Amy is Lara’s (editor-in-chief of Southern Weddings) new sister-in-law and we are so happy to share her gorgeous wedding with you today! Ceremony and reception were held at {Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm} with flowers by {Passionflower}. Photography by {Joseph Milton Photography}. Mazel Tov, Amy + Andy!
From Lara: It was such a joy thinking back on this amazing occasion. Honestly, I cried my eyes out looking through these images again. There is so much love between Amy and Andy. Their wedding was one of the highlights of my life. I love you both so much!
From Amy: I told [Lara] a while ago that all I wanted for our wedding weekend was for the love in the air to be tangible and pervasive. I can’t even begin to describe how my expectations were blown away– the whole weekend was full of this incredible vibe of laughter and celebration that I wish I could have bottled up and saved forever. Even our most introverted guests were meeting new people and tearing it up on the dance floor! It was like someone sprinkled fairy dust on everything and made it all perfect. Was that you, Lara?
2/3 of our guests flew to Oregon to be with us, and putting together the OOT {out-of-town} bags was by far my favorite project. It was not easy or budget-friendly to make 100 of them, but making our guests feel welcome and comfortable was at the very top of my priority list, and it was definitely a labor of love!
Throughout my engagement, I made a pledge to myself that I wouldn’t stress, and to pick my battles carefully. That plan wasn’t easy, but it was a success, especially the weekend of the wedding. I made sure not to wear a watch or get caught up in any details. It was the best decision I made, because I was able to relax, enjoy, and spend time with not only my new husband, but everyone who had traveled to be with us. It also didn’t hurt that we were in the best hands, surrounded by so many loving, generous people.
Weather: I was in a panic the week before the wedding (the only thing I let myself stress about!), as it looked like there were going to be rain, clouds, and cold. We took a huge gamble with our date, since there was NO back-up plan for bad weather at our venue and June weather is unpredictable around here. In the end, it literally could not have been better. The sun came out just in time, and the warmth and light were picture-perfect.
The favors: personalized CD’s and thumb drives of the music that Andy’s father composed for the wedding ceremony.
Since Jewish weddings are traditionally on Sundays, we had a whole weekend of events leading up to the actual wedding. We had an open house at our home on Friday night, an Auf Ruf (Jewish pre-wedding tradition) and Rehearsal Dinner on Saturday, a big brunch on Sunday (my family is HUGE on brunch!), and then the actual wedding. We were able to maximize time spent with our guests, but the schedule also gave people plenty time to explore the area and get a taste of why we love Oregon in the summertime.
{A Practical Wedding} did a lovely feature on Amy + Andy’s wedding and focused on the Jewish traditions. If you are in need of some Jewish wedding inspiration, be sure to visit all three posts here: Part I, Part II, and Part III.
How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story… We met online at Jdate.com, a Jewish dating site. We each went on one other date before we met each other. It turns out we grew up a few miles apart, had mutual friends, and were often unknowingly in the same place at the same time before we met. I even had his father’s music on my Ipod.
Describe the proposal: Every year, we spend my birthday in Port Townsend, Washington, at my uncle’s cottage on the water. After a romantic dinner at our favorite restaurant on my 24th birthday trip, Andy stood up and asked the entire restaurant to sing Happy Birthday to me. I hate being the center of attention, except on my birthday! While everyone was still watching, got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.
What attracted me to my husband was: He’s undeniably adorable, of course.
Why do you love your husband? He makes me laugh until I can’t breathe, he makes me feel safe and protected, he’s constantly teaching me new things. And he eats my black licorice Jelly Belly’s.
What attracted me to my wife was: She has a fantastic smile and a great sense of humor, and she’s the smartest girl I know…that’s sexy!
The weather on our wedding day was: Couldn’t have been better. We had no back-up rain plan for our outdoor wedding, and it was hard watching the cold, rainy forecast that week. I often read stories during my planning of brides who said that the clouds cleared just in time for their wedding, and that definitely happened to us too. As we were driving out to the farm, I literally watched the clouds roll out of the valley, revealing the most perfect blue Oregon sky.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: The dress was pretty low on my priority list. I bought it because my mom, Andy’s mom, and my sister were all moved to tears when I put it on. I wound up falling in love with it on the day of the wedding!
Describe your wedding flowers: I still get giddy thinking about how much I loved my flowers. They were rustic, loose wildflower arrangements in shades of blue and white. The bouquets were hand-tied (mine with vintage ribbon, and bridesmaids with eyelet). All of the arrangements had some kind of fruit in them, (mostly unripe blueberries and mini pears and apples), which added incredible texture. Poppies are my favorite flower. (I almost planned my whole wedding around them). I was told that they are too delicate to stay fresh in a bouquet. My florist knew how much I love them, and surprised me by including a few in my bouquet. It was an especially wonderful reminder of my late grandfather whom we called
Poppy. The centerpieces were arranged in
galvanized buckets that I bought at Ikea.
Be sure to stop in for Part II of Amy + Andy….
I LOVE the colors. I think mother nature tried to help out too by providing that beautiful blue sky as a backdrop!
Congrats Amy! You look gorgeous, and the pictures are amazing.
Yay!!!! I love seeing it here too. It makes me all teary again. And Amy – I love what you said about your wedding dress, it’s very wise. The dress I think I’m getting I put on and really liked, but I was in a bit of a fog, but everyone else *loved* it… and your story sort of made everything click for me, especially that you "fell in love with it the day of the wedding."Plus, I’ve seen that board before and loved it, I didn’t realize it was your inspiration board!