Bekah + Cody
A Beautiful Spring Wedding at Green Villa Barn and Gardens in Independence, Oregon
It’s actually pretty incredible that before 2020 I had never experienced any type of a cancellation- not from venues, vendors or couples. But after the shake-up of last year and all the cancellations, re-bookings and craziness I thought I’d seen it all and there would be nothing left to surprise me… Well, I was wrong!
Rebekah and Cody planned for a beautiful wedding at Green Villa Barn, but with the gathering restrictions still clamping down hard, just a few weeks prior to their wedding day they made the difficult decision to switch venues. We worked together to write a new timeline and Rebekah organized booking hotel rooms to act as getting ready spaces in a location nearby their new ceremony spot. The Thursday before their wedding however, I received a phone call that I hope no bride ever has to make. The new venue Bekah and Cody had rescheduled to had cancelled on them, only 4 days before their wedding date!
I was really impressed with Rebekah as during this time she somehow seemed to maintain her calm and cooly explained the situation to me and we started over at ground zero trying to find a venue for their wedding day!
After reaching out to various industry professionals, I sent Bekah a list of venues who were available, while she reached out to Green Villa to see if they could re-secure their original booking. As luck would have it, Green Villa allowed Bekah and Cody to schedule with them at the last minute and thus, this amazing couple could still have the wedding they had originally envisioned!
Arriving at Green Villa Barn and Gardens around mid-day Dom and I were happy to see that after all the stress of wedding planning Bekah and Cody had been put through, that the weather was deciding to be ultra-kind and blessing them with soft golden rays of filtered sun through thin clouds- the absolute perfect light and one of those really rare warm and sunny Oregon Spring days!
Bekah was just having the finishing touches put to her beautiful up-do as I arrived into the Bridal Suite and got to meet the bridesmaids which included Bekah’s twin sister as the maid of honor. I got to spend the first part of the day chatting with Bekah as she designed the most gorgeous bridal makeup all by herself, perfecting her look by even solo-applying her lashes!
Dom worked out on the shaded side of the barn photographing the details of the day including sparkling shoes, a deep Burgundy perfume bottle and an intricate, delicate hair piece.
When Cody and the boys arrived, Dom transitioned over to the upstairs Groomsmen attic space and I’m told he was a big help by putting to good use his fantastic ironing skills to help Cody make sure his wedding look was on point.
Once all the girls were dressed, Bekah donned her amazing gown with her sister’s help and after a first look with her other bride’s maid we headed out to the garden area of Green Villa to enjoy some portraits in the sun.
Cody’s sister joined us for the last set of bridesmaid portraits as well and you could just tell how much love she and Rebekah shared as they laughed together in front of the camera!
Bekah and her dad shared an emotional first look just before Dom and the boys headed out to capture some Groomsmen portraits as the remaining guests filtered in, ready for the ceremony to start.
Bekah had designed a beautiful ceremony space, complete with wine barrels, lanterns, draping white fabric and SO MANY flower arrangements! The barn glittered with the string lights adorning the roof’s open wooden beams and as everyone took their seats, Cody and the officiant walked to the front, awaiting the entrance of the bridal party.
The bridesmaids and groomsmen made their way down the aisle and the most adorable pair of toddlers made everyone laugh as the ring bearer and flower girl, providing a brief moment of comic relief before the emotional reveal of the bride.
As Rebekah and her father entered the barn, Bekah was backlit with the most angelic glow of light emanating from the open barn doors and Cody’s jaw literally dropped as his beautiful bride made her way toward him.
Their ceremony began with a prayer and transitioned to an exchanging of vows personally written by Bekah and Cody. They took some time to create a braid of rope signifying their relationship’s interwoven ties with their faith.
As the ceremony drew to a close the officiant invited Bekah and Cody to seal their bond with a first kiss as man and wife and as they made their way down the aisle Rebekah’s stunning smile lit up the room.
We spent some time outside in the evening light taking family, wedding party and bridal portraits and then Cody and Rebekah made their grand entrance to the reception. A lovely meal was served and as Cody and Bekah made their way through the reception tables I loved photographing their guests laughter, smiles and even tears at times, congratulating the new couple on the beautiful wedding they created.
The toasts were definitely a highlight of the evening as Cody’s Best Man made a short and sweet speech, followed by what I’m sure had originally been planned to be a much longer, heartfelt speech by Bekah’s sister, but which was interrupted by Bekah’s adorable nephew who was infatuated with the mic! Cody’s sister also had written a beautiful toast for her brother and Bekah which included blessings for a hundred years!
The first dance was both elegant and moving as Bekah and Cody swayed under the glowing lights, followed by an emotional daddy-daughter dance and mother-son dance.
The evening for us wrapped up with cake cutting and an epic “bubble gauntlet” photo and as we said our good-byes the DJ was cuing up another round of line dancing music for the energetic guests!
Despite the bumpy road leading to this wedding, the night eded up being magical in every way and I can’t wait to see how Bekah and Cody’s life progress after this beautiful union.
Enjoy this small selection of the photos from their wedding and be sure to drop them some love and congratulations in the comments below!
