Two Artists Marry Atop Columbia Gorge

Could there ever be a more perfect pairing than two artists marrying in the woodsy setting of the Pacific Northwest? We think not. Amber and Chris, the aforementioned artists and now happy newlyweds, heeded some thoughtful advice from Amber’s mother to cherish and enjoy the entire planning process and keep the focus on their love, a strategy that helped their wedding day to be relaxed, full of personal touches, and absolutely gorgeous. Thank you Hazelwood Photo for taking control behind the camera!

From the bride, Amber: We love the outdoors and the Pacific Northwest. We wanted to create something that truly incorporated the seasonal tastes, textures and vibe of the wild side of Portland. We also wanted to add in our own aesthetic with lots of hand made details and elements created by ourselves and our friends and family. The style mixed raw natural elements (wood, twigs, herbs, wildflowers) with rustic elements like brass and glass and other vintage objects. We let the beautiful landscape of the location do most of the talking in the end. We also let the season dictate the menu and flowers so we left those undecided until the last minute. The bartenders and caterers helped us create the freshest offerings using what was at peak ripeness.

Bouquet recipe: Amaranth, lavender, buckwheat, dahlia, daisies, cosmos, yarrow, bachelor buttons, mint, anise, wild blackberries and other wildflowers.

We had lots of DIY projects. My dad made the photo booth backdrop, our illustrator friend John Vance helped us design our invites, we made the favors using rosemary from our yard, and we also made the table settings using trees and branches from our yard. We designed all the logos, artwork, chalkboard signs, escort cards, etc, we worked with the Bartenders to create signature cocktails. I collected vintage vessels, bottles, candle holders and statues for the centerpieces. I volunteered at a local flower garden in exchange for most of the flowers. The rest were picked at my brother’s farm and our own garden. My cousin and I arranged all the flowers and made the boutonnieres and my bouquet. 3 of my girl friends made all the desserts from scratch, decorating them with flowers from our garden as well.

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Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Although it felt overwhelming at times, I am so happy that I spent the time adding in personal touches for our wedding. I’ve been to a lot of cookie cutter weddings that looked beautiful but said little to nothing about the bride and groom. So many of our guests expressed that they were overwhelmed by the intimacy and creativity of our wedding. I credit that to the fact that we put a little of ourselves into every detail. It not only made our guests feel connected to us and our love, but we also made amazing memories for ourselves by doing this work. My mom gave me the greatest advice a few months before the wedding… “Your wedding will happen so quickly that you might not remember every moment. The part you will remember is the careful planning and preparation, so make sure to make that special.” We did, and it made all the difference.

Wedding Location: Corbett, OR / Photographer: Hazelwood Photo / Flowers: Created by myself with friends and family. Flowers mostly came from Sunblossom Farm in Portland / Venue: Bridal Veil Lakes / Wedding Dress: Nicole Miller via The English Department / Bracelet: Alkemie / Earrings: Better Late Than Never / Hair and Makeup: Kristie Wight / Groom’s Suit: J. Crew / Tie Pin: MankindByBella / Caterer: Crave Catering / Desserts: Abby Auch, Crystal Cullison, Stephanie Haas / Bartenders: Mint & Mirth / DJs: Natural Magic / Guitarist: Ryan Walsh / Vintage Furniture Rentals: Something Borrowed / Photo Booth: Aniko / Photo Booth Backdrop: John Votel / Wedding Invitations: John Vance / Custom Logo design (used on invites and glassware): Martin Schmetzer / Transportation: Ecoshuttle