Jeff + Taylor
An Autumn Wedding at Gorge Crest Vineyards
Planning a wedding in the fall in the Pacific Northwest is a bit like high-stakes gambling. You might get rained out, or have a cold, overcast day, or… you might just hit the jackpot and have a warm, golden, sunkissed experience like Jeff and Taylor!
Such a perfect day couldn’t have happened to a more deserving couple, and Jeff and Taylor took full advantage of the beauty of their sun-kissed autumn weather.
Traveling to the Columbia River Gorge from Seattle, and with guests and wedding party members traveling from afar, battling airport layovers and all the challenges of journeying across the country, the beauty finally greeting everyone as they arrived on-site at Gorge Crest Vineyards was the perfect deserving acknowledgment of all the hard work that was put into this incredible wedding day.
Dom and I met Jeff and Taylor when they won our Epic Adventure Engagement Session giveaway last summer. I knew these two were my kind of couple when they chose to adventure into the epic old-growth Cedar grove on Mount Rainier and enthusiastically agreed to brave the ice-cold alpine river for some epic engagement portraits while half-submerged in the azure water!
It’s been a joy to stay in touch and help with the planning of Jeff and Taylor’s wedding at Gorge Crest Vineyards. Wanting a laid-back feel but accentuating the elegance of the day with custom floral installations and a wedding palette of black, wine, and hints of rose gold the stage was perfectly set for their union.
Trusting in the vision of their talented wedding vendor team, the talents of Kimberly from Black Sweet Raspberry coordination really brought the day together. A ceremony set in alignment with the silhouette of Mount Hood was accented with burgundy and deep purple florals and dark mahogany chairs as the vineyards stretched to the foothills.
Taylor, Jeff and their wedding party arrived on-site in an epic party van that was packed with decor and all the ingredients for their open bar serving the famous Menowsky Margarita!
Included in the crew was Jeff and Taylor’s sweet kitten who sported her own flower girl dress and a pearl necklace. She basked in the sunshine of the porch as Taylor took a moment to write her vows for the ceremony while her bridal party donned their wedding-day attire.
Taylor slipped into her ceremony dress with her mom and sister and then shared an emotional first look with her bridal party and father before heading outside where Dom had Jeff waiting.
As Taylor called Jeff’s name, he turned to see her standing as a perfect vision in her sleek and classy wedding gown, her hair pinned to the side with a black jeweled hairpiece and set with a mid-length veil. Both Jeff and Taylor shared both joyful smiles and tears as they embraced, celebrating the arrival of this much-anticipated moment.
Taking advantage of Jeff and Taylor’s enthusiasm for adventure, we tromped around off-road to find some wildflowers and evergreens while capturing the expansive beauty of the acreage around Gorge Crest Vineyards.
The bridal party joined us and proved just as adventurous and willing to adventure off-road for a few shots before returning to the Bridal Suite for a little reprieve as guests began to arrive, and the live folk band struck up energetic music while cocktails circulated.
Taylor’s brother got everyone sat in preparation for the ceremony and one by one the bridal party walked down to the ceremony lawn.
As Taylor emerged from the shadow of the reception barn, I could see Jeff’s eyes shining with tears, and it wasn’t long until Taylor herself was overcome with emotion as she approached her soon-to-be husband.
Taylor and Jeff had their sisters bless the ceremony with speeches before sharing in creating an abstract painting together. Exchanging emotional personal vows before an epic first kiss, the newlyweds were cheered as they recessed to sign the marriage license and Taylor opted for an outfit change before their grand entrance into the cocktail hour.
Taylor’s second dress was custom-made with thousands of sequins and beads, a sultry side cutout, and a romantic sweetheart neckline. Her voluminous skirt was a blast to highlight during their sunset portraits, and after dinner, toasts and cake cutting, Taylor dramatically ripped it off, tossing the skirt aside to reveal a form-fitting skirt with custom black embellishments forming a heart on the train.
Jeff and Taylor shared an impressive first dance which included more than one epic dip and concluded with inviting everyone to the floor for group dancing that would last well into the night.
The day was perfect in every way, and I’m so excited to share just a small selection of images below to document all the emotion, love, joy, and fun of this incredible day.
The talented team bringing Taylor and Jeff’s vision to life include:
Wedding Venue: Gorge Crest Vineyards jena@gorgecrest.com @GorgeCrestWedding Planner/Coordinator:Kimberly Wilder info@blacksweetraspberry.com @BlackSweetRaspberry
Florist:Kimberly Wilder info@blacksweetraspberry.com @BlackSweetRaspberry
Beauty:Blossom and Beauty hello@blossomandbeauty.com @blossomandbeauty
Entertainment:Gorge Music ryan@gorgemusic.com @gorgeweddingmusic
Catering:Cheryls On 12th (As Good As It Gets Catering) events@cherylson12th.com @cherylson12th
Videography:
Timeless Tree Hello@timelesstreeweddings.com @timelesstreeweddings
Dress:Anomolie @anomalie
Invitation Suite:Truly Engaging info@magnetstreet.com @truly.engaging
Rentals:LaTavola @bbjlatavola for Linens; Great Jones @greatjonesnw for Rentals
