Becky & Nick’s Vintage Ainsworth House Wedding | Oregon City Wedding Photography

 

I was super excited when Becky and Nick asked me to be their wedding photographer. Not just because I knew their wedding was going to be incredible, but also because Dr. [Becky] Jester just so happens to be my dog Porter’s acupuncture veterinarian and I happen know she’s a super awesome person to be around! A few years ago Porter had back surgery and sees Becky every other month
for mobility and pain management. Anyways, enough about Porter!

Becky and Nick planned the most amazing victorian wedding at the Ainsworth House in Oregon City. The Ainsworth House, which was built in 1851, could not have been more perfect for their wedding with Nick in tails and Becky in a gorgeous vintage dress.
Spring sun was out in force and the gardens were coming alive with blossoms. Because we
lucked out with glorious weather, we were able to gather everyone in attendance outside after the ceremony for one big group photo!

Becky’s daughter Austynn and their dog Onyx both got to be involved in the wedding day.
Austynn had the entire reception rolling with laughter during her toast (roast?)!

Fair warning; there’s a ridiculous amount of photos below. I just couldn’t choose!

 

Venue: Ainsworth House
Caterer: Art De Cuisine
DJ/Piano: Dancing Penguin
Officiant: Mia Lawson (Groom’s sister)
Photography: Danae Jones Photography

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Star & Christine’s Laurelhurst Club Wedding | Portland Wedding Photography

I always joke that it’s really good for my business when I leave the country.
Maybe I’m just trying to justify travel, and I suppose I do typically travel during “booking season”…..but let me have this okay?
Anyways, without fail I seem to book a wedding from an inquiry that comes in while I’m out of The States. Sure enough, while I was in Cuba last year (check out that blog post here) I got an email from Star & Christine asking about wedding photography. Internet in Cuba is incredibly hard to come by, but I was able to pop on long enough to briefly connect with them.
Thankfully Star & Christine were super patient with my limited connectivity and when I arrived back home we went out for coffee and figured out we were a pretty good fit for each other.
I mean, they specifically requested that I not cull out the hilarious candid shots of their guests on the dance floor – so there’s some of those below!

These two hosted an open house at their home the night before the wedding so that they could have plenty of time with their closest friends and out of town guests. They had me come for a few hours to document those moments and memories as well. Having this relaxing pre-wedding get together was so lovely that I now highly encourage other couples to consider something similar – especially when you have family and friends traveling in from other states! Yard games, beer, good food and lots of laughter were main themes at their get-together. I also really enjoyed it because it gave me the opportunity to meet some of their favorite people and let everyone warm up to
having a camera around. Allowing, I think, for some more intimate moments in front of the camera the next day.

I may blog the open house at some other time, but for now I want to talk about the wedding!
Star & Christine chose the Laurelhust Club and used the lawn for the ceremony & the great dance floor for the reception. Their wedding coordinator, the lovely Sadie with Vareus Events,
transformed the space with her incredible floral arrangements and decorating skills!

Personalized touches were found all throughout the day – from the custom details on their outfits, to the snack bar bar featuring their favorite selections from Portlandia Popcorn, to having their
hilarious and well spoken friend Danielle perform the ceremony – their wedding truly was a
reflection of their love and their personalities.
Full of love, happy tears, laughter and dance floor shenanigans – these two and their guests know how to celebrate and I was thrilled to get to be a little part of their big day!

 

Coordinator/Florist: Vareus Events
Photography: Danae Jones Photography
Caterer & desserts: As Good As It Gets (Cheryl’s on 12th)
Rentals: The Party Place
DJ/MC: Riddle DJ Entertainment
Cake: Friend
Officiant: Danielle (friend)

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Julie & Rob’s Yellow Gold Farm Wedding | Willamette Valley Wedding Photographer

Julie and Rob’s wedding day was everything you could hope for: a warm, sunny day surrounded by friends and family from near and far. Rob’s kids and grandkids were part of the wedding party, making the day especially connected to family.

Julie and Rob married at Yellow Gold Farm, just minutes off of I-5 and tucked in the farmland
between Albany and Lebanon. Yellow Gold Farm is a fabulous wedding venue in the heart of the Willamette Valley and I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph many weddings here over the years. The possibilities for photos on this property are just endless!

Pulling into the venue I was greeted by Rob’s giant green tractor on the front lawn. He’s a farmer so of course we included the tractor in his wedding photos. When I say this thing was giant, that’s no exaggeration – see for yourself below! The tractor even got a bath and shine in preparation for the big day. Since Julie and Rob chose not to do a first look before the ceremony we also used the front of the tractor to give them a few minutes to hold hands and talk without seeing each other. It was a beautiful scene to witness from afar as they shared an intimate moment together and still maintained the surprise of Rob seeing Julie in her wedding dress for the first time as she walked down the aisle.

Julie looked nothing less than stunning as she walked down the aisle and Rob’s expression in that moment was one of joy, amazement and even a few tears. The aisle was lined with flowers to match the bridal and bridesmaids bouquets, containing bright yellow sunflowers and white daisies designed by Morning Glories Floral and Yellow Gold Farm’s iconic massive old walnut tree shaded guests as they witnessed Julie & Rob exchange their vows.

 

As the sun was going down and colors painted the sky, I snuck Julie and Rob away again for a few sunset portraits. Even though we discuss it in advance, I always feel bad pulling my couples away from their party, so I try to make things as quick as possible while capturing colorful sunset photos. This time I clocked it: we stepped away from the reception, captured an iconic wedding portrait, and had them back to their party all within four minutes – including unbustling and rebustling the dress!

As dusk settled in, Rob’s son opened up the dance floor by playing several songs on his acoustic guitar. Under twinkling string lights, Julie and Rob shared their first dance. It was full of smiles and laughter. Afterwards the party started with some high-energy country jams! The dance floor came alive with two-stepping and swinging partners round-and-round. This group sure knew how to boogie and it was a blast! 

Julie and Rob’s wedding day was really about family and fun, something that is very important to this couple. It was amazing to see the love these two have for each other and also the love they both received from their family and friends. The weather was perfect and the party was so much fun, but at the end of the day that love for each other and those that surround them is what really matters.

 

Julie & Rob’s Wedding Vendors:
Venue: Yellow Gold Farm, Albany, Oregon
Dress: David’s Bridal
Flowers: Morning Glories Floral
Catering: Bob & Teresa Thomas
Officiant: Maria Lopez – Friend

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