There is no doubt that couples are spoilt for choice when it comes to stunning locations to get married, but for me the beautiful Pacific Northwest is right up there amongst the most spectacular and today’s wedding shows exactly why! A peaceful lakeside setting for a heartfelt ceremony followed by a lush woodland reception filled with Summer blooms and fruits, it is impossible not to fall head over heels for stylish couple Seana & Brian’s beautiful celebration…..

It was the couple’s chosen season and the groom’s childhood that first inspired the location of their big day. Seana tells us, “I knew that I wanted the wedding outside since the Northwest is so beautiful in the summer. My husband grew up in the country just near where we were married.

The venue we found, Bridal Veil Lakes,  was perfect and I wanted it to feel as though everything in the wedding was naturally there. Since we had a lot of people coming out of town who had never been to Portland, I wanted the day to feel very local and natural. It was also 1920s inspired with touches like the vintage furniture, the mercury glass centerpieces, and the vintage lace from my dress which we found from a flea market in Paris.”

“I knew I didn’t want one certain color, so the color scheme was simply summer colors. My maid-of-honor wore a bright red-orange, a bridesmaid wore lavender, the other chartreuse, and my flower girl a greenish-blue. All the dresses were made with gathered silk chiffon with satin underlay which were light and flow-y in the open air setting. My mother who is fashion designer not only made my dress but also all the wedding party dresses and her own dress. I’m so lucky she’s my mom! Another handmade element was the letterpressed invites I designed and printed. The save the date, invite, and thank you card each had the color of a bridesmaid dress.”

“My priority was to use local and in season flowers. My florist at Swoon did such awesome work. Each bridesmaid carried bouquets matching their dress; my bouquet was a collection of all the colors. These included red-orange dahlias, cool water roses (lavender), maiden-hair ferns, blackberries, light pink ranunculus, and lemons in the centerpieces. I’m originally from California, so I figured blackberries are the perfect Northwest summer fruit and lemon is the perfect California summer fruit [in my opinion ;)].”

Pearls of wedding wisdom from the bride…

“Of course plenty of time is ideal, but I underestimated how all the last minute details tend to add up at the end. Get everything done early if possible, such as gathering music and table arrangements. Even if you don’t have all the RSVPs yet, you can still get a rough draft going. The more you do early, the less you have to do last minute. I was also lucky to have my mother and godmother help with the planning such as calling hotels, transportation, and helping with table seatings. You won’t be able to do everything, accept help when offered!”

“My two-year old flower girl who is also my niece got so excited that we were dancing, she famously crashed our first dance. It was so cute and hilarious!”

Isn’t it just enchanting?? The woodland setting, Seana & Brian’s fabulous style, and those fruit infused florals, I love it all! A huge congratulations to the happy newlyweds, and a big thankyou to their photographer Sarah of Hazlewood Photo for not only flawlessly capturing every moment and detail, but also for letting me share her gorgeous images with you here. If you love these photographs and would like to see more of Sarah’s work pop over to her website at hazelwoodphoto.com and be sure to follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Or if this woodland wedding has you dreaming of a tree Caddy & Ernesto’s fabulously retro affair (in Australia), Kelsey & Brandon’s DIY Woodland themed wedding and Rob & Adrienne’s chic celebration in the redwood forests of California. Or for some romantic inspiration all the way from Portugal, do take a peek at this entrancing elopement styled shoot.

Amy

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Contributors & Credits

Photography – Hazlewood Photo // Venue – Bridal Veil Lakes // Planner – Pearls and Roses Wedding Planning // Wedding Dress – Bespoke (the Bride’s mother) // Bridal Shoes – Modcloth // Bridesmaids Dresses – Bespoke (the Bride’s mother) // Rentals – Something Borrowed // Floral Design – Swoon Floral // Hair & Makeup – Cassandra Kennedy // Catering – The Lamb’s Table // Lighting – Greenlight Creative // Wedding Invitations – designed by the bride, printed by BDR Studio // Transport – First Student Transportation