It’s hard to go wrong when you plan your wedding for such a spectacular setting as The Gorge.  Wind or no wind, that part of the world always delivers for me jaw-dropping gorgeousness in all it’s natural splendor.  So you match that up with two of the smartest, more creative, slam-poetry rappin people and all their wonderful people and you really can’t have a bad day.

Susan + Daniel were married on a spectacular August afternoon on little known Thunder Island out in Cascade Locks.  Minus the Skipper + MaryAnne, this Island in the middle of the Columbia River is still a world of it’s own.  Add to this the fact that Susan was wearing her step-mother’s original Laura Ashley dress from her own wedding {oh, how I miss those Laura Ashley wearin days}…and they had a plethora of talented people in the bunch perform assorted musical accompaniments as well as the ceremony itself…and that they collected every single last piece of dinnerwear from local 2nd hand stores…and the bride really did throw down with some of the most amazing slam-hop I’ve ever heard.

And then you can begin to see why I love my job so much.

I am a lucky girl to have this incredible opportunity almost every single week to meet people from all over the world who invite me into their lives and share their love stories.  And Susan + Daniel were certainly no exception.

Thank you both so very much.  Wishing you much continued mutual adoration + creativity in your life ever after.

Konnie + Bet’s August wedding was a beautiful blend of Lao + American wedding traditions.  With a simple + intimate ceremony earlier in the day, the focus of the evening was the reception + celebration of their life together amongst a much larger gathering of family + friends.  This is the second Lao wedding celebration I have had the fortune to be a part of, and especially enjoy the performance of the first dance, a slow circling of the dance floor, with the bride + groom gracefully swaying their hands back + forth.  Family + friends then join the dance in a mesmirizing swirl of hands.

And I couldn’t help but find the humor + enjoyment in all 30 of my backup photographers.  Thanks guys.

Konnie + Bet, thank you so very much for the honor of being a part of your celebration of a life lived happily ever after.

From day one, Ashley + Nick were the sweetest couple to work with, but because of the distance, we didn’t meet until their wedding day.  So it was no surprise that they were even more wonderful in person.  And between the two of them, their incredibly supportive friends + extended family, I think I had about as much fun as they did.   All the forces of Northwest nature came together to deliver spectacular weather for their wedding, which took place at the Cedar Cove Inn, located up in Port Orchard, Washington…a beautiful + historic home carefully remodeled and converted into a B + B that overlooks the bay + the Olympic Mountains.  It was the ideal backdrop for their celebration.

So the thoughtfulness and personal connection to all the details were the icing on the cake.  Ashley’s friend and insanely talented stylist Yessie came over from Seattle to help get the girls ready.  They were married by a friend.  And yet another friend Chef Ryan, who has traveled + worked the world over, delivered on some amazing pulled pork + other summer picnic-style eats.  They handed out beautiful hand stamped programs for the day.  Featured a collection of photographs pinned to a clothesline surrounding the dance floor.  And served up local brews in bell jars, complete with name tags and game teasers.

Ashley + Nick, I hope your future together is equally beautiful + playful + full of love as your wedding day.

I picked cherries at a friend’s farm and celebrated the sun and all was right with the world for just a few brief hours.

I would be remiss in not starting out by thanking our mutual friend + fellow photographer Brian Lee for his matchmaking skills.  Julie + John immediately felt like my kind of people when we agreed a drink at Clyde Common would be a good place to meet for the first time.  And then the six degrees of Portland separation thing sealed the deal as far as I was concerned.  I’m not ashamed to say, it was almost one of those “Pick me!  Pick me!” moments.

And their wedding day did not disappoint.  It was quintessential Portland, and involved everything you would expect and want from locals.  Julie + John, both teachers at Metropolitan Learning Center, a unique alternative school in NW Portland, struck the perfect chord in the balance of their own adorableness, fabulous community of friends + family {and might I add a good looking bunch}, and a most delicious celebration of local food + drink.

The ceremony was in the wooded + secluded Wedding Meadow up at Hoyt Arboretum, which involves a short hike {or bike} for arriving guests.  An acoustic guitar accompaniment was provided by another MLC teacher.  A fellow cyclist led the ceremony.  And then a reception hosted at Grochau Cellars {get thee post haste to the nearest wine shop if you haven’t had John’s Commuter Cuvee Pinot Noir} with an infusion of great toons spun throughout the night.  All capped off by a spectacular warm weather evening that can have you convinced it will never rain again in Portland and what were you so upset about in March anyway?

I was on a plane headed for the sweatbox known as DC for vacation less than six hours later, and I can’t imagine a better sendoff.

Congratulations Julie + John!   I wish you a lifetime of sweetness, and an abundance of friends + family, food + wine to share in it.

It was a dark + stormy…afternoon.  But in true Oregon style, Kristen + Will shared their vows + love + celebration as planned in their own backyard.  As they exchanged rings with one another, they also gave rings to each of their kids, a very touching and all encompassing embrace of their new family unit.  And extended family + friends had a hand in providing everything from food to flowers to music to chicken chasers.  It was a true “barn raising” of a wedding…and it was an incredible honor to be a part of their day.

I wish you both a lifetime of love through the rain.

and other things one learns at their High School graduation party.

Congratulations Jackson…I have no doubt you are on a path to greatness in whatever you do with this life.