North Star Ballroom Wedding
Goodness gracious, this wedding dress. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect fit for bride Amanda than this Tadashi Shoji stunner — the vintage-inspired lace, the tiered skirt, and the long sleeves work perfectly against the contrast of her dark hair with shocks of purple. Thank you to Sarah of Hazelwood Photo for her beautiful work here!
From the bride, Amanda: We wanted our wedding to be relaxed but still elegant. I had decided on a vintage theme, but we didn’t want it to go too far in any one direction, so we threw in some tarot card and crystal elements. We wanted our guests to feel taken care of, instead of feeling stiff or uncomfortable. I think the open bar + photobooth really helped everyone settle in!
Bouquet recipe: White hydrangea, white peonies, light pink peonies, white lisianthus, cream garden roses, and cream hypericum berries, with dusty miller and sage.
We envisioned art deco vintage meets summer garden vintage, with a few vegan and art nouveau touches. We used a vintage-pastel color theme (pink/green/cream/white) for the flowers, added a little bit of gold & silver for deco-sparkle, and some black to ground the whole thing. Our invitations echoed the pink ceiling of the ballroom. The only thing we made ourselves was the seating chart, which only involved cutting up color copies of tarot cards and downloading a nice font.
Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Give yourself plenty of time so that A.) you aren’t restricted by a vendor’s availability, and B.) you can focus on each task individually. Browse vendor profiles and websites to narrow it down to a shortlist of businesses you’d actually like to meet up with. There’s always going to be one more thing you hadn’t thought of, so don’t sweat it if you suddenly have to add a new task onto your list. Be confident and don’t let tradition dictate something you don’t want.
View all images from this wedding in the gallery
Newlywed Entrance: “You Make My Dreams Come True,” Hall and Oates
First Dance: “That’s How Strong My Love Is,” Otis Redding
Wedding Location: Portland, OR / Photographer: Hazelwood Photo / Wedding Planner: Pearl and Roses Wedding Planning / Flowers: Swoon Floral Design / Ceremony Venue: Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden / Reception Venue: North Star Ballroom / Wedding Dress: Tadashi Shoji / Hair and Makeup: Jessica Belknap / Groom’s Suit: Ben Sherman / Caterer: Josh Raymond of The (Vegan) Caterer / Wedding Cake: Johannah Zuniga / DJ: Samir of Stumptown DJs / Vintage Rentals: Something Borrowed Vintage Rentals / Wedding Invitations: Elli
I can’t help but to continue to stare at that stunning vintage gown! I also love the use of different vases on the reception table to create various heights for the flowers. Beautiful wedding.
I just love the first wedding photo in this post. Very refreshing and dramatic at the same time. Applying long and wide shots to wedding photography is really a good idea. It’s not the usual wedding planning that we witness. However, at some point, I’m really not fond of green wedding gown. Why not making it white?