Adventure-loving couple Kendra and Taylor married in the forest at Horning’s Hideout surrounded by the loving friends and family who helped make the whole day possible. From the flowers to the the live band to the dessert, everyone pitched in to make Kendra and Taylor’s earthy Oregon wedding beautiful, personal, and unforgettable. If we listed everything we loved about this wedding, we’d be here all day, so scroll on and see the magic for yourself!

The Couple:

Kendra and Taylor

The Wedding:

Horning’s Hideout, North Plains, Oregon

We personalized our ceremony in a few ways. 1. Our dear mentor,friend and past professor (Taylor and I met in grad school) was the officiant and offered personal memories of the two of us. 2. Taylor‘s father gave a heart-warming blessing. 3. Taylor and I each wrote a short love letter to each other and original vows that incorporated our sense of humor and adventurous nature. 4. We had 8 of our bridesmaid/groomsmen read quotes on love and life that we had found and related to.

The most memorable part of the day was during our ceremony. It had down-poured all morning and dried up just before the ceremony. The sky was cloudy as we started the ceremony. But as Taylor began to say his vows a perfectly-timed ray of sunshine came splintering through the clouds and trees and landed right on us. It was like the earth was celebrating with us. We both smiled at each other and looked to the sky.

For my wedding day look, I wanted to find a dress that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to show to people in 30-50 years — something classic, but fun. I used the same strategy for my hair and make-up. I gave the wedding party instructions to find a white (or any shade a wedding dress comes in) knee-length dress that they would feel beautiful in. I think everyone realized how much I liked lace and each one ended up finding a lace dress. It ended up looking great together.

We wanted our wedding to reflect our fun-loving, adventure-filled way of life as well as our love for the outdoors; specifically the forest. On the fun side, we incorporated a raffle prize give-away in which each winner found a photo of the bride or groom giving the thumbs up taped under the chair. Each winner won a hiking backpack to take adventuring. We also had our favorite Portland restaurant cater the wedding, bringing taco-happy smiles to all the guests. On the forest side, the venue was the perfect location with large pine trees and ferns filling the ceremony area. We also incorporated a grass aisle runner, ferns, natural wood centerpieces (diyed by dad), and kraft paper signs for decor to create a sort of rustic forest elegance. Guests were also encouraged to camp under the stars with the couple.

The more important things were that the celebration reflected who we are, budget, and that are guests have fun. We were able to create the whole event for $17k utilizing the incredible help from our friends and family. Most of our vendors were friends and were incredibly generous with their services. From dessert, to flowers, dj, live music, bar tending, day-of coordinating, make-up and venue set-up. Obviously being surrounded by so many friends willing to help make the day beautiful gave the event special personal touches.

Congratulations to Kendra and Taylor on their Horning’s Hideout wedding in Oregon! For more from Nakalan McKay, check out Jamie and Kyle’s sunset wedding at Smith Rock State Park.