I finally had a chance to shoot a Bridal Veil Lakes wedding, and it was all I had ever dreamt of, and more! This is hands down my all time favorite wedding venue in Oregon. It. Is. Gorgeous. Magical. A fairy tale land.

I started the day with some detail shots of the venue. The gorgeous lake, colorful flowers, some canoes. Then I met up with the couple for some getting ready photos. The only thing this venue doesn’t currently have, is a proper bridal suite. They only have a bathroom area, which definitely works, but isn’t quite picturesque! In cases like these, I recommend either hiring a mobile bridal suite, or getting creative! We went to a hidden corner of the venue and the bride and groom got ready in the great outdoors!

The couple had their first look beneath a canopy of tall trees. Then we did some portraits of the two of them around the north side of the lake. Afterwards, their family and wedding party ventured over to join us. More photos happened, including some silly ones! Then the guests started to arrive!

They had their ceremony on the west side of the lake, with the lake as the background. So dreamy. It was a touching ceremony with handwritten vows and included letters they had written to each other, not to be opened for many years.

Next was my favorite part of all weddings at this venue… the cocktail hour under the trees! I love any wedding that is completely outdoors, and especially ones that flow from one area of the venue to another. Even more, I love the parts of the day where people are up and mingling. So much more personality and liveliness shows in the photos when people are standing up!

Finally everyone headed over to the covered pavilion for the reception and dancing under the trees! During which the bride and groom snuck away for a little canoe trip on the water. Great photo opportunities! Another favorite part of this venue 🙂