2020 was the year for micro-weddings, elopements, intimate ceremonies, whatever may be and also a year for heartbreak for those that decided to completely postpone their much anticipated wedding plans for a year later. Whatever the case may be, couples had to make some hard and devastating decisions. Scaling down to the bare minimum of what our current mandates were or simply just walking across the street to a park they frequent and saying their vows to eachother under a beautiful tree with only the two of you. Going into this pandemic, I personally didn’t know what it would entail but I did know that being tthere how ever I could for my clients was so important and all in all, getting through this together and making it the easiest transition possible.
I was so incredibly grateful to be a part of those that chose to have their wedding still scaled down and within safety limits, they still turned out to be some of my favorite weddings. Not only because of the monumental time it was during this pandemic but because it was so a bit more personal and intimate and really a lot less of the hustle and bustle that these days can be. I saw my couples relax and truly enjoy their day, seeing everything, not missing a beat. And photographing this was such a pleasure and honestly could really see this continuing through 2021.
One of these beautiful intimate micro-weddings I had the privilege of photographing was Samantha & Stephen. They had originally planned their 200 + nuptials at the Portland Art Museum and had to scale way back and ended up hosting their ceremony and reception at the chic and Modern new Venue Ironlight in Lake Oswego. They kept their original date in August but scaled way back to only having their wedding party and parents and siblings as their guests and still had the best time! They got ready at Portland’s historic Benson Hotel downtown and had one of their newest remodeled Presidential suites and it has the most beautiful big windows and plenty of light streaming in for those beautiful bridal photos. Samantha decided she wanted a grand entrance once she got her stunning gown on from Chosen by Khya. It was so fun to see the girls reactions, they truly are the best group of women! Meanwhile the guys were having their fun in their suite with an equally great group. Samantha wanted to have a first look with her sweet dad outside the Benson Hotel and there were alot of tears and hugs, literally her dad was beaming with joy, it was the sweetest thing to watch. Sam & Stephen opted for no first look which worked perfectly for this intimate wedding and I always love the tradition of seeing one another for the first time walking down that aisle. Their ceremony was on the outer deck/rooftop of the Ironlight with gorgeous views all around. They had a large floral backdrop with ghost chairs and umbrellas to help with the heat and their close friend/groomsmen officiate the ceremony. Once the ceremony finished and they said I do (insert happy dance here!) they moved inside to the stunning open ballroom with two long tables in the middle fitting all of their guests. The Chic and classic white floral really made this space even more glam and truly fit the Black tie effect they wanted for their original wedding plans.
To help with wedding planning, here are some Q&A by our lovely couple:
How did you meet eachother?
We met while both attending & playing our sports at Saint Mary’s College of CA (me on the Volleyball team and him on the Basketball team) as the tallest on campus our teams often hung out together, shared a gym and training schedule! After a quick intro from our teammates and a shake of the hand it was fate from there
Could you tell us your proposal story?
It was the week before we were going to fly to Chicago for his moms family reunion and one of the days he said that he had a “surprise” planned for the next day! I had assumed it was a nice lunch or activity but did notice him acting a little strange – he also has this inability to keep secrets from me (even fun gift surprises haha!) so was very interested that he was keeping this secret.We ended up downtown and parked at this very tall building where we took an elevator up. When we got the top we were on the “Oregon Helicopters” helipad! In my head I was thinking this has to be it because it was such a crazy and “spontaneous” thing for him to plan! We started taking pictures in front of the Helicopter and in the middle of it he took both my hands and dropped to a knee and proposed! I said YES and we flew off on a tour of the city where I was literally on cloud 9 and he was hanging on for dear life because he is afraid of heights!
Could you tell us about both of your professions?
Stephen plans professional basketball in the European leagues and I work as a Digital Media Planner for a marketing agency.
Tell us about your wedding! Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
As most COVID bride stories go – we had originally planned to get married in the summer but due to the pandemic had to replan and move our date back in hopes that we could preserve our 200 person wedding in downtown Portland. As fate has it the restrictions on gathering sizes were still in place and we decided we just wanted to be married anyways! We moved forward with just our wedding party and parents and got married at Ironlight in Lake Oswego and it was a beautiful and intimate day that we will cherish forever! I wanted a very chic, modern and classic look with all white decor, floral and accents. We were originally going to be at PAM so was going for a black tie theme. The groomsmen were in classic black tuxes and the bridesmaids were in navy floor length gowns.
What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding day?
For both of us we were just so happy to be celebrating with our closest friends and family – so outside of actually getting married and saying our vows (of course) for me – my favorite was during the dinner when we were FINALLY able to sit back and absorb all the love that was in the room from those that have supported us through it all – for Stephen it was definitely the dance party at the end!! Since we have to go without a DJ to fit within the gathering limit – he curated all the music that played that day and put together the most perfect dance party playlist!
Do you have any Wedding planning or wedding advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?
I would 100% recommend hiring a wedding planner or at least day of wedding planner – Brooke made sure everything went down perfectly and she is the reason we were able to have such a special wedding despite all of our challenges!
Creative Team:
Photography Team: Deyla Huss & Meagan Gibson (amazing Assist)
Planner: Luxe Events – Brooke Kranzler
Floral Design: Urban Elements
Videographer: NW Film Co.
Venue: Ironlight
Rentals: Party Place
Cake: Papa Haydn
Catering: Devil’s Food Catering
Hair: Cassandra Kennedy Beauty
Makeup: Brittany Blanchard
Dress: Chosen by Kyha
Suits: The Black Tux
Bridesmaids: Fame & Partners
Rings: LaRog Brothers Jewelers
