Intimate & Inclusive- A Late Summer Elopement

Feb 7, 2019

My most favorite thing about my job is that I get to meet incredible people every day and if I’m especially lucky I get to dive into their love story and help create a visual experience that brings their story to life.

Ashley & Alex aspired to have a wedding that was all about their family. They wanted to create an intimate, inclusive gathering for their adult children and closest friends. They envisioned a ceremony at the edge of a look-out that not only bound the two of them in marriage, but also included dedicated words of love and symbolic floral offerings to each of their children. Their celebration would then continue to an extended farm table where they would dine alfresco next to a chef’s garden, the table aglow with candles and conversation, decorated with a floral installation that extended its length.

Sounds pretty magical, right? Oh it was.

Ashley is a writer full of romantic vision who loves intrigue. Based on all of the design elements she pulled in from Curated Event Rentals, I chose to focus on mixing desert grasses and weeds with seasonal vines and local architectural branches in soft white-washed pastels. Blooms would be the supporting cast in this instance allowing the more textural components to play their well-deserved leading role.

Ashley’s bouquet was small in size but big in personality inspired by her timelessly elegant gown with a sexy plunging back.

Speaking about big in personality… Alex, who is one of the most well dressed men I’ve ever met, wore a beautifully tailored grey tropical wool suit with sneakers and killer sunglasses. Here I am giving Alex a boutonniere pinning tutorial so that he could be prepared to pin boutonnieres on Ashley’s sons during their ceremony.

August brought us a lot of wild fire smoke, so guests weren’t able to view the mountains, but their view of the valley below was breathtaking, none-the-less. The altar held baskets full of native plants and weeds which we had to weight with rocks so that they wouldn’t blow over in the afternoon Central Oregon winds that Brasada is known for.

My favorite part of their ceremony was when they honored their children. Their sons symbolically received boutonnieres and their daughter was given a corsage cuff.