A Vintage Oregon Wedding | Portland & Salem, Oregon
Raise your hand if you have recently been to a wedding where the bride & groom look like they just stepped out of the 70’s. Are you raising your hand? Nice! Air high five comin at ya! I have been to many, many weddings in my life, photographed a bunch, & I can tell you that this was one of my favorites! From the vintage theme to the location, down to the food & dance, this will definitely be one that I will remember forever. I am so happy I got to be a part of it!
Seriously guys..aren’t they adorbs?!
You want to know something crazy? These cute kids (& their friends & fam of course) planned this whole thing in less than 4 weeks. Can you believe that?! & it all went down without a hitch.
Yup, less than 4 weeks from start to finish. Our friend (Deon, bride’s mom) text me at the beginning of May & asked if I do wedding photos. I sure do! 20 days later, there we all were, meeting up in Lake Oswego so they could tie the knot. I am still amazed at how everyone came together for these two & planned everything in that amount of time.
I know who I’m calling to plan my next big event! Jk, jk, but seriously, kudos to everyone involved!
A couple days before the actual nuptials, we went out to take pre-wedding photos. The only day the Washingtonian groom was able to there was like a 70% chance of rain! BUT luckily it held off for a while (there was some sprinkles) & they got to do their first look in a field of yellow flowers under cloudy, Oregon skies. These two were troopers the whole time, we even ended up going to another location before it started pouring!
*Click on the photos to view larger
That first kiss tho..
Well, not technically their first kiss, but first kiss after the first look is somethin’ pretty special!
I love witnessing first looks because they are so intimate & you can literally feeeeeel the excitement emanating from them. I seriously wish everyone would do these; they are pretty magical! Obviously, they couldn’t stop smiling & I’m pretty sure their moms who were behind me couldn’t stop smiling either!
I also really love that we got to take these photos before the hustle of the big day with all the extended family & friends & rush of everything. I really think it gave a different feel to it. Weddings are supposed to be about you, that’s why they say it’s YOUR day, right? So just having this day before or even a few hours before the actual wedding to just be together is definitely worth it.
Then on the actual wedding day, all you have to do it get married then go PARTY! & that seems waaaaay less stressful to me!
If you couldn’t tell by the first photo, obviously these two have a sense of humor, but I’m pretty sure I saw one of them get a little teary eyed a couple times throughout, which is super sweet.
This was my first LDS wedding, I had never even seen a temple before. Isn’t it amazing?! The building is made of marble & the landscaping is awesome.
The wedding day weather was so nice! We got through the family photos & took a few more of just Preslee & Gaelyn together as bride & groom. They even claimed each other by signing each other’s Nikes!
While we didn’t get to take photos during the ceremony, we got plenty after they officially became husband & wife where everyone clapped & cheered, then many more at the reception!
The reception being a couple hours later, in the evening, it gave a nice ambiance for the breakfast bar that I was told was one of the requests of the groom, Gaelyn. He wanted waffles, cereal, donuts, & of course, bacon. What the groom wants, the groom gets, right? Happy groom, happy room? Lol…annnyway..
The food is always one of my favorite things about a wedding, that’s not weird right? Obviously Gaelyn loves breakfast foods & he wants to share that love with everyone else. So, why not?! They had all kinds of toppings, things I wouldn’t even think of putting on top of waffles! Plus, the smell of bacon filled the air & those donut holes were calling out to everyone, especially the little kids who could reach up there & grab as many as they could!
Do you see that cake?!
If the breakfast bar wasn’t enough, their wedding cake was topped with waffles, blueberries, & peaches & even had syrup dripping down it. If that doesn’t say they love breakfast food, I don’t know what does.
I love the small details of any wedding, so obviously I had to take photos of the decor & setup. They did a great job mixing vintage & modern items to give this reception a laid back & relaxed mood. Instead of a guestbook they had Jenga blocks for everyone to sign, lights & lanterns for the evening, & an awesome wooden Oregon sign with their names that they can hang in their home!
I highly recommend adding a “Dollar Dance” to your reception! These two made out like bandits from theirs! Plus, they got to dance with their friends & family & have those special intimate conversations filled with congratulations, hugs, & all the laughs! Looks like fun, right? Even I couldn’t help but groove a little bit & walk around telling people to get out there & let loose! I’m glad people did cause parties like this are so fun to be a part of or just watch.
One of the BEST parts was the Gaelyn gettin’ that garter!
As soon as Preslee sat down, he looked at her & started circling her like an animal stalking its prey. It was hilarious! He had everyone roaring (hah, see what I did there). He kept direct, fierce eye contact the entire time, circled once, stopped to shimmy a little bit, then got on hands & knees to get that garter with his head under her dress!!
That was probably one of the most memorable garter snatches I have ever witnessed. Yup, I’m calling it that from now on. Garter snatch. Spread it around, I’m sure it will pick up!
To end this special event, they had the dance floor to themselves as everyone watched. This husband & wife got the last dance of the evening & basically made out on that dance floor! They just got married, they’re allowed, & why the heck not?!
Congratulations,
Gaelyn & Preslee Nooner!
Thank you for letting me be a part of your big day! I am honored and humbled every time I am asked to be the photographer for a wedding & it’s even more special that our families are friends!
-Preslee, I am so glad you found your way to Gaelyn through the last couple of years, you found your chiseled, Greek God!
-Gaelyn, I know you will have a blast being married to Preslee, she is an amazing woman! You are one lucky dude!
I can’t wait to see what life has in store for the both of you!
Congrats again, you two are amazing!
-Jenn
If you are planning a wedding or know someone who is, I have an Estimates page with all of my competitive prices for weddings & more!
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Jefferson & Salem, Oregon Photographer
