When a bride who is also a florist (Evelyn Frances Floral Design) reaches out to you to photograph her wedding, you know the stars have already aligned in your favor. Kelsey was one such bride. Based out of Portland, OR, she and Doug wanted to get married at his parents’ property overlooking the Wallowa Mountains, near Enterprise, Oregon.
I was fortunate enough to find a room at the Jennings Hotel in nearby Joseph, OR. I had been eyeing the progress of this historic 1910 brick building for years, and was stoked that this place on my bucket list was actually going to become a reality.
It was WAY cool!
The owners have done a hands-down spectacular job of renovating this corner building right on downtown Main St. Joseph, Oregon is a super fun town - I highly recommend it. I definitely will be bringing my family back with me next time! Bonus points were earned by the fact that I had shared common space with others in the hotel (Covid restrictions applied) and met some friendly guests both nights on my way back to my room, one of whom was another guest at this “AMAZING” wedding, as she exclaimed!
Kelsey and Doug turned out to be the absolute sweetest couple EVER, including me in their welcome BBQ at Wallowa Lake the night before their big day. It was a good opportunity to meet everyone, and we even got to witness Coho Salmon spawning in the river nearby!
Originally planning to use her mother’s crocheted dress and going for a Priscilla Presley look, there was some drama in the alteration dept. and Kelsey ended up needing to find an alternative. She found her forever dress at Brides for a Cause and it was absolutely stunning on her! If you are ever on the hunt for a wedding dress in Portland, Tacoma, Seattle or Sacramento, check them out. Such a novel idea - they collect and resale wedding dresses for women-focused charities!
On the day of their wedding, the weather forecast was for rain so we hoped for the best. We got their first look photos just fine, but by the time we were doing family portraits, the wind had picked up and everyone’s hair was being blown in every direction. It was pretty comical!
We next went to Wallowa Lake to get some couple shots of just Kelsey and Doug and those may just be my favorite ones from their big day. The light was perfect, and the time spent with just the two of them, delightful.
Kelsey hoped to get some shots with 9’s, their old man horse friend, so we headed over to the ranch and got what we could before it really started to rain.
On the way back to Doug’s parent’s house, we stopped for a quick porch shot at the Hurricane Creek Grange, where Doug’s grandmother had been a founding member. It was a sweet moment.
We got back to the house, enjoyed some downtime as the storm really blew in the rain came down. The view of the Wallowa mountains disappeared and we could see nothing. His mom lit the woodstove, and we all hunkered down. As sudden as they appeared, the clouds drastically moved on and the sun came out delivering the most spectacular view of the SNOWY Wallowa Mountains in the distance. I yelled “Kelsey, come see the SNOW on the mountains!!” and she was equally thrilled, sharing that Doug had been hoping this would happen. The first snow of the season!
Sure enough, everything looked brilliant. Family and friends rushed to wipe the water off the chairs, and the boys carried the arbor that Doug built and Kelsey decorated up to the front (watch it happen here!) The view was spectacular! That just-rained cleanse filled the air, and the wedding geared up full steam. It rolled outright without delays, along with Doug’s Auntie playing piano and their heartfelt vows exchanged. Doug’s dad was the perfect officiant. It was the first time I’ve heard toasts while the wedding party was at the altar - of which there were some super heartfelt ones by the BRIDE AND GROOM as well as the guests.
Kelsey and Doug didn’t miss a beat with a pretty wonderful sendoff - riding the family John Deere tractor down the road!! How cool is that?!!
Despite the wild weather day, we absolutely got a lovely sunset and then some. That sky was spectacular. It was one of THOSE nights. Pretty amazing, in every way!!
Their day was just perfect in every possible way. The next day, I drove back home to Idaho with a heart overflowing, having witnessed some kind of wonderful as well, knowing I had made some new best friends by the name of Kelsey and Doug. ❤️
* Update - I just had to share this sweet message from Kelsey:
Oh Amy! I just love how you captured our day. Thank you so much for this beautiful blog post! We are thrilled with your photos and feel so lucky to have been able to work with you and get to know you. You were absolutely the perfect fit for us! We are so grateful.
VENDOR TEAM
Photographer | Amy Isacson Photography
Couple | Kelsey + Doug
Dress | Brides for a Cause
Florals | Evelyn Frances Floral Design
Cake | Sugartime Bakery Oregon
Venue | The Wallowa Mountains