It’s always fun to feature a wedding from somewhere I’ve visited; my hubby and I travelled right through the town of Grants Pass in Southern Oregon on our trip to the US last year and this beautiful wedding by AMANDA K PHOTOGRAPHY takes place in this lovely mountain town at the groom’s childhood home (I’m a sucker for weddings at family homes!!). Jessica & Jeff lead busy lives in the city but they relish their down time spent in the mountains, so they wanted their wedding to reflect all facets of their personalities and lives as well as be somewhere meaningful and full of history and emotion. Jessica tells us, ééòThe secret garden in the backyard sits tucked away in amidst a 40 acre property, surrounded by huge pine, cedar, and oak trees. This is where Jeff spent the first 12 years of his life pretending he was Robin Hood. There couldn’t be a more magical place. Our garden wedding combined with our vintage historic hotel reception captured our ééòfancy-hippieééò lifestyle! We were going for a romantic-vintage-intimate feel. My bridesmaids all wore different dresses that reflected their personal styles. I told them that I wanted something classic and elegantééò beading, lace, longééò the rest was up to them. So long as they felt beautiful, I was all for it. We had a Persian 16 foot runner down the aisle and one of my Maids of Honor made all of the girls bouquets and boutonnieres from foliage from the garden. I didn’t want anything super structured or matching. Our reception centerpieces were created by made amazing treasure-hunter of a dad! They consisted of antique oil lamps, geo stones, skinny gold vases with white flowers, and our laser-cut table numbers!ééò
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL? During a family vacation up the coast and into Oregon, Jeff surprised Jess by whisking her off on a mini getaway of their own. We arrived in Portland, Oregon in the evening, had a nice dinner, and then called it a night in a local hotel. Jeff woke Jess up bright and early the next day, despite her confusion (it was still dark out!), and we drove out to Multnomah Falls. We got there right when the sun was coming up and peaking through the trees. After Jeff called both of Jess’s parents to receive their blessing during a rather long ééòbathroom breakééò, we started on our hike. We reached a bridge that overlooks the falls and just stood there taking in the beauty. There was one other couple on the bridge who snapped out photo and then in a blink of an eye they were gone. It was just us and the waterfall. We crossed the bridge and rounded the corner which put us a bit closer to the falls. As Jess took photo after photo, listening to the rush of the water and feeling mist touch her skin, she turned around to see Jeff down on one knee. He put a ring on her finger, said he’d love her forever, and asked if she would do the same. She said yes! We laughed and cried and cried and laughed. It was magic.
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: Jess had originally tried on several lace dresses and had it set in her mind that that’s what she would end up wearing on our wedding day. Jessica and her mother arrived at the store one day with the intention of purchasing a dress that Jess had tried on previously. It was a beautiful lace dress just like she had imagined. When she tried it on the first time, her entourage all thought it looked great and she was content. As she was walking back to the dressing room while someone pulled the lace dress for her to try on one last time, Jess saw the beaded Maggie Sottero gown hanging up and knew she had to try it on. The consultant said they had just gotten it in! Jess walked out of the dressing room in the Maggie dress and all she could say wasééòééòOkay, I’m done!ééò This dress was different than anything else she had tried on but it was perfect in every way! She felt amazing in it and teared up imagining walking down the aisle!
ANY DIY ELEMENTS? We are both very blessed with amazingly loving friends and families and we knew we wanted to incorporate them as much as possible. Everyone had a job or role to play in our wedding and it made everything so much more special. One of the Maids of Honor baked our cake, while the other made all of the bridesmaids bouquets, boutonnieres, and reception menus. Jeff’s stepfather built the arch trellis that we stood in front of during the ceremony, and his dad prepared all of the food at the cocktail hour. Jessica’s dad made all of the reception centerpieces by combining vintage oil lamps, mirrored trays, gold vases, fresh flowers, and geo stones. Jessica’s sister created the wedding website and photo slideshow. At the end of the day, every detail was so perfect and so special because it was all put together with the love from the people that matter most to us!
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY? We both absolutely loved our outfits. Jess’s Maggie Sottero gown and long cathedral length veil, and Jeff’s Topshop Man suit were perfect for our big day. But,even more than my attireééò we loved being surrounded by our friends and family. They were truly our favorite detail of the day. We felt so loved and supported.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANOTHER COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? Enjoy the process! We made sure to make all wedding decisions together because we really wanted to take in each moment leading up to the day that we said ééòI Doééò. When we received our invitations in the mail and even our engagement photos, we waited until the other was home so that we could open the packages and enjoy them together for the first time. Anything we could do to stop for a second and just enjoy the crazy wedding planning ride we were on!
Also, try not to stress the small things! It sounds easier said than done but if you are able to trust that things will work out one way or the other, and you accept that you don’t have to incorporate EVERY detail that you see on Pinterest, you will truly enjoy the experience and the day without stress. You can make the day beautiful without over doing all the little details. At the end of it all, you will be married to your best friend, and that is the best part!
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? Our ééòfirst lookééò was an absolute dream. We stood on a little road in the middle of acres of trees with the sun peaking through. The only sound you could hear was the breeze blowing through the leaves. Jeff had his back turned as Jess took deep breathes and tried to maintain composure as she walked slowly up to him. Jeff turned around with tears in his eyes, told Jess she looked beautiful, and we just held each other, soaked in the moment and shared in our excitement for the day’s events!
Photography AMANDA K PHOTOGRAPHY / Reception THE ASHLAND SPRINGS HOTEL / Bride’s gown MAGGIE SOTTERO / Bride’s Clutch LOUIS VUITTON / Groom’s Suit TOPMAN / Groom’s Shoes FERRAGAMO / Groom’s Tie CALVIN KLEIN / Bridesmaids dresses / NHA KHANH and ADRIANNA PAPELL / Invitations MINTED / Make-up TERRI FOSTER from IMAGE ESSENTIALS / Hair BLUE DOOR SALON (WHITNEY)
