He knew right away. She was gorgeous, put together, athletic and did I mention she was a Beaver fan? The first time they met, he knew.

Billy and Eric have been friends for years. They both grew up in the small town of Yoncalla, Oregon, population practically nothing. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it. The kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and if you didn’t move there recently you’re probably distantly related to the person you’re dating. Those who are smart, leave the stump to find their soul mate. We were all a little concerned about Eric until we met Jesse, if I’m being perfectly honest here. He was a little too nice and attracted all the wrong kinds of women, but I suppose to be fair… at least they weren’t related to him.

The minute Billy and I met Jesse, we started in on Eric to propose. Sorry Jesse! ;-) She was perfect for him… maybe a little too perfect. Sweeter than sugar, easy to talk to, and she was already dating him so he had a leg up! She fit in with his friends, was smart, interesting, and loved the same sports team… can you imagine a Duck dating a Beaver? Me neither.

Eric and Jesse held hands and vowed their love and commitment to each other on a gorgeous summer day at The Ranch on Beaver Creek in Lebanon, Oregon. Little touches of Beaver orange are here and there, and the most important element, their friends and family were abound. It was a wonderful celebration of these two and their perfect mix. So extremely happy to say that Eric and Jesse are now husband and wife!

It wasn’t so much that he was handsome, even though his glances made her heart flutter, it was more that he was a nice guy. The kind of guy that you could trust, and get close to. From the moment they met, Mandi knew that she had someone special in Darren, she had a friend. The way their relationship began started just as that, good friends.  In high school she pined for details about him through their mutual friends. Finally the day came when she had built enough courage to ask him if he wanted to hang out.

He couldn’t…. he had to wax his car.

Now… only because I know how badly high school boys take pride in their vehicles, can I understand what on GOD’S GREAT EARTH would compel a guy to turn down a hang out date with this gorgeous girl. Apparently he came to light with what he had done, and the rest is history. They remained the best of friends throughout the years, and in 2008 their friendship blossomed into love.

Mandi is a girl who knows what she wants, and when she can identify the value in something she goes after it with all of her heart. It’s no surprise to me that her commitment to Darren was something she knew she wanted from the beginning. They pledged their love for each other on Saturday and in front of hundreds of family and friends, vowed to honor and cherish each other for all of their lives.

Mandi is an one of my favorite wedding professionals based in Portland, and her business Champagne Wedding and Event Coordination did a spectacular job assisting in the execution of her day. All of her wedding dreams were translated into this gorgeous November event held at Pure Space in the Pearl District of Portland. I am honored to have been one of her photographers for her wedding day, working alongside Yasmin Khajavi, and Bryan from Focal Point Media. This was an amazingly fun day! So much love in the air!

Holy details Batman! I could NOT narrow this post down, so be prepared for many images ;-)

Mandi’s dress is a Jim Hjelm… to die for! I got a sneak peek of it when I was shopping for my own dress in Portland at Ania Collection.

Stunning hair and makeup artistry by Nicole Wagner.

I love when couples opt for a first look because it gives us plenty of time for all of those gorgeous natural light portraits. It also provides a very intimate moment between the bride and groom before the ceremony. I just love the look on Darren’s face here as he takes the sight of his bride in. Priceless.

Darren and Mandi chose to do a candlelit ceremony, and put an emphasis on the lighting of their event. Lighting is everything people. How beautiful is this!!!

Can’t say enough about how gorgeous her florals were, designed by Blum!

How adorable are her parents?

Congratulations Darren and Mandi,

Thank you so much for including me in your day. I wish you all the love in the world and a lifetime of prosperity with each other.

xoxo,
Laura

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What does it mean to you to love and be loved? Jeff and Julie together know, it’s embracing every quality in each other, the good and the not-so-good. Loving each other to the fullest and cherishing every minute together. Curling up for a good movie, playing with their daughter, good food and family time.

We can’t possibly love everything about each other can we? Pretty sure I don’t love Billy’s lack luster enthusiasm for Disney movies, or his tendency to drive like a maniac in traffic. He would say the same for my ignorance on the topic of [insert any sport here], and my tendency to start involved projects and not finish them. What does it mean to us to love and be loved? We all show love and feel love in different capacities.

To Julie, it’s Jeff’s ability to always make her laugh. He can read her mood like a well written novel, and knows exactly what to say to put her at ease. To Jeff, it’s her lust for life and family, her way of making him feel like the only person in the room. These two have it right with each other.

Jeff and Julie,

A million thank you’s for trusting me to be your wedding photographer. I absolutely adored your wedding, and  your love for each other is not something I will ever forget.

xo,
Laura

What does it mean to you to love and be loved? I want to know.

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Part 2 of this gorgeous DIY wedding in Lyons, Oregon on the Santiam River for you on a fine Monday morning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this property come on the scene as a new favorite venue for this part of Oregon. It has everything a girl could want for her outdoor wedding with style.

Enjoy!

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Well everyone, it’s been far too long since I let you in on what we’ve been up to for the wedding! Part of this is because we just really haven’t found a venue we can agree on. We have seen SO MANY venues, but nothing is really completely speaking to us as a couple. It’s important to both Billy and I that our venue represents us, and is something memorable and special! We aren’t the type to just say “that’s a venue, that will do!”. I’m pretty set on wanting a barn venue, but mostly we just want something unique and cool! What we do have is a clear design, a planner we love, a florist, a caterer, and a band. NOW if we only had somewhere to put them!

Here are some of the venues we’ve seen and our thoughts on them, keep in mind these are just OUR OPINIONS, and if you’re looking for a venue yourself, I suggest you visit them in person and form your own!

We decided to hold a date at the Blue Rooster in Oregon. The owner is really flexible and I love the rustic appeal of the venue. This feels like “THE” venue to me. But Billy isn’t completely sold. He is having difficulty understanding my “vision”. Imagination is priceless I tell you! There isn’t a commercial kitchen so I need to check with whatever caterer we choose to make sure this will work!

Here is a sneak peak at my wedding inspiration book. I’ve gotten some pretty weird looks when I pull this out for people to see. What can I say? I’m type-A, organized, and I know what I want!

Russell’s Barn: We LOVE the inside of this venue. when you first walk in it’s like looking up into the belly of a ship. It’s a great size, and would be a perfect option for a ceremony that was being held at a different location. Doing a flip here seems almost impossible with 250 guests. On another note, Russell will likely be doing our catering if we tie the knot in Seattle. His food is AMAZING, hands down one of the best in Washington.

I also visited Sodo Park in Seattle, Billy hasn’t seen it in person yet. I love this venue too. The venue is completely indoor. This would be GREAT if it rains, or if we decide we want an off season wedding. Their facility rental also includes so much! The chairs we want, tables, china, linens. It’s all in there. You can’t bring in an outside caterer, but their food is really really really good.

We attended Weddings in Woodinville this year. What an unusual and fun event! I was completely impressed and if you aren’t getting married until 2011 check it out next year! On this tour we saw, Novelty Hill + Januk, Columbia Winery, JM Cellars, DeLille, Willows Lodge, and Russells Barn again. I love the look of Novelty, but the size doesn’t fit us, they max out at 200. It’s not ideal for lots of kids and there are 40 on our guest list. Willows and JM were too small, DeLille and Columbia weren’t our style.

Some other venues we’ve checked out are Swan’s Trail Farm, Tazer Valley Farm in Stanwood, and of course our favorite, Rosario Resort on Orcas Island. Swan’s Trail is awesome! This one is a major contender, and it’s only 15 minutes from our house. Tazer Valley is another favorite, it’s grounds are impressive. The barn doesn’t seat very many people, but they provide tenting so that makes it work.

Rosario broke my heart. It’s perfect for us, but only for 140 of our guests. We’d have to get married in shifts, hahaha.  There are also a few things I wouldn’t like about having it here. The have two ceremony locations and two reception locations. For smaller groups (max 140) you can use the music room, which is so beautiful I almost collapsed when I saw it. Smaller groups also fit into the smaller dining room that is part of the mansion. There is a larger ballroom that can accommodate up to 300 people, but it isn’t built in the same fashion as the resort, so it’s a bit dissappointing. I would want get married at Rosario because of the historic aesthetic, hence the smaller dining room. We can’t imagine how we would manage to cut the guest list by 100 people. It would be impossible.

In Oregon we looked at Blue Rooster of course, Langdon Farms, The Mount Pisgah Arboretum, Heidi Tunnel Catering Co. Furrer Farms, and several wineries that simply will not do.

So here we are….. I’m thinking of buying my own wedding venue. If you know anyone who is trying to sell property with a historic barn on it. Please give them my phone number, we’ll talk.

Hopefully we’ll make our decision soon!

xoxo,

Laura

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