Union Pine Wedding

Monica and Jason’s Union Pine wedding in Portland, Oregon was a family affair. There were about 30 people total in attendance and most of them were older family members. When I arrived setup  had already begun. Monica and her mother and aunts were busy laying out the ceremony decorations. Monica and Jason spent weeks on their rustic DIY wooden candle holders. I love it when everyone in a family comes together to help with setup and decoration. It is an opportunity for everyone to spend time together and catch up before the formal part of the day begins. Monica had her hair and makeup done in the bridal preparation room in thee back of the Union Pine space while the rest of her family finished decorating the reception space.

Since most of their family was there in the space before the ceremony I had the opportunity to meet them all and spend some time chatting. Getting to know our couples before wedding day is a top priority for us. It’s rare that we have much time to chat with family. Listening to their family share stories about the two of them was a special experience.

The Union Pine wedding space is large and open with big windows and wooden floors. The space is simple with natural textures like wood and concrete. The space is a canvas for whatever decorations a couple would want to display. While in two totally different places, the rustic vibe reminded us a bit of Casa Paraiso where we photographed Carrie and Jenns wedding.

The Union Pine wedding space allowed for a their simple ceremony and reception to take place in the same space.

Having so many family members in the same room is really a special thing. So many of the weddings we photograph have memorials with photographs set up and signs that say, “We know you would have been here if heaven wasn’t so far away”. These memorials honor family members that have passed on. It’s easy to take the people in our lives for granted. To assume that they will always be with us because its hard to envision things being any different. Monica and Jasons wedding was set up with all ages in mind. The flexibility of the Union Pine wedding space allowed for a their simple ceremony and reception to take place in the same space.

My hope is that through photography we were able to capture the essence of the wedding day experience for her and for her family.

At the end of the reception Jason’s oldest daughter gave one of the most moving toasts I’ve ever heard from a teenager. Her words reminded me of the importance of marriage. It gave me insight into what it means to be the child of a parent who is remarrying. I felt privileged to have been able to hear her words. My hope is that through photography I was able to capture the essence of this experience for her and for her family.

For us getting to know our clients to create honest portraits on wedding day is part of our creative process.

We strive to make images that reflect the people in them more than photographic ideas or techniques. We do try out different lighting setups and things we have learned on wedding day. The magic happens when the technique fits the mood and the personality of the person we are photographing. Spending time chatting with family and getting to know our couples before wedding day is part of our process. It allows for themes and ideas to enter into our subconscious minds. These little pieces of information influence our creativity. It allows us to push the shutter and just the right moment. This short video really expresses why we feel this is important.