Josh and Courtenay are truly two unique people. I could tell just by being at the wedding that all of their guests knew it too. Remember how awesome their engagement session was? (You can see the session HERE). The entire wedding day reflected their unique taste and creativity. By mere coincidence, we were staying in the same Portland hotel as Courtenay and all of her wedding guests! So it was easy to start the getting ready pictures on Saturday morning.
There's just something special about the moment when a bride puts her dress on. My favorite putting on the dress moments are the ones where the bride's mother helps her lace up the back and fusses over all of the details. Don't get me wrong- a busy circle of 10 bridesmaids helping the bride is fun and touching as well, but I just love that quiet moment as the mother of the bride helps her daughter step into her dress. I'll never get tired of that moment!
Courtenay and Josh wouldn't be seeing each other before the wedding, but Courtenay came up with a great picture idea of the two of them together with out spoiling the surprise. Lots of fun!
Next, we headed to the Gerding Theatre at the Armory in Portland, OR, where both the ceremony and reception were to be held. This historic building is located in the Pearl District of Downtown Portland and it's recent renovation project received many awards for its environmentally-friendly methods. If you are looking for a Green Wedding location in Portland, then you should definitely consider the Gerding Theatre! I found it fascinating that rainwater captured from the roof is used to flush toilets and urinals. This rainwater harvesting system, combined with other water saving methods, reduces the building's demand for potable water by 88%. Sweet!
Anyway, back to the wedding. :) When we stepped inside the Theatre, we appreciated its contemporary, art-studio vibe. Almost immediately upon arriving, the ceremony was about to start. Just before Courtenay walked down the aisle, her dad lost it. He was trying to hold it together and it was so cute because you could tell how much he loved his daughter and that it was all hitting him at once.
The ceremony was intimate, cozy, and relaxed. The crowd consisted of just their close friends, and there was lots of laughter and 'oohs' and "ahs" among the guests. Josh had teased Courtenay for weeks saying he was going to fix his long hair in braids and rubber bands, but he surprised her by cutting it on the day of the wedding. Since they didn't see each other before the wedding, she let out a huge gust of emotion when she laid eyes on him once she made it to the bottom floor and turned to walk down the aisle.
The main lobby where the reception was held had a very open floor plan, with room for people to mill around. They had a live DJ with music pumping through the speakers and a caricature artist available for drawings.
Courtenay emailed us recently and said, "We absolutely love, love, love the pictures!!! You guys are truly amazing!! We can’t thank you enough for all your hard work, professionalism, and attention to detail. It was so good working with you and we had so much fun!! We are completely in love with our pictures and cannot tell you how many times we’ve looked through the hundreds of them."
Below is a slide show of 49 of our favorites from the day. (It may take a minute to load)
Below is a slide show of 49 of our favorites from the day. (It may take a minute to load)
Or see it on a separate page.
Coordinator: Heather Burkhalter
Caterer: Food In Bloom, www.foodinbloom.com
Dress: Maggie Sottero – Vogue Royale
Flowers: Fleur Bliss, www.fleurbliss.com
Cake: Papa Haydn, www.papahaydn.com
Caricature Artist: Heather Nichols, yourfacemystyle.blogspot.com
Photobooth: Stumptown Photobooths, www.stumptownphotobooths.com
DJ: DJ Ruff Kuts & Jowed Hadeed from Eclectic Approach
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