I am SO excited to finally share the details of this wedding! This couple was referred to us by a 2010 couple (remember
Anna and Matt?) - and I can't thank them enough for sending Mike and Crystal our way - they were SO much fun to work with and their wedding is one of my favorites!
Mike and Crystal were married back in May at Brooks Hill Historic Church in Portland. Although this church was tiny, the setting was gorgeous and it made for a very sweet, intimate, and memorable ceremony. There were lots of open fields, cherry blossom trees, and other great spots to take pictures - and the weather (aka Oregon rain) held off so they got lots of amazing shots! This was my first opportunity to work with
Amy and Eddie of Lyfe Photography - and they were wonderful (plus their photos speak of their talent)!
The beautiful dress was provided by The Bridal Gallery (the BEST place in the Willamette Valley to get your dress by the way). Angie at The Bridal Gallery truly loves what she does and will help you find the perfect dress on your budget, whatever that might be! They also recently won not one, not two, but FOUR awards for Oregon Bride Magazine's "Best of 2011."
The stunning flowers (and I mean stunning - look at that color) were provided by Gina of Bohemian Bouquets. She was also amazing to work with, and did a great job of setting up all the floral arrangements at both the ceremony and reception sites!
The officiant, Anthony The Wedding Judge, did a great job of working with them to write a ceremony just for them. My favorite part of the ceremony? Mike and Crystal wrote love letters to each other, but kept them sealed and secret and put them in a wooden box with a bottle of wine. Then they each took a nail, and nailed the box shut. The purpose behind this was to serve as a reminder why they married each other (if they ever needed a reminder) or they could open the bottle and read the letters at their 20 year wedding anniversary. I loved this idea!
After the ceremony, the bride and groom headed to the city for some more pictures while the guests headed to Wilf's at the Portland Train Station for the reception. Wilf's offers a great space for receptions with great lighting and amazing food! Their staff (especially Candace) was on top of everything and it flowed so smoothly! As the guests arrived, they were welcomed by a seating chart board where they would find their name and a number, which corresponded with a table number. The tables weren't simply numbered 1-15....they were random numbers that had a special meaning for them and their relationship. Then, when the guest got to their specific table, there was a table number card with the story about that number on the back! The guests LOVED it, and they were all walking around to read all of the different stories.
The cake and all the mini cupcakes were provided by
Sweetest Thing Cupcakes. They were very tasty - and the bride and groom had little take-out boxes for left over cupcakes so their guests could take them home...there wasn't a SINGLE cupcake left after the guests were gone! That shows you how yummy they were! One of my other favorite parts of this wedding was their cake topper. They had it custom made to represent their favorite college mascots. Mike went to OSU, so Benny the Beaver was the groom, and Crystal is a huge Boise State fan, so the lady version of Buster Bronco was the bride! It was made out of clay, so it will last a long time and they planned on making it a focal point in their living room.
There was LOTS of dancing at the reception, and there was even a limbo competition with two guests tying their ties together to make the "bar." The party went right up until it was time to go...and the transportation for the bride and groom? A pedi-cab!
I can't emphasize enough how much I loved working with Mike and Crystal and all the superb vendors that they chose to work with. I wish you two (and your adorable bunnies) all the best and a lifetime of happiness, laughter, and love!
All photos copyright of Lyfe Photography
"Ashley with Stargazer Weddings was fantastic to work with! She guided me through the wedding planning process, kept me on track with my to-do list, answered every little question of mine, and made the planning process so much easier! She was professional, organized, and on top of every detail. Talking with her was like talking with an old friend. Knowing I had her there on the day of my wedding meant that my actual wedding day could be about my husband and me. It was a stress free day and I didn't have to worry about a thing knowing that Ashley was there to take care of any detail that came up. It was just awesome how smoothly the day went! It truly let me and my husband have the wedding day of our dreams and enjoy every moment of it. For that, Ashley's services were worth so much more than any amount of money we could have paid her. Thank you for everything Ashley!" ~ Crystal
