A forested Pacific Northwest wedding relaxed brides will swoon over

Relaxed Backyard Pacific Northwest Wedding | EVENTful Moments | Meghan Klein Photography 1

There’s something so heartwarming about a backyard party, right? Long summer days filled with laughter, good tunes and pie (okay maybe that’s my own take). Today’s East Coast transplants managed to make their forested Pacific Northwest venue have all the homey, charming feels of a summer potluck, with all the trendy details of a well-planned wedding party.

With a colorful array of wildflowers and voluminous blooms and varying dusty blue bridesmaid dresses this scene had all the natural whimsy of an Mt. Rainier meadow (sorry, getting lost in some hometown reverie right now). Our bride searched for a whimsical gown to match and found her winner at a Sarah Seven trunk show in Seattle (yeah, girl!)

And the desserts, oh how often I get lost in the desserts! The dessert table was filled with rustic sweet treats with nothing more charming than the personalized hand pies – an essential for a backyard summer fête if you ask me.

Our Love Story

Travis and I went to medical school together in Philadelphia. We initially met on the intramural medical school soccer team, he was sort of the goofy guy on the team with a big personality, everyone loved him. We were friends for two years before decided to pursue a more romantic relationship. Six months later there was no denying that there was something bigger happening between us. He calls it his “ultimate slow play…”

We booked a weekend on Orcas Island as a late spring getaway. We stayed in a charming, romantic inn and made plans to hike Mt Constitution. Luckily for us, it was a beautiful, sunny, 60 degree day. A rare occurrence in Washington in April and wonderful day for a hike.

We completed the arduous hike up and stopped to take in the view at the top and have our snacks. We found ourselves a private spot with the most amazing view of the Puget Sound and Mount Baker. I could tell Travis was up to something, he was more fidgety than typical and was giving me a lot of love.

Then he whispered into my ear “Wanna get crazy, wanna get married?” I couldn’t believe it at first but then he showed me the ring. It actually belonged to my late grandmother and he had it reset into a more contemporary setting. I lost it! Between the views, the ring and the most amazing man in front of me, I said “Yes!”

The Dress & Attire

For me, I wanted a dress that I could move in (I love to dance) and that would feel whimsical. I knew I wanted to wear traditional white and incorporate some elegance, you only get married once! The moment I tried my dress on at a Sarah Seven trunk show at The Dress Theory, I knew it was the one. And the most special part was that it was the dress that Sarah Seven herself had said for me to try on!

For Travis, I knew he wouldn’t want to wear a tux so I wanted him to be in a color that would pop off the background of greenery. We decided on a bright navy suit with a crisp white shirt to give him more of a classic look and a very subtle tie. We had the best experience at Nordstrom in Seattle, they were very patient with us and helped us put the whole look together with amazing tailoring as well!

The Flowers

My flowers, I don’t have words to describe how lovely, beautiful and perfect they were. I wanted a very undone, whimsical, non-traditional look. I wanted my bouquet to be full, full of texture and full of color. Molly incorporated hydrangea, garden roses and so many other beautiful flowers that really helped the bouquet to pop.

My bridesmaids had smaller versions of mine and we all had flowing ribbons to cap off the whimsical look. The arbor we were married under was also gorgeous. She incorporated the same colors and textures in the arbor which served as the most perfect backdrop for where we said our vows.

We also had lanterns full of flowers that lined the aisle that added to the feeling of an elegant adventure. And I can’t say enough about the centerpieces. We used gold mercury vases to hold a combination of hydrangeas, garden roses, wisteria and greenery that helped the tables to come alive.

Relaxed Backyard Pacific Northwest Wedding | EVENTful Moments | Meghan Klein Photography 5

Relaxed Backyard Pacific Northwest Wedding | EVENTful Moments | Meghan Klein Photography 4

The Venue & Style

I wanted our wedding to reflect our personalities, our relationship and the beauty of Washington which we had fallen in love with. I wanted the colors to be vibrant but not overwhelming, with an overall feeling of being out in the wood. The beauty of nature surrounding. With this in mind, an outdoor location seemed like the best fit, particularly one with heavy greenery and that felt like an escape from the real world.

My color choices were quite unique, I wanted a dusty blue and greenery to predominate, with pops of cranberry, fuschia and peach to help the event feel more alive! Luckily I had a brilliant wedding planner and florist that made all of my dreams come true!

Favorite Moments

The day was such a blur for the both of us, but there are a few moments that stand out. The first look most definitely was something I will never forget. He looked so handsome in his suit and against the backdrop of a sunny (hallelujah!) May Seattle day, I can still remember the exact moment in time.

During the ceremony, we paid tribute to Travis’ brother who had unfortunately passed away two years prior. The raw emotion he exuded as well as the care my uncle, the officiant, took with acknowledging Brian’s absence was really touching.

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We did include a very old poem in our ceremony which was read at my grandparent’s wedding (they were married for 60 years) and also at my sister’s wedding. We had a seat reserved for Travis’ deceased brother. On the seat, we included a quilt Travis’ mom had made for him, which was made out of his brother’s old T-shirts as well as a transformer, which was something both Travis and his brother were very passionate about.

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The Details

A lot of my wedding was DIY. My mom and I stained all of the wooden table numbers. One of my mom’s best friends drew and painted the owl pictures which were included on every table (that is over seventeen pictures!).

We wanted to acknowledge and highlight all of our loved ones who were not able to be with us physically at the wedding, so we had an in memoriam table with pictures of each of the people we have lost. This was accompanied by candles and greenery as well. We also designed our entry table set up with a moss table runner, unique card holder and lanterns borrowed from my wonderful wedding planner.

The Desserts

My cake was actually made by my aunt! It was a two-tiered banana cake with vanilla frosting that was so delicious. My aunt and I share a love of baking so this was a really special touch from me. We cut the cake for people to taste, but we also had several different treats from Jenny Cookies Bake Shop.

Our selection included cake pops, sugar cookies, peanut butter crackle cookies (a must try!) and white chocolate covered Rice Krispies treats. All of the cookies were also decorated within our color scheme on a beautiful layout of gold accented serving platters.

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Relaxed Backyard Pacific Northwest Wedding | EVENTful Moments | Meghan Klein Photography 28

Relaxed Backyard Pacific Northwest Wedding | EVENTful Moments | Meghan Klein Photography 44

Photo by Meghan Klein Photography via Bridal Musings

“Lastly, we had the best dance party ever. You know it was good when the groom splits his pants and the bride may have found a small tear in hers later as well!”

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Advice to Other Couples

Have fun! You only get to be engaged once to the person you love. Come up with a list of things that you really care about (maybe 4 or 5) and then the rest be okay with compromising on. Having fun with the process of vendor shopping, cake tasting and picking out your wardrobe etc is so important for you and your partner to bond and make the process of wedding planning less stressful!

Don’t forget this is about you getting married in front of your family and friends, people who love you and want the best for you. They are not going to know if your wedding signs were put out late or the champagne isn’t ice cold as long as they can feel the love between you and your partner.