I just love Emily and Richard and it’s not because their love story started at one of my all-time favorite bars in Eugene (Max’s Tavern). It’s also not just because they have the most adorable Brittney that reminds me of my childhood best friend’s dog that I loved while growing up. It’s not even that they used to live in Hawaii, yet Emily still has a passion for the mountains and loves snowboarding!

It’s honestly probably a bit of all of the above rolled into one, and then adding in the fact that when you are with Emily and Richard it’s nothing but non-stop belly laughs and emotions turned on to full tilt!

Richard and Emily met in college and were friends for quite a while before Emily finally realized that the man of her dreams stood right in front of her in the guise of one of her best friends. They got engaged on the beach and set their sights on a gorgeous wedding in Sisters, Oregon for the fall of 2021.

Unfortunately, with the pandemic still affecting Oregon, only a few months before their wedding date Emily and Richard were faced with the very difficult decision of postponing their beautiful large celebration and instead opting for a micro wedding with only family and extremely close friends.

Booking an Air B+B out in Welches, Oregon Emily and Richard began to
re-shape their wedding-day into a tiny backyard celebration.

As I drove up to Welches, I stopped alongside the road at the most stunning vacant property that was lined with trees shifting to the golden hues of autumn. It made me so excited for the bridal portraits we’d planned to sneak off to do post-ceremony.

Driving up to the Air B+B, I followed a large van that had been rented to transport guests to the ceremony. As I entered the spacious entryway of the house, excited voices rose and fell as family and friends arrived and were greeted with enthusiastic and hearty hugs.

Finding Emily in the master bathroom getting her hair pinned up, I snuck in a hug as the bride-to-be beamed with radiant wedding-day joy.

Dom arrived shortly after and started helping Richard on with his tie and helped to pin his stunning burgundy Dahlia boutonnière onto his custom-make suit. Flashing the inside of his jacket which was lined in a Hawaiian-style silk print, Richard was all smiles while he and a tight group of guys shared a celebratory shot to kick off the festivities.

Over in Emily’s suite, once her hair and makeup were all done, her mother helped her slip into her dress which she’d found on one of my favorite sites for engagement and budget-friendly wedding dresses, Lulus. Emily then shared an incredibly emotional first look with her father that ended with the whole room in tears.

Something I absolutely love about Emily is all the intense relationships she has with people. To honor all these, Emily had planned first looks with several groups of people including her aunts, friends and honorary father-figure.

After the string of highly intense emotional first looks, the guests were ushered out to the deck overlooking the forested ceremony space. Richard took his place with their Brittney Gus at his side and the music cued up as Emily and her father made their way around the house.

One of the most important moments of the wedding day for Richard and Emily was when they saw each other for the first time. Emily’s ever-present smile got even larger as she lit up at the sight of Richard. Richard’s response was overwhelming as he immediately broke into tears seeing Emily walking toward him. It was an incredible moment to witness and I’m sure Richard’s tears weren’t the only ones being shed at that emotional moment!

Emily and Richard had a lovely ceremony and as they exchanged vows, Gus lay comfortably at their feet, content that their little family bond was being sealed with the exchange of rings.

At the pronunciation of husband and wife, Richard gave Emily a kiss that was fit for a Hollywood romance and Emily threw up her bouquet in triumph of this day and celebration that, despite all the challenges, had finally come together in such stunning style.

After signing the marriage license and a round of congrats from the guests, I snuck off with Richard and Emily for their bridal portraits at that little grove I’d picked out earlier in the day. We had a blast walking around in the fall foliage and the stunning evening light that came over the hill kept getting more and more gorgeous.

Basking in the beauty of this day, Richard and Emily enjoyed a moment just walking hand in hand before we loaded back into my Jeep and returned for a fast-paced and hilarious round of family and friend portraits, finished off with an epic group photo on the steps of the Air B+B.

As I took my leave of the celebration, Emily and her mom stocked me up with to-go containers of delicious cheesy potatoes and to-die-for chocolates and cupcakes.

I can’t wait to share the following images of this beautiful celebration with you, and I am happy to know that I have Emily and Richard’s large reception and vow-renewal celebration to look forward to next year. One wedding with these two definitely just wasn’t enough!

Enjoy the following images from Emily and Richard’s sneak peek and be sure to leave a comment of congrats for them in the section below the photos!