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Earthy Pacific Northwest Wedding

Earthy Pacific Northwest Wedding

As soon as I heard that Sarah and Elliot were inspired by The Shire in Lord of the Rings, I was sold. I mean truly, can you think of a more inspiring and beautiful location, especially with its lush surroundings? Maria Lamb and Forest & Field delivered an absolute home run with fresh picked flowers, a first look too cute to resist, and a mixture of film and digital photography that’s sure to impress.

Earthy Pacific Northwest Wedding - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

From the bride, Sarah: We are quite jolly people. When we thought of our Northwest style and playful hearts, we were inspired by The Shire (Lord of the Rings) to paint the landscape and flavour of our wedding. The Shire to us is rustic and simple yet playful and creative. It is a haven of cheery joy and abundant laughter. So, while aesthetically we were inspired by The Shire, our theme was simply “joy” and how we could represent that in all the realm of creativity. The entire wedding was outdoors at a local state park beneath towering centuryold oaks. We timed it just right so that the tall grand branches would only allow filtered sunlight down on the ceremony. So although it was a hot summer day, no one was to suffer from the heat of the sun’s rays!

groomsmen in vests - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wedding signs - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wildflower bouquets - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

bride and bridesmaids - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

bridesmaid portraits - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

first looks - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

first looks - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

first looks - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wedding rings - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

bohemian wedding hair - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

Homemade, rustic, creative, playful, fun, joy, woodland, northwest. There was no colour scheme, but general earth tones. There were many DIY projects. The invitations were all hand made by myself, yay flags, signs, the doors, the curtained altar, the table elements, and even the napkin rings.

ring bearers - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

flower girl processional - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

YAY banners - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

bridal processional - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

ceremony kiss - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wedding ceremony - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wedding ceremony - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

ceremony recessionals - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wedding bouquets - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

Earthy Pacific Northwest Wedding - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wedding sign inspiration - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

Earthy Pacific Northwest Wedding - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wedding signs - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

Earthy Pacific Northwest Wedding - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? My advice to those planning would be this: keep as large of a perspective as possible. At first I thought it was up to me to create and plan this event for everyone attending my celebration, and that was highly stressful and heaved with anxiety. And then one day I had a massive shift in perspective. Instead of the former idea, I realised my beloved friends and family would be delighted and honoured to be as involved as they can. This made it all a true joy and relief to me. Involve as many as you can in the creating and building process. Do not carry the load of doing it on your own. Doing it together is always more fun. And in that same spirit, don’t be so tied up with your ideal that you fear involving others will suffer your hopeful standard of perfection. Perfect is boring. “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not break.” That is the truth! Bottom line: be flexible and you will be happy!

rustic receptions - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wedding flowers - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

organic wedding ideas - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

woodsy wedding ideas - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

wedding dessert pies - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

Earthy Pacific Northwest Wedding - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

Earthy Pacific Northwest Wedding - photo by Anthem Photography https://ruffledblog.com/earthy-pacific-northwest-wedding

View all images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Music:
What does The Shire sound like? Jubilant fiddling music of course! My darling Aunt Amy is one of the finest violinists in the land. Accompanying her was a classic guitar and together they played prelude music.
For the processional my new sister-in-love Emily sang sweetly the tune of Sweet Fair Maiden. And then as the head aisle doors closed and opened for me and my poppa, my aunt fiddled a romantic Celtic folk reel as I walked to the altar.
Our first dance is the song my husband sang to me when he proposed. “Bloom” by The Paper Kites.

Wedding Location: St. Paul, OR / Photographer: Maria Lamb / Florist: Forest & Field / Venue: Champoeg State Park (at the Pavilion) / Wedding Dress: BHLDN / Wedding Shoes: Nordstrom Rack / Groom’s Attire: Nordstrom, Levi’s, Danner Goods / Dessert: Costco and Bride’s Parents / DJ: Emily Otteson Music / Wedding Invitations: DIY

View Comments (4)
  • I was in attendance and it was magical! I felt that we had stepped back into time when weddings were sacred. I had no idea that they drew inspiration from the shire! That’s exactly what it felt like, the live music and singing was wonderful and even though there were many many guests, it was still very intimate feeling. I kept telling everyone that day, “It was the most adorable wedding I had ever been to! You could feel the love permeating through the woods!”

  • The outdoor wedding venue is so beautiful. We would love to know where this place is for a future wedding. Thanks for sharing your photo’s they are lovely.

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