Adam & Amy
Wedding at the Red Barn Park in Parkdale, OR
I remember the first time I sat with Amy and Adam at a coffee shop to discuss weddings and Kate Holt Photography photographing their wedding day. We sat and chatted for quite some time and I remember knowing that I really wanted to work with these two because of how bubbly and lively they were - most of all I could really tell they loved each other! We all left the coffee shop and I heard from them not long after that they were super excited to work with me which put a huge smile on my face!
If there ever was a couple who deserved to get married it was these two. They are one of our 2020 couples who had to go through the throes of planning a wedding during a pandemic. When Washington and Oregon state decided they were not going to allow large gatherings for some time Amy called me and told me their venue couldn’t go through with the event and they had to reschedule. They told me they were potentially going to change their date to 2021 which was sad news to my ears but I understood.
A few weeks later Amy reached out and told me she had found a cute place near Mount Hood called Red Barn Park in Parkdale, Oregon. They had decided that they were going to get married no matter what and that is exactly what they did!
Now, one thing to know about these two is that they love to laugh and they love each other’s company!
I remember back to our engagement session which was nothing but laughs, giggles and a fun time. Amy and Adam are the sort of couple that you can hang out with for an hour not knowing each other and then you leave good friends!
So going into their wedding day I knew it was going to be a gorgeous day full of smiles and fun!
And here is how the day went . . .
I arrived to a gorgeous Air BnB in Hood River and walked into a house full of their closest friends and family. The guys were hanging downstairs while the girls were upstairs getting gorgeous. Little did I know they had an amazing group of friends who were extremely welcoming and also put smiles on Amy and Adam’s faces all day long! Actually, as a photographer that day I didn’t have to do anything to get them to smile their friends were full of jokes and hilarious statements which even got me giggling!
I got right to work on photographing the details outside on the balcony where the light was perfect. I rolled out my flat lay styling mat, got a box of Amy’s details - rings, bracelet, necklace, shoes, etc. - and got a stream of creativity going. Their rings are beautiful! So many diamonds which you will see in the pictures below. 🤩
The guys got into their gear and were looking sharp! They had a stellar outfit with suspenders and a red tie that just popped!
Once Amy was ready we snuck into the nicest room in the house for some window light portraits where Amy’s bridal party helped her do the final touches. Now, they have a ton of character and kept us all laughing the moment we were taking photos! This is the life I love to see at a wedding because it completely relaxes the nerves and any stress making everyone feel uplifted about the day.
We arrived to the ceremony and reception space to find . . . something Oregon is well known for - rain!
It was on and off which was perfect so it gave us a chance to sneak in and out of shelter to do all the photos we needed to.
I set up Adam for the first look in the orchard behind the red barn away from everyone to make sure they could be alone for this big moment. Adam was a little nervous but he was also excited, of course. Amy tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around to his gorgeous bride with an expression of, “oh my gosh, you are gorgeous and I am the luckiest guy in the world.” They spent a few minutes looking at each other and soaking each other in which allowed me to capture some gorgeous candids of the two of them!
Once we got through the bridal party portraits it was the time for their ceremony and the rain had stopped which was such a blessing.
I have been to many weddings and heard many vows but this day had something remarkably special about it. I could tell this meant the world to them both and to their family. Amy and Adam were not only bringing themselves together but were also bringing two families together.
Amy and Adam wrote vows for their children (yes, this was beautiful and, yes, it definitely made everyone tear up) which they shared and made promises to all of them of love, security and commitment. I have never witnessed something so special before, these two families were uniting in the most beautiful way. A puzzle had been made, each person having their own piece which was put together during the vows. Now, while putting together the puzzle in the middle of the ceremony without a table or flat surface Amy and Adam quickly realized putting together a puzzle in mid air may not work. As they all tried to work to put the puzzle together laughing and joking with each other it brought laughter to the crowd amongst the tears of happiness.
After the ceremony we headed over to the reception space which was beautifully arranged with gorgeous flowers on each table made by a local florist called Grow Organics. As the guests were milling about I snuck off with the newly weds to photograph just the two of them in the gorgeous orchards and surrounding area. They were so happy and nothing but smiles. Adam knows how to make Amy smile and even to this day I have no idea what he whispers in her ear but it sure does make her giggle!!
The rest of the evening was full of food, good conversation and yummy deserts! They brought in their food from Apple Valley BBQ which is a local spot in Parkdale - delicious food!
The night ended with everyone grabbing some sparklers and sending these two off through a tunnel of sparks and cheers!
I am so happy I got to meet Amy and Adam, I am very honored to have been given the opportunity to photograph their love story and I cannot wait to see them again.
Here are some of my favorites from the wedding day, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed photographing them!
