After two solid weeks of dark grey skies and non-stop rain, the clouds went away and let the warm sun shine down on McKayla and Jeff as they took their vows in front of their family and closest friends on a Pearl District rooftop. Another two weeks of dark wet weather followed. People say that rain on your wedding day is good luck. I think that’s something people tell couples who get rained on during their wedding to make them feel better. *I can only say this, mind you, because none of my couples have ever been rained on during their wedding. Said comment will be retracted and replaced should future couple experience rain on their wedding day.* I told McKayla and Jeff that the one and only day of sunshine during a solid four week period was a sign that their wedding was meant to happen.

I love this couple. I know, I know. If you’re familiar with my blog, you know that I love all my couples. I can’t help it. They are all so incredible and each relationship is loving and unique in their own ways. Mckayla and Jeff make each other smile and they make everyone around them smile too. They are so comfortable being themselves around each other. During the toasts, I remember Jeff’s sister said that before Jeff had met Mckayla, he just wanted to find someone to make him laugh. He found her. Anyone can see just by watching them how perfect they are for each other. They have the same interests, the same values, the same beliefs, and most importantly, they make each other so incredibly happy.

You can see McKayla & Jeff’s target=”_blank”>engagement photos that were taken downtown. They will make you smile. Guaranteed.

Their wedding was absolutely lovely. The vendor list is below.
Venue: The DeSoto
Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Portland City Center
Caterer: Art of Catering
Florist: Sammy’s Flowers
Cake: Beaverton Bakery
DJ: Surreal Sound
Transportation: PDX Pedicab
Photographer: The BEST in the business!!! (her words, not mine)

And now the photos…

The Bride & Groom

I always love to start with the formals. This one stands out as one of my favorites. It went on the cover of their album.

Before their ceremony, one of the guests came up to me and said “I can’t wait to see what you do with the rings! I love your ring shots.” Yes, that made me happy. I present to you the first of many ring shots.

See what I’m talking about? Tell me that middle photo didn’t make you smile.

Every wedding needs a good dumpster pic, don’tcha think? I told him to give her his best “Hey Baby, what’s a fine lady like you doing hanging out by a nice dumpster like this?” pick up line. I think it worked.

Self portrait. Can you see me?

Ah, backlight. I can’t begin to tell you how giddy I was to have backlight. Yay for no rain!

Before

Mckayla had the corner room on the top floor with floor to ceiling windows. The second I walked in I knew that I wanted this shot. Isn’t her dress spectacular?

G O R G E O U S.

The wedding party was all family – the groom’s sister, her three adorable kids, and the bride’s brother. Perfect.

The first time they saw each other on their wedding day was when she stepped off the elevator. It took some coordination to make sure he was waiting by the right one, but it turned out to be such an amazing moment.

The bride and groom arranged for pedicabs to take the wedding party and family from the hotel to The DeSoto where the wedding and reception would be. If you haven’t traveled by pedicab, you haven’t experienced Portland.

I’m pretty sure they couldn’t be more adorable.

The wedding party.

I love these two.

The Ceremony

The ceremony was quaint, elegant, emotional, and the sun peek out from behind the high fluffy clouds to light up their faces.

The kiss.

The Reception

The cake, and of course all the flowers, were so gorgeous. It was delicious too. I never miss enjoying a sliver of wedding cake. Hey – I work hard, you know.

Mini Rubens. Yeah. That’s right.

I loved this. In the elevator they had “The Story of Us” – a timeline of photos starting from their first date up until their wedding day. From Day 1, it looked like they were destined to be together.

The first dance.

Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dance.

The next two shots are kind of fun. During the reception, I went back up to their hotel room on the 16th floor and took a shot of the reception. The first one was taken with my 24mm wide angle lens. I drew a white arrow so you could see where the rooftop reception was and how far away I was.

I was standing in the same location, but this time I took the shot with a 200mm f/2 lens. I felt like a sniper. For all you photographers out there, I had to bump my ISO way up (hence the grain) and have a real low shutter speed to get the correct exposure, plus I had to crop in a bit so you could really see the wedding couple, but it worked. Pretty cool, especially when compared to the last photo, right?

I love candid moments like this. I also love seeing a couple who has been married for years who so clearly care about and love each other. Its inspiring.

And the night ended with a gorgeous full moon shining down on them.

I don’t usually share personal notes like this, but I was so touched by their thank you card to me…

“Krissy, Thank you for all that you did for us. From the engagement session, the wedding and accommodating my sister’s family session, everything was perfect. You have a wonderful blend of marketing, artistic ability and customer service that few can rival. I never doubted the final product from the very beginning. It was so nice to have one aspect of the wedding we knew was under control. You’re amazing! Love, Mckayla & Jeff”

To the amazing couple: You two couldn’t be more perfect for each other. Being able to photograph your wedding and document how crazy in love you are was such an honor. I can’t wait to take photos of all the red headed mountain bike riding little kids the two of you will make! Congratulations a million times over!!!

Tags: Beaverton Oregon Family Photographer, Beaverton Oregon High School Senior Photographer, Krissy Allori Photography, Portland Oregon Baby Photography, Portland Oregon Child Photography, Portland Oregon Engagement Photographer, Portland Oregon Family Photographer, Portland Oregon High School Senior Photographer, Portland Oregon Maternity Photographer, Portland Oregon Wedding Photographer