Hood River Wedding in Oregon at The Orchard

This wedding in Hood River, Oregon took place at The Orchard wedding venue. Nestled right outside of Portland, Hood River is the perfect location for a quick weekend getaway with your family and friends. The venue itself is a working pear-farm set right in between stunning views of both Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams along the Columbia River Gorge. It is an absolutely breathtaking venue. Ashley and Rob got ready at separate AirBnbs downtown Hood River that were able to accommodate their big groups and have plenty of space for people to hang out and get ready together. We all met up at the venue for their first look in the orchards. Their emotions and excitement to see each other was absolutely unparalleled- there was laughter, hugs and a lot of happy tears. They decided to share some private vows prior to the ceremony which led to more happy tears and laughter. One thing I loved about Ashley and Rob was how they chose to include their dog in their day. Their pup is so special to them and a huge part of their life, so they hired a dog watcher who would look after their dog and who was able to bring the dog to the venue for some photos and pets with them before the ceremony. Weddings can be fun for pets but it’s definitely not something you want to have to worry about on your wedding day and is usually a safer option to leave them home with so many cars coming in and out and loud music, so it’s the best of both worlds when they’re able to make an appearance like this. They gathered with their wedding party to do a quick blessing prior to the ceremony, and then it was time for the real thing!

When I asked them what their three most important things on their wedding day were, one of their answers was ‘celebrating the start of their marriage with the people they love the most’. As their guests began arriving for the ceremony, it was clear that the feeling was mutual and you could feel how excited everyone was to celebrate that evening. Their ceremony was absolutely perfect with the mountain out behind them and the sun shining down. More happy tears, more laughter, a beautiful first kiss! They exited their ceremony in true Ashley and Rob style, with big smiles full of good energy and fun dance moves. Following the ceremony we took a minute to allow guests to enjoy cocktail hour while we took a few more photos in the orchards. Another important thing to them on their wedding day was taking things slow so they could enjoy every moment. These two did an amazing job of this on their wedding day, making sure to soak in time alone but we made sure not to stay away from the party for too long so they could also soak in that time with their people.

The reception space was beautifully decorated. With long wooden tables, pear details and beautiful dinnerware. The florals really brought it all together and it created the most beautiful dinner party atmosphere. There were toasts, then first dances, and cake cutting. The third thing that was most important to them on their wedding day was ‘having one hell of a dance party!’ and I can tell you right now, they crushed that one! Their dance floor was packed all night long and the moves were flowing. People were laughing, the music was great and everyone had the most amazing time. They ended their night with a sparkler send off followed by a getaway in her dad’s old truck. One of the most epic sparkler send offs I’ve ever photographed- these are insane and amazing sparklers. It’s always important to make sure with sparkler send offs you have a safe spot to do them and there are plenty of water buckets on hand for when the send off is over. Their day was flawless and I feel so lucky to have been able to photograph it. I can’t wait to get back down to this venue in Hood River, Oregon!