Eclectic Washington Coast Wedding

You know you can’t go wrong on your wedding day when your theme is love. Ashton and Josh made their wedding day a true celebration of their love for each other, incorporating bits of their past and future together into the wedding decor. Terra Lange Photography did a lovely job capturing everything for the couple!

From the bride, Ashton: “We’re going to tell our kids we got married in a trailer park?” “Chyea! It’s totally us!” I said. “An extremely beautiful moment against an extremely funky backdrop.” This is the conversation I had with my husband when searching for a venue. A legitimate question he asked, but he quickly realized the potential. We looked at the obligatory vineyard and it just didn’t fit our style. Sou’wester was the perfect setting for our “South by Northwest Wedding”. I just made this theme up, but seriously… we had no particular theme. Love was our “theme”. I usually need to have a theme or a concept that drives the whole thing, but there were essentially just bits and pieces of our past, present, and future together.

I am from New Orleans so we had a lot of Mardi Gras in the mix. The party favors were Mardi Gras cups with beads, Tabasco sauce, and a praline (everything was actually sourced from New Orleans). The bridesmaids’ dress colors were deep hues of purple, green, and gold. Floral was very subtle pops of purple and gold accents amongst a plethora of rich green foliage. There were a few other Mardi Gras touches, but we also had a huge emphasis on food and beverage without going “southern”.

Josh and I love good food. We also love to eat good food with great people. We had our dinners and cake procured by past Genoa employees. Rehearsal dinner included, among many other amazing dishes, a vegetable-seafood terrine and a leg of lamb with polenta while the reception was a rendition of Broder’s menu; a smorgasbord if you will. We collected champagne and wine over the course of a year as we saw labels we loved on sale. ie: Cameron Winery. Our kegs were hand picked by a good friend who works in the restaurant industry. They were Veltins Pilsner, Double Mountain Kolsch, and Goodlife Sweet As! Pacific Ale. The planning was all Josh and myself. We hold positions in the food and design industry so we were pretty confident with the project management of our own wedding. I space planned the table layouts and coordinated with a number of vendors including floral. Josh made sure we had the right food paired with the right wine or beer. We came together on things such as rentals, lighting, and a number of other tasks. As I said our theme was “Love” showcasing our past, present, and future together. We were surround by our amazing family and friends that we have known for quite some time. We celebrated fantastic food, beverage, and floral specific to the season. Furthermore, we will forever reminisce about the amazing and unforgettable weekend we had with the friends and family we have and the friends and family we will make.

Wedding Music:
Processional: “Street Hassle,” Lou Reed (modified version)
Recessional: “Kyoto’s House,” Philip Glass
First Dance: “Strangers,” The Kinks

From the photographer, Terra Lange Photography: Ashton and Joshua chose the Sou’wester Lodge and Cabins in Seaview Washington as the location for their very eclectic wedding. It was selected due to It’s unique charm, which reflected the couple’s style and their relationship. The light hearted wedding theme was “South by Northwest” as Ashton is from New Orleans, and Joshua is from Idaho, but the two fell in love in the city where they currently live, Portland, Oregon.?The ceremony was held in a DIY tent of doily stings set under a few tall trees. Guests threw rose petals from constructed book-page cones as the newlyweds victory marched down the isle. The reception tables were all New Orleans style with Mardi Gras cups and beads, Leah’s original Louisiana hot sauce, and a praline. All the wine and champagne were hand picked over the course of a year by the bride and groom themselves, and the kegs were chosen on a recommendation of a good friend in the restaurant industry: Veltins Pilsner, Double Mountain Kolsch, and Goodlife Sweet As! Pacific Ale. The planning was entirely Ashton and Joshua and was very successful with career backgrounds in food and design. They wanted the strongest theme of the day to simply be “love”, showcasing their past, present, and future together.