- 5 min read

Spring Literary Book Themed Wedding at the Oregon Garden Resort | Silverton, Oregon

Heidi & Brian

Two Books Lovers Say "I Do"

I was so excited to be the Portland wedding photographer that Heidi and Brian choose for their literary book themed wedding held at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton.

Heidi and Brian had been together over 3 years. They met the old fashioned way, at a bar, called the Orenco Taphouse in Hillsboro. There was some debate on who made the first move, but that meeting lead to a first date at El Centro, and many more after that.

When I asked Heidi who proposed and how she gave Brain all the credit. He took her on a special date to one of her favorite restaurants, Departure, located on the 15th floor of The Nines Hotel. If you have ever been up there, you know they are known for their killer cocktails and even better view of downtown Portland. During dessert Brian popped the question and of course, she said yes!

For their wedding venue, they selected the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton, OR. They liked that the venue offered an outdoor garden and indoor ballroom, so they had options in case of rain or extreme heat. They also enjoyed that the wedding venue could handle the food, drinks and lodging all in one place. Making planning their wedding day simple and easy.

Turns out, it was a good thing the venue had so many options for their wedding because it ended up being a stormy day. With lots of rain and wind they decided to move the ceremony inside. However, the wedding garden was just outside so we were still able to take advantage of it and takes photo bride/groom portraits, as well as family photos outside during breaks in the rain.

I love the way they carried their theme throughout the wedding day. Their love for books, crafting and creation really stood out in all the details for the wedding reception. Signs throughout the room stated some of their favorite quotes like;

"Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare... perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways." - Lucy Maud Montgomery

And "I don't want a fashionable wedding but only those about me whom I love and to them I wish to look and be my familiar self." - Louisa May Alcott

They also had stacked books for their table center pieces, topped with vintage tea cups and paper roses cut from the pages of books. Even books painstakingly folded to open and display their last name, and so much more tying everything together, along with their favorite color of purple.

Heidi and Brian made a grand entrance to their wedding reception complete with a choreographed first dance, to the song "I Get to Do it with You" by Garfunkel & Oats.

Wedding guests were treated to the fine in-house catering of the Oregon Garden Resort. Dinner included herb-marinated chicken breast or Mary's vegetable lasagna. Along side Mediterranean baked sweet potatoes, roasted red potatoes, seasonal vegetables, organic field green salads, and my favorite white mac & cheese. Yum!

The couple made their own DIY photo booth. They did an awesome job putting it together. Using the classic ring light to give their guests photo ready lighting and paired that with an iPad to take the photos. On the iPad they used the Luma Booth app. Brain said they tested it and were really impressed with how well it worked. Guests were given bookmarks photo holders at their seat as a wedding guest favor. What a great way to encourage guests to use the photo booth and give them a cool little something to take it home in that matched their theme. They also created their own back drop and brought fun props for their guests to get creative with.

After dinner were the traditional toasts, I loved when the best man used a quote from FireFly. Followed by the cutting of the wedding cake and the shoe game. The shoe game is played by each person in the couple holding one of their shoes and one of their partners shoes, while being read a series of statements. They hold the shoe up for the person they think best fits the statement. Brian and Heidi only disagreed twice, on who had the bigger sweet tooth and who is first to apologize.

Instead of a bouquet toss the couple decided on a bouquet presentation. What is a bouquet presentation? It's a slight variation to the traditional anniversary dance. The DJ started by inviting all of the married woman to the dance floor. Then he began dismissing them based on how long they had been married, starting with anyone married less then 3 hours and ending with Heidi's Aunt who had been married the longest at 53 years, and she was gifted Heidi's wedding bouquet.

After the wedding, Brian was thoughtful enough to leave a review on Google about his experience of having me photograph his wedding day. This is what he had to say,

"So happy we found Cambrae! She put us at ease from our first meeting, with clear answers, and happy demeanor! On our wedding day, she arrived, and started getting photos. She gave clear directions that we could easily understand and follow. Her style and humor made the process fun, and she blended in with the wedding! She was able to make amazing photos, and really capture the fun and meaning of the day. When the photos were ready to view (ahead of schedule) she had a beautiful slide show and photo book layout, helped us find a great cover shot, and walked us through the rest of the process. She was so great and easy to work with. I will definitely call her again when we need photos."