GILLIAN & JASON
BOTANICAL GORGE WEDDING
A little back story… Venue owners, Kelly and Brent, were married at Tin Roof Barn in 2015. One of Brent’s best friends from college, Canadian bachelor Jason Simpson, was a single guest at the event. After a three day celebration, including rafting the White Salmon River, helping with wedding preparations, and culminating in a truly magical celebration, Jason pulled Kelly aside and said, “This place is incredible. If I ever decide to get married it’s going to be right here.”
Fast forward to the summer of 2017. Jason brought his then-girlfriend, Gillian, from their home in Kamloops, British Columbia, to the Pacific Northwest for a short vacation with Brent and Kelly. In on the secret, Kelly invited them to a tour of the venue as Gillian had never seen it in person. After walking all around the venue, Kelly and Brent rolled the massive barn doors open for this very special tour… and Jason got down on one knee. He proposed to his love in the very spot they would dance their first dance as husband and wife in little over a year.
Gillian drew her style inspiration from her deep love of botanicals and crystals. She and florist Bailey Rivers from Forest & Field collaborated on a vision full of “floating” greenery, pampas grass and even locally harvested mushrooms to create a stunning assortment of natural decor.
“I find our day went more perfectly than expected because of the massive amounts of beneficial energy coming from the crystals placed throughout the Barn. From amethyst and rose quartz to British Columbia jade and selenite, we had that place buzzing, and it looked pretty fancy! Along with the crystals placed on the reception tables, we said our vows in front of a massive amethyst tower.”
“Each guest received a handmade Kamloops B.C. sage smudge. Jay, our daughter Avalon, and I forested the sage and lavender from Kamloops and wrapped each smudge with love. Attached to each one was a smudge prayer; a little saying to rid yourself and your home of any negativities whilst burning the sage. A perfect ‘us’ touch to our wedding.”
“How perfectly ‘Gillian’ these dresses turned out to be still has me in shock. My bridesmaid dresses were made to emphasize their individuality and I tailored each of my ladies to a specific pastel color that reminded me of them. Trendy waterfall tulle skirts with a soft silk lining were matched to an off-white lace top that I thought was a stunning compliment to my dress. The contrast of these soft colors with the dark rustic barn wood was epic.”
Gillian’s backless lace wedding dress featured long sleeves and a deep v-neck creating a lovely silhouette. “I wanted to sleep in it, it was so comfortable. My veil was a stunning 108 inches long with lace trim. I was so excited to walk down the aisle that I actually forgot to put it on! Luckily, Sarah from Hazelwood Photography was able to capture my beautiful cathedral length veil during our golden hour shots.”
These two created an incredibly unique day, but both agree it wouldn’t have happened without the team of professional vendors they had on board. “Our DJ, DJ Beatfarmer, felt like a friend who was into all the same music as you. He took care of all the audio at the ceremony and completely removed any worry we might have had about managing music or toasts or cues. Our caterer was Celilo in Hood River. Best wedding food I’ve ever had. They were fantastic to work with as well.”
Advice from Jason, “Hire a wedding planner. They’re worth every penny. Our wedding planner, Stephanie with Union Event Co, was the sole reason our wedding went the way it did. Which was perfect with zero worry or anxiety on the big day. She told us where to be and when to be there and ran the entire thing start to finish. By the end of it all she really felt like a close friend.“
Gillian agreed, “She organized everything for us. Especially with a destination wedding, it can get pretty tricky to know who to hire and how to go about that so it was a relief that we were required to use a vendor so familiar with other local vendors and the barn venue itself. A great gift from a family member (or two) that you could ask for is to purchase an essential wedding expense for you – like a wedding coordinator!”
What was their most memorable moment? They agreed on this as well… “The moment my wife swayed down the isle toward me, wearing that specific “I can’t wait to marry this man” smile you only get to see once. She has plenty of smiles, but that one was unique. Standing there with my daughter and seeing that… I’ll never forget it.”
