If I had to think of one word to describe Katie and Peter’s wedding, it would have to be exquisite.

ex•qui•site adj. Of such beauty or delicacy as to arouse intense delight

The same definition could be used to describe the affection, the connection, the love shared between Katie & Peter. Of such beauty or delicacy as to arouse intense delight. What a perfect way to describe their perfect day and how perfect they are for each other.

I love photographing these two. Not only can you feel the pure joy and happiness that they radiate, but the passion these two emit for one another. Ugh. It makes my camera melt. This is why you are about to be overwhelmed with photos. This is by far my largest blog post.

Before we begin, you must check out their engagement photos if you haven’t seen them yet.

I thought it would be fun to include a little video. Its short, sweet, and super cute. Aside from the Bumbo videos, don’t pay any attention to the videos youtube directs you to afterward. Very weird.

The Bride & Groom

Do they not just take your breath away?

Isn’t she a gorgeous bride?

The Wedding Party

Yes, you counted correctly. 12 groomsmen (well, 11 groomsmen and 1 groomswoman), 12 bridesmaids, a flower girl, and a ring bearer.

With a wedding party this big, you are bound to get some good photos.

Did I add the pixelation to cover up something obscene or to make you think I covered up something obscene? You will never know.

Before

The celebratory round (or two or three) of beer before the ceremony.

The ladies had the entire top floor of the Waverly Country Club to get ready. What a gorgeous venue this place was, and they really treated the wedding party well. The ladies had tea, coffee, and all sorts of goodies while they got ready. There was tons of space, and with a wedding party this size, it was needed! They even brought sandwiches up right before the ceremony.

LOVED the hanger. She actually had one made for each of her bridesmaids with their own names, along with personalized bags.

Exquisite.

This set cracks me up. While Katie was getting ready, I’m was completely focused on her and getting the perfect shots. I looked up and there was this entire aresenal of cameras/phones pointed at Katie.

I’m pretty sure its impossible not to love these shoes.

This dress. Oh how I loved Katie’s dress. It was perfect in every way. The photos don’t do it justice. It was covered in delicate lace. It fit her like a glove. It was exquisite.

The first look.

And they had an audience.

The Ceremony

As guests arrived, they were directed toward the ceremony area. They were greeted with a server offering them champange. As they made their way over to the grass, they passed the table with the programs, the guest book, and a huge wall of envelopes for people to leave a note for the couple.

The guest book turned out awesome! We used their engagement pics to create a spiral bound 50 page book with a leather cover. Each spread had photos of Katie & Peter as well as space to write notes. What a fabulous keepsake. Totally their idea, but I hope to do more in the future because guests really loved it.

Rose pedals lining the isle. Jewels dripping from the arch. The ceremony was exquisite.

The kiss.

Immediately after the ceremony, they made it official. What I’d like to highlight here are the hor d’oeuvres they had waiting for them upstairs. Do you see what I see? Yes, that is the most delicious pile of bacon you see stacked up on the corner of the plate. Bacon… as its own hor d’oeuvre. Exquisite.

Cocktail Hour

You’re going to love this. They had GIANT jenga out for people to play during the cocktail hour. I got a few shots of people playing and then moved around a bit to take other photos. I heard someone start to scream and from across the entire patio, I aimed, and I shot. How lucky was I to get this shot, perfectly framed, and in tack sharp focus at that? Super lucky.

After cocktail hour, guests went inside for dinner and saw their seating arrangments on this old barn window.

The Reception

Dahlias, roses and orchids. Exquisite.

As soon as Katie & Peter were done eating, we snuck outside and shot this for their thank you cards.

The toasts. Perfect in every way.

The cake. Oh my Lord. It was delicious.

The first dance.

Father daughter, mother son dance.

You know what makes an already perfect wedding even more perfect? A late night snack of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Yeah. That’s right.

Bouquet and garter toss.

Wanna see one of my most favorite shots of the night? Imagine the end of the wedding drawing near. Everyone is hot and sweaty from all the excitement, inebriated from the constant flow of champagne and wine, and starting to get tired as all the fun and excitement is almost over. Then, you turn around, see the bride and groom dancing alone by the tables, and he grabs her and kisses her like he never wants to let go of that moment. Ladies and gentlemen, that is red hot passion fueled by love.

An exquisite night finished with an ideal getaway.

Katie & Peter, it doesn’t seem possible that you could be any more in love, but I’m willing to bet that with each passing year, your love for each other will just get stronger. Wishing you life long happiness together! – Krissy

Venue & Catering: Waverly Country Club 503.654.6521
Wedding Planner: Nora Sheils of Bridal Bliss 503.804.4901
Videographer: Antlerfilms (Nick Boxwell) 503-702-2863
Cake: Dream Cakes 503.329.9744
Hair Stylist/Makeup Artist: Stacy Johnson 503.568.0661, MaryAnn Velasquez, Inspire Salon
Rentals: Ohana 503.875.2403
Lighting: Audient Events 503.710.6193
Floral: Zest 503.887.1544
Ceremony Music: Ariel Consort 503.231.1423
Reception Music & Ceremony Sound: Jake / Chad Dowling 503.320.0895
Transportation: Best Car in Town 503.502.1991
Officiant: Austin Crowe

Every wedding is unique. I think everyone in attendance might agree that Sarah and Chuck’s wedding was unique in that the guests were told they were attending an engagement party, and it turned out to be their wedding! They weren’t entirely sure they could pull the surprise off with such a large group of people including several families traveling in from out of town, but I can atest that the crowd was full of pleasantly surprised faces when Sarah walked down the isle on the arm of her father.

This blog post is a bit different than my other wedding posts. Typically, I start out with the formals of the bride and groom. For Sarah & Chuck’s post, I’ll show some engagement photos first. Since the bride and groom are from here but live on the other side of the country, we did their engagement session just 4 days before their engagement party wedding!

The Engagement Photos

These two are just so naturally happy and comfortable with each other.

Chuck serves in the US Coast Guard. Nothing like a handsome service man with his gorgeous bride-to-be, right?

I thought the rings shots were a tad nautical to match the Coast Guard uniform.

The Wedding

The engagement party surprise wedding took place at the Courtyard Portland North Harbour which was right on the Columbia River. I have to admit that the venue made me a wee bit nervous because the location of the wedding was in full sun with little to no shade. Not only can that make things challenging for evenly lit photos, but it can make me hot, and I enjoy being hot just as much as I enjoy being hungry. That being said, I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the weather that day (you’ll see why below) as well as the venue. It was the perfect temperature, above were bright blue skies with whispy clouds, and the ground was a sand colored concrete that reflected the light beautifully.

Love those shoes!

Now, if anyone had maybe suspected a surprise wedding was in store, I bet they were a bit confused when Sarah and Chuck walked around and mingled with their guests while they enjoyed drinks and appetizers. It was just a great party to celebrate their engagement surrounded by those that love and adore them.

I love dahlias.

Okay, the kids at this engagement party surprise wedding deserved a spread all to themselves. So much personality and character!

The food and booze were plentiful – a key ingredient indeed to a fun party!

Sarah & Chuck had the cutest little favors. Little chocolates with a uniformed man on a sinking boat, only to be saved by his woman on a US Coast Guard vessel.

This is how the surprise unfolded… Chuck got up to make a speech, thanking everyone who came. Chuck asked their siblings and closets friends on each side to stand up there with him, giving them extra thanks for being there (they were in on the wedding but had no idea they’d be asked to stand up there with them). His buddy yells out [I’m paraphrasing of course. Can’t remember exact words because I was caught up in all the excitement] “Hey, since we’re all here, why don’t you just get married right here and now!” Chuck says “Let’s do it!” and Sarah starts walking down the isle on her father’s arm to none other than Star Wars music. Didn’t I say that every wedding was unique?

Immediately after they were annouced as husband and wife, a jet flew overhead. It was almost as if they made that happen.

The Formals

THIS is one of my favorite photos. How awesome would this look as a big canvas?

They are so dang cute together. I love how he makes her smile.

The Reception

The toasts.

The cake was fantastic! Made with love by the bride’s aunt, I don’t think there were two cupcakes that were the same.

The first dance.

Father daughter and mother son dance.

And one of my most favorite moments from the entire evening – the anniversary dance. If you aren’t familiar with this dance, its where all the married couples get out on the dance floor. Then the DJ says “if you’ve been married one year or less, please sit down. 5 years or less, etc.” When he got to 40 years and there were two couples still dancing, he said that’s cause for celebration enough and both should keep dancing. Never have I seen so much genuine love combined with decades of marriage on one dancefloor!

Sarah & Chuck – thank you so much for choosing me as your wedding and engagement photographer. The love and comfort you two so obviously share is inspiring! I wish both of you nothing but happiness and an endless supply of fond memories.

How many single words can you think of that completely describe two people in love?

Close. Connected. Inseparable. Intimate. Selfless. (Note how my list is in alphabetic order. I take no shame in admitting that I googled my question and picked out my favorites.)

Kaitlin and Peter are all of the above… and more. How can you possibly describe, using only a single word, how two people can stare longingly into each other’s eyes for an infinite amount of time? How can a single word explain how sparks and electricity light up when they touch? What one word could describe how two people can immediately make the other smile with nothing more than a look. I can’t think of a single word in the English dictionary that describes the connection, adoration and love that I witnessed while I took their engagement photos. I can only imagine what kind of magic I will witness on their wedding day.

Funny story how they found me. They are working with an amazing wedding planner… the absolute best in Portland if you ask me (and countless other couples). Nora Sheils of Bridal Bliss suggested me and they recognized the last name Allori. Turns out there aren’t many Alloris in these parts and I get asked all the time “are you related to [insert name of husband or one of husband's many siblings or parents]?” Because the Alloris are an amazing family and grew up here, its always a positive association. It even got me out of a speeding ticket once (long story). Back to the story. Turns out my mother-in-law works at the elementary school the bride attended. The bride’s mother said that they were sentimental that I would have a special connection on their day and that this, me photographing their wedding, was meant to be. I couldn’t agree more.

Kaitlin and Peter – nothing makes me happier than seeing two people who so clearly love each other. Congratulations and I am so looking forward to your wedding!

I’ll start with one of my absolute favorites from the session. Sigh.

Gorgeous ring. Gorgeous bride-to-be.

They had each other giggling the whole time.

Gorgeous couple.

So stinking cute.

Not my typical type of shot, but I thought it turned out pretty cute.

7 weeks until the big day!!!

The Rose Garden was incredibly crowded with the flowers in full bloom and the warm sunshine coming out from behind the afternoon clouds. How lucky were we to get this shot making it appear as if they were the only ones there?

If these made you smile, be sure to leave the happy couple a comment.