“Said I think I'm in love, ooh, with you
Said there ain't nothing wrong with tryna be with you
Said I think we’re in love
…I only wanna be with you”
-Samm Henshaw

Layla and Mike. Oh man, these two.

First of all, I have to say: I’ve been to a wedding or two in my day. Sometimes I feel like I’ve seen it all… and it’s a real treat when I photograph a wedding like this, where there are moments so joyful that I still get goosebumps and giggle and even maybe cry.

If you’re going to plan the perfect Oregon wedding, you can do no better than the incredibly beautiful Gorge Crest Vineyards. The ceremony, overlooking rolling blue-green hills of vineyards fading with each layer, framing the snow-capped Mount Hood: the forest of hammocks when you want a little rest from dancing. After dark, you can lay in the grass with your date and a cocktail and look at the stars. It’s a dream.

But what made Layla and Mike’s wedding special were the things they brought to it that you can’t buy from a vendor: a darling first look (beginning with a butt grab) that even made me tear up, an enormous wedding party of best friends, families who adore them, and the cutest dog I’ve ever seen in my entire life (not hyperbole. Seriously, cutest dog ever.) Walking around taking photos with Layla and Mike while their Goldendoodle Phoebe bounded through the brush like a floppy muppet was, just, so memorable and joyful for me. The same at their ceremony: there was this indescribable feeling that the things that sometimes make weddings feel long and stuffy, just, didn’t apply to this one. Everyone stayed late into the night, which only happens at the most fun weddings.

So put on Samm Henshaw’s “I Only Wanna be With You” and take your time looking through these photos. It was such an honor to be there to capture them.

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