CHRISTINA & ANDREW
GOOD LOVE GORGE WEDDING
There is a line from iconic 1980s movie, When Harry Met Sally, that goes, “…when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
Christina and Andrew’s relationship seemed to almost mimic that fictional 80s love story. “We were friends for a couple years and dated on and off – he liked me, I didn’t want a relationship. I liked him, he wanted to ski. The timing just wasn’t right until it was. By the time we seriously started dating, we had a solid friendship.”
And much like realizing you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, as soon as possible, they were married after a short 3 month engagement. “We got engaged in March, married in June and then moved to Amman, Jordan in July – it was a total whirlwind, and we wouldn’t have had it any other way!”
“The Gorge is one of the most spectacular places in the Pacific Northwest. Since most of our friends and family live out of state, we wanted to make it feel like a vacation for them…and also to show off how beautiful our state is! We spend a lot of our time in Hood River and on Mt Hood with skiing, hiking, and climbing; we love it there. When we found Tin Roof Barn the decision was easy! We were so excited at the thought of our friends and family experiencing the drive from Portland to Hood River and then up to Tin Roof Barn – especially during those moments along the way when Hood and Adams show themselves. We wanted a relaxed indoor/outdoor wedding venue that was out of the city and immersed in nature. Tin Roof Barn was perfect!”
“Andrew is in advertising, so of course he had to give our wedding a ‘brand!’ He came up with, ‘Good Love is Wild,’ which perfectly fit the gorgeous indoor/outdoor venue setting! When we sent out RSVPs, our guests were asked to complete the sentence “Good love is…” We then took everyone’s responses and designed small cards to randomly put at each place setting. It turned out to be really fun – everyone running around trying to find their quote! ‘Good love is catching the keys over the top of the car without saying who’s driving;’ ‘Good love is a cold morning in the back of a truck;’ ‘Good love is Albertacos;’ ‘Good love is co-custody of Marv…’
“Tin Roof Barn was so beautiful on its own, we didn’t feel like we needed to add a ton of decor. We wanted our touch to blend into the natural beauty of the setting. The details we added were the most special to us – and it was truly a team effort! My wonderful coworker and friend put together the most beautiful flowers – mostly eucalyptus with some shades of pink to tie in with the bridesmaid dresses. My aunt made the table names which included the names of places that were special to us: ski runs, trails, summits, train stations, etc. Andrew’s dad cut the beautiful Nebraska black walnut slices himself and drove them all the way out to Oregon! When we first asked him if he could find us some wood slices, he thought it was a joke, but once he saw it all together, I think he got it!”
“When it came to a wedding dress, I was not one of those girls who knew exactly what they wanted, in fact, I was the opposite. I had no idea what I wanted, and I’m notoriously a bad shopper. I only tried on dresses at BHLDN, but probably went about 4 different times. The last time, about 1 month before our wedding day, I went in by myself and tried on 3 more dresses. The last one I tried on fit like a glove and the BHLDN stylist who was helping me said, ‘This is the one,’ and I agreed. Thank goodness it was in stock and didn’t need alterations, as I had no time for that!”
“Andrew picked out really awesome floral ties that tied (get it?) everything together and matching sunglasses. I think it was a strategic move so nobody could see Andrew crying during the ceremony. The groomsmen also wore whatever fun socks they wanted – this is where the guys personalities got to shine.”
“The thought of standing up in front of 120 people and being watched as we saw each other for the first time made me so nervous. We definitely wanted an intimate ‘first look’ and wanted it to be just us. Little did I know, all my bridesmaids were watching through the curtains from the bridal suite! We had our first look under the walnut tree right outside of the Bridal Suite.”
“During our rehearsal dinner, Andrew’s mom gave all of us ladies handkerchiefs that were her mother’s. She gave me a blue one – it is something I will treasure forever!”
“We kept our vows secret until the ceremony, but after we reflected on how similar they were – turns out we are indeed a good match! Our officiant was Andrew’s sister – she made the ceremony so personal and special. She nailed the balance of making it light-hearted with some jokes and heart-felt with stories of watching our love grow.”
Christina and Andrew have some great advice for couples wondering how to make the most of their time with out-of-town friends and family. “The night before our wedding, we had welcome drinks in the park by the Columbia River. We wanted to spend as much time with our friends and family as possible. By having this time together before our wedding day, it allowed us to actually be a part of the reception – to dance, sit and have a beer with someone, jump in the photobooth – without feeling like we needed to go table by table to say hi to everyone.“
“Later in the night, my cousins absolutely owned the dance floor- and there are photos to prove it! My dad’s toast was also a highlight, of course – turns out he spent all 3 short months of our engagement writing it. His speech encompassed all emotions – we laughed, we cried…we were shocked at times. It was perfect.”
