Bohemian Portland Park Wedding

The newlyweds from today’s wedding are completely gorgeous gorgeous in their own right, but they’re just barely out-shined by their flower girl and daughter, Ramona June. Seriously, it doesn’t get much cuter than this, folks. Amanda and Cody’s wedding was full of bohemian touches, thoughtfully mismatched decor, and amazing images with which to remember the day by Terra Rothman Photography.

From the bride Amanda: Both of us grew up in the Northwest. We met in college, but it took us over two years to begin dating. I moved to Austin, Texas one summer on a whim, and Cody flew down to tell me that I needed to move home; to be with him. So that’s exactly what I did. Our love for one another has always come so easily. We now share that love with our daughter, Ramona June. More than anything we wanted our wedding to be down-to-earth and relaxed. We wanted it to be a reflection of our love and us as individuals, as a family: simple, natural, elegant. I loved the idea of muted colors mixed with bright wildflowers against the backdrop of giant evergreens.

We knew that we wanted to put most of our budget toward photography, so piecing the rest together was very much a labor of love. My mother owns a vintage-modern shop, so naturally I gravitate towards old, loved pieces with a story behind them. I made what I couldn’t find, or borrowed it from my mom. We had Cody’s parents bring cuts of wood from Eastern Oregon (where Cody grew up) for centerpieces on the tables. There was never a set theme. We wanted it to look a bit like our own home. Nothing matched at all and I loved that. The simplicity of my dress allowed for us to be playful with flowers, with mismatched fabrics for tables, and fun turquoise nail polish. It was a very DIY wedding, from acquiring the permits, making the invitations and boutonnières, to the flowers, photo booth, and decorations.

We had a mid-morning ceremony at the summit of Mt. Tabor, a city park just outside of downtown Portland. Our guests encircled us, as a lifelong friend of Cody’s officiated. We wrote our own ceremony, our vows. At the reception we enjoyed a mimosa bar and sangria, we ate chips and salsas, before a local taco truck surprised our guests with Asian-inspired hand tacos. We danced. We cried. It was an incredibly emotional day. Then, in true Portland style, the two of us rode off in a Pedi cab to the Jupiter Hotel where many of our guests were staying, too. There was more dancing, cake cutting (because we forgot to eat it at our wedding!), and good times with everyone all evening.

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? It really is possible to create a beautiful wedding without paying someone else to do it. Trust others to help you. Our parents, siblings, and friends came together, bringing all of our ideas and everything we had collected to life, in a way that we never could’ve by ourselves. I had no idea that letting others help would add so much. Be flexible and let things go. Don’t think that you have to include everything (we didn’t have table seating, for example). Use wedding blogs to find inspiration, but don’t get consumed by looking elsewhere; really think about what you want. Also, focus on your ceremony first! Once you write it or decide what that will look like, your whole wedding will come together around that. After all, that is the most important piece!

Wedding Music:
Bridal Party Processional: “Your Hand in Mine,” Explosions in the Sky
Bride’s Processional: “Sea of Love,” Cat Power
Recessional: “Home,” Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
First Dance: “Skinny Love,” Bon Iver

Wedding Location: Portland, OR / Photographer: Terra Rothman Photography / Wedding Flowers: Arranged by bride and bridesmaids via PSU Farmer’s market / Wedding Venue: Mt. Tabor Park / Wedding Dress: J. Crew / Bride’s Rings: Catbird / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Mix of vintage, ASOS, Free People, Nasty Gal, Wilfred / Flower Girls’ Attire: Dress Baby Beautiful
/ Groom’s Suit: Banana Republic / Groom’s Shirt and Tie: J. Crew / Wedding Caterer: Koi Fusion / Wedding Cake: My Petite Sweet / DJ: DJ Food Stamp / Wedding Invitations: Bridesmaid