This wedding at Wind Mountain Ranch was an extra special occasion! When I moved to Portland, the groom had two open rooms in his home that my friend and I rented. We lived there for an entire year. We were there when he got back from his very first date with his now bride. He played it off, but I could tell right away that she was someone special!

Eventually she moved in too, which was great because she IS someone special! Of course their domestic bliss deserved its own space. So, we packed up and headed to a new neighborhood to let their love blossom. And it did!

I was so excited when they finally got engaged and asked me to be their photographer. And even more excited when they chose to have their wedding at Wind Mountain Ranch overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. I’d been dying to photograph an event there for years! Everything was perfect.

CEREMONY IN THE GORGE

They rented two of the guest houses on the property for the getting ready and for the wedding party festivities. (There are several smaller cabins on site as well that many of the guests rented) I bounced between the two for photos. Then they had a first look in the back yard of the bridal house. The bride’s dress was amazing. It billowed out in the wind and when she walked like she was walking on clouds.

Their ceremony took place on the main lawn which looked on to the mountains of the gorge. Breathtaking. There were happy tears and lots of laughter. These two had some of the silliest and sweetest vows I’ve ever heard.

After the ceremony, they had a cocktail hour on the lawn, complete with lawn games. Then it was on to the reception for dinner and toasts. The bride’s sister read old letters and journal entries that their mom had written about and to their dad. I’ve never witnessed as much laughter during a toast as I did at this one.