I’ve recently begun a quest to compile a nice long list of wedding vendors that I can, without any reservations whatsoever, recommend to my brides. My goal is to find and create relationships with vendors (caterers, venues, florists, coordinators, DJs, videographers, cake makers, make-up artists, etc…) who are honest, hard working, love what they do, and are good at it. As my list develops I’ll be featuring my vendor friends on both my blog and on the new vendor page of my website .

 So… welcome to my first vendor spotlight! 

Not long ago Corey and I made the trip up to the small community of Helvetia (northish of Beaverton in Portland’s West Hills) to check out the Helvetia Winery as a wedding venue. The drive was a gorgeous one as we made our way through the green rolling hills on one of the most perfect spring days in Oregon history. We turned down the long gravel road toward the winery and immediately fell in love with the place. The hundred year old farmhouse, the open grassy spaces, the winery building complete with casks of aging wine, and the beautiful grape-vined hills all seemed to shout in unison “HAVE YOUR WEDDING HERE!”

We got to meet John Platt, the cheerful, friendly, and very wine-passionate owner of the vineyard who hooked us up with our own personal 4×4 tour of his 70 acre establishment.  I had a glass of one of the best white wines I’ve ever tasted (don’t ask me to remember the name of it), and rode around on the back of a four wheeler with camera in hand, taking in the amazing scenery.  The winery is very spread out and the ceremony and reception possibilities are endless. John’s also got a monstrous tent that cen be rented out for events for shade or rain cover.

So if you happen to be looking for a country chic wedding venue close to dowtown, you just may be looking for the Helvetia Winery. And even if you’re not in the market for a wedding venue, a weekend tasting trip up to the Helvetia winery is very well worth it.

From the moment Josh met Sarah he was smitten, and he knew without a doubt that she was the girl for him… Unfortunately for Josh,  Sarah wasn’t quite so sure! Josh has been waiting patiently 8 long years  for Sarah realize how perfect they are for eachother. Now that she has finally seen the light, they’ll be tying the knot this September.  I just love that Josh was able to wait patiently knowing that they were designed for each other, and that one day Sarah would come around.  They have such a great love story and it’s a great reminder that all things really do have a time and a season.

We did their engagement session at a little church nesled on a hillside on the outskirts of McMinnville.  This is where Josh proposed to Sarah and it couldn’t have been a more perfect setting for their engagement pictures.

Last week I had the pleasure  of shooting Roman and Vasa’s wedding photos. They had an ENORMOUS  wedding party and it was an absolute blast! I had somehow forgotten how much I love shooting at the Rhododendron Gardens. Since Roman and Vasa will have a traditional Russian wedding,  we did photos on a seperate day from the ceremony. The weather was great and the entire group was full of energy and fun.  Congratulations you two, I can’t wait to show you the rest!

Did you all miss me while I was away?  I thought for sure I’d have a chance to post while I was gone  but here I am logging on for the first time in a week!

The last week was a whirlwind! I got in to Wyoming on Wednesday night, shot sixteen sessions in three days (yes, I said sixteen!) and then visited my Mom in Montana. Throw in a migraine, a long hike, and a couple of movies and I barely had a chance to realize how much I missed being home!

Here’s a shot from each of my last week sessions. I love, love, love my Wyoming clients and I’ll see you all again soon!