, got engaged and married all in one year!  We were aware of each other for a couple of years so when we finally got the chance to meet and spend time together everything went really fast.  We were officially a couple after two short weeks and just three weeks after we started dating Ryan told me that he loved me (I’m pretty sure I loved him at first sight!), and just one month after that he was asking me to look at rings!

After six months of dating Ryan took me up to the beautiful Mt. Ranier where he had set up a private dinner at the top of the mountain, only accessible by ski lift.  Since it was August and no snow, it was a pretty unbelievable feeling, it almost felt like we were in Switzerland if you can imagine that.  At the top of the mountain is where he proposed, and I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough! Ryan even had a special blanket made that was embroidered with the engagement date and the words “Forever and ever, Amen” on it, to put over my lap on the lift ride down the mountain. It was really sweet.

We really wanted to get married sooner than later and after not really being able to figure out a way to be married in December, we chose to get married in March.  Since we live in Oregon, we knew that we would have to pick an indoor venue for our wedding.  We chose the Zenith Vineyards in Salem because it was the perfect size and had the atmosphere we were looking for.  The copper colored concrete floors went beautifully with the jewel tones and purples that we were envisioning.  We designed the “LOVE” posters to go above the huge fireplace mantle to set the theme for the whole room and day.  We also used the “love” as a part of our favor boxes.  Our programs were designed by a local designer friend and captured the feel of our day and us perfectly.

Ryan picked our engagement picture theme, which was vintage travel.  After loving that theme so much we chose to have the wedding invitations and wedding sort of follow that theme as much as possible. I also love jewel tone colors and the Oregon woodsy outdoors…  so combining all of those elements was tricky but turned out to work really well!

The flipbook photography was a real hit and kept guests entertained during the appetizer hour.  Also, we were able to have a short slide show that turned out really fun to watch and kept guests entertained while we had some extra pictures taken. Lauren and Lincoln Brooks did an amazing job at capturing our whole day in pictures.

Of course, the day, ceremony and reception all flew by way too fast!  Ryan choose the song “Shout” as one of the final dances of the evening and it was so fun to celebrate with everyone out on the dance floor.  The whole day was better than we could have hoped for and so much fun.  We were able to keep the day very God honoring, festive and fun!

Wedding Planning: Kurt Beadell, Vibrant Table Catering & Events / Ceremony Venue: Zenith Vineyards / Reception Venue: Zenith Vineyards / Cake: The Sweet Life Patisserie / Caterer: Vibrant Table Catering & Events / Floral: Page, Winograd, Vibrant Table Catering & Events / Invitations: Laura Nehls / Programs: Cherry Tree Studios / Entertainment: Ezekiel Goodrick, Ultimate Enterprises Inc. / Transportation: Chariot Limousine / Rentals & Décor: Vibrant Table & West Coast Drape / Officiant: Seth Trimmer, Grace City Church / Photography: Lauren Brooks Photography / Cinematography: Lights In The Attic / Gown: Ania Bridal / Groom’s Wear: Mr. Formal / Makeup: Couture Bride, Tiffany MacDonald / Hair: Couture Bride, Bri Ellis / Bridesmaid Dresses: Sarah Seven / Day of Coordination: Andrew Calvert, The Perfect Occasion / Cookies & Truffles: Kelly’s Creations / Wood Votive Holders: Molly Kidd / Fliptography: Fliptography / Rose Petals: Fly Boy Naturals

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: AniA Bridal, Barn Wedding, Birch, Casual Elegance, Chariot Limousine, Cherry Tree Studios, Couture Bride, farm wedding, Fliptography, Flower girls, Fly Boy Naturals, Grace City Church, Indoor Ceremony, Kelly's Creations, Laura Nehls, Lauren Brooks Photography, Lights In The Attic, Molly Kidd, Mr. Formal, Oregon, Sarah Seven, Seth Trimmer, The Sweet Life Patisserie, Ultimate Enterprises Inc., Vibrant Color Palette, Vibrant Table Catering & Events, Vineyard Wedding, Vintage Chic, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers, West Coast Drape, Winery Wedding, Zenith Vineyards
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Little Black Book Blog

From the lovely bride, Lauren…

Fashion ~ When dress shopping, I only went to one bridal salon, AniA Bridal, in downtown Portland. I ended up buying the third dress I tried on. I didn’t know what I wanted when I went shopping but knew the minute that I tried my dress on that it was ‘the one’. It is a fluted Alvina Valenta gown made from silk shantung with Guipire lace trim. I had a bolero made out of the Guipire lace – it was lovely.  I decided not to wear a veil but instead made a hairpiece by deconstructing a necklace from Banana Republic and wiring the broach-like jewelry to a hair comb.

Choosing bridesmaids dresses was a challenge. I had 7 bridesmaids and wanted them to feel comfortable in their dress. I chose the designer, color and fabric and let each of them choose the style. The crocodile-green color looked surprisingly good on everyone and the girls said that they felt very comfortable. As a gift, I bought them all sage-colored wraps to help keep them warm. I also found wonderful jewelry designer on Etsy. She had a lovely red fern pendant necklace in her collection and I bought one for each bridesmaid as well as Lincoln’s sister, our groomswoman.

Lincoln and his groomsmen rented espresso-colored suits from Mr. Formal in Portland. We bought satin fabric that matched the bridesmaid dresses had the groom and groomsmen’s ties custom-made. Lincoln gifted each of his groomsmen hoodies – one of his favorite articles of clothing and a must-have in the Pacific Northwest.

Family and Friends ~ The most memorable part of our wedding day was, of course, the love and support or our family and friends. We wanted to include them as much as possible in our wedding celebration since they’ve had such an impact on who we are today. We really saw our wedding as not only the union of the two of us, but also the joining together of all of our friends and relatives.

Lincoln and I decided that we both wanted our parents to escort us down the aisle. We did a ring-passing ceremony, where our mothers gave our wedding rings to our wedding party members. Our wedding party then passed the rings to one another, offering a silent blessing before Lincoln and I exchanged the rings.

At the end of our ceremony, each of our parents stood and offered a blessing. My dad and stepmom read the Art of Marriage, my mom read ‘Two Happy Lovers’ by Pablo Neruda and Lincoln’s parents offered some valuable words of advice about love and marriage.

My maid of honor is a talented singer and one of Lincoln’s groomsmen is a talented guitar player. Several months before the wedding, we asked if they would be interested in singing and playing our first dance song. They agreed and, man, was it great! The best part is that a friendship between the two blossomed out of the whole thing.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alvina Valenta, AniA Bridal, Banana Republic, Eric Cable, Lauren Brooks
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog, Traditional Elegance