Glamorous Gatsby-Inspired Lake House Wedding

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You’ve probably noticed by now, that I can’t stop talking about backyard weddings (guys, I’m obsessed!). But while they’re normally informal affairs with barbecues and boho vibes, today’s lake house wedding brings us a garden party that’s sophisticated, glamorous and romantic.

Tara & Brandon are a fitness-loving couple who first crossed paths in the gym (it was love at first sight for Brandon!), and fell in love over shared interests and their gorgeous dog Tulee!

Their wedding, on the scenic Lake Oswego in Oregon (which looks like a setting for a Wes Anderson movie), was inspired by an altogether different film – The Great Gatsby. Cue Hollywood-worthy style, chandeliers hanging overhead, pretty gold details, fabulous canapés and flowing bubbly.

With beautiful photography by Jamie Rae Photo, and the help of lots of their talented friends and family, be inspired by Tara & Brandon’s roaring lake side soiree.

Our Wedding

The inspiration behind our wedding was ‘an old Hollywood love story’ – timeless, romantic and elegant.

A while before Brandon proposed, we were boating on Lake Oswego and I was day dreaming of my wedding and I had recently watched The Great Gatsby; I loved the style, wardrobe and ambiance that 1920s embodied and that’s what we tried to capture in our wedding.

The blush and rose gold tones accents dispersed throughout the wedding, along with the chandeliers and custom lighting really captured the vision.

Beyond us enjoying our day, we wanted our guests to have a memorable night, just like the roaring 20s parties featured in The Great Gatsby.

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The Photography & Videography

One of the first vendors we hired was our photographer, Jamie Rae. Her photography embodies a vintage sophistication and romance that our modern day has forgotten.

Our love story is timeless and that’s exactly what we wanted captured in our pictures. Jamie did and amazing job and we love our photos.

Our videographer is a professional movie maker and future Sundance Film award winner – Jason Tamimi is a close friend of the couple and doesn’t typically do weddings but made a special exception for us.

The wedding video he created is unreal and indescribable; there are seven chapters perfectly capturing the day (getting ready, first look, ceremony, boat ride, toasts/first dances, party and send off).

Our personal favorite chapter is the black and white footage he captured of us on the boat ride with a fabulous Frank Sinatra song in the background.

Advice for Other Couples

Hire a wedding coordinator!

Unfriendly to the budget but very friendly to your sanity. Priceless with herding cats the week before and day of.

Favourite Details

Many of our “vendors” are actually close personal friends who are wildly talented (lucky us).

Our flowers, flower girl baskets and headbands, cakes, videography, photography, printing and decorations were all the master workings of our amazing friends.

Tara surprised Brandon with a groom’s cake in the shape of an OSU beaver visor (which he wears nearly every day of his life – go beavers!)

The couple also included their beloved dog, Tulee Doodle Doo, in the wedding party. She wore a blush and ivory rose collar and donned a gro-pro on her back for wedding video footage!