There isn’t a more romantic way to renew vows than in front of a towering waterfall backdrop. Alice and João’s romantic Peneda-Gerês national park elopement is the ultimate inspo for adventure lovers. From effortlessly elegant fashion to the celebratory champagne popping. Photographer Arte Magnacaptured the breathtaking views that made a hike—with backpacks filled with wedding gear—worth it.
Alice dressed her simple cream Plissê Atelier dress and minimalist gold jewelry with eye-catching sparkle pink boots. Her obsession with detail is an understatement. The moody fall-inspired bouquet, by florist La Vie En Rose, perfectly complemented the dark and earthy Peneda-Gerês National Park colors. Now get ready to lace up your hiking boots because these photos are sure to take you on an adventure.
We can’t get enough of the out-of-the-box elopements and micro weddings—Alice and João’s adventurous Peneda-Gerês National Park elopement included. We are grateful Arte Magnacaptured the day from the hike to the champagne celebrations and every cherished moment in between. If this elopement has you feeling inspired for your own nuptials, check out our ultimate elopement planning checklist to get started today.
Between the towering mountain backdrop and the traditional Hindu influences, this breathtaking Smith Rock State Park Oregon micro wedding stole our hearts. Nandita and Ryan are anything but traditional and they wanted a day that celebrated their uniqueness and love for Bend, Oregon.
With the help of planner Bridal Bliss, the couple brought to life their dream elopement ceremony that preserved some elements of their originally envisioned day. Trading their large traditional ceremony for a mountaintop micro wedding with only seven guests—Nandita and Ryan took full advantage of the endless wedding planning possibilities that come with a smaller wedding. Summer Robbins Flowers, dressed the already breathtaking Smith Rock State Park ceremony space with bright colored floral arrangements that compliment the muted mountain backdrop—a perfect way to incorporate traditional Hindu elements.
From beginning to end, this culture infused micro wedding was full of cherished moments that celebrated these audacious explorers. We are thankful photographer, Victoria Carlson Photography, was able to capture every intentional detail that made Nandita and Ryan’s day oh-so-special. Get your Pinterest boards ready—this wedding is full of dreamy and adventurous wedding day inspo.
If it’s possible to have a crush on a city, ours is Bend. We’ve had so many fun outdoor adventures there, and we knew we wanted to get married with those mountains in the backdrop. Bend’s high desert terrain is dramatic and colorful, and the natural landscape is so beautiful that it doesn’t need a lot of accessorizing. We originally planned a big, decorative Indian wedding for 175 guests at Brasada Ranch, a resort outside of Bend with sweeping views of the mountains. When COVID hit, we downsized to the tiniest version of the day we could imagine, with only 5 guests. Since we weren’t restricted by size, we decided to have an elopement-style ceremony at Smith Rock State Park, one of our favorite places to rock climb. We wanted to preserve some elements of our originally envisioned day, so we kept the dinner reception we had planned at Brasada Ranch.
Advice For Planning A Pandemic-Friendly Micro Wedding
If you’re planning a pandemic-friendly micro wedding, there are definitely some perks! Having a small wedding is lower-stress to plan and gives you more time on your wedding day to meaningfully connect with the people who are there. We were able to do some things we otherwise couldn’t have, like having our ceremony at a state park or going big on florals and fancy wine, since costs were cut in so many other places. It also meant we didn’t have to stick to a rigid schedule on the day-of. I’ll admit that nothing can make up for not having friends and family by your side, but there are some silver linings to having an intimate wedding. And there are definitely opportunities to make your day special and different.
Involving Family And Friends In This Oregon Micro Wedding
Several of our friends who couldn’t be with us sprinkled our day with surprises. My good friend Sarah, who was supposed to give a toast at our wedding, wrote her toast in a letter and gave the sealed envelope to Ryan, unbeknownst to me. At our cocktail hour, he performed a dramatic reading of Sarah’s toast, and I was literally cackling.
If you are feeling inspired to trade in your large traditional wedding, for a micro wedding or elopement, you’re not alone. Nandita and Ryan’s adventurous mountain top micro wedding was nothing short of magical. Photographer, Victoria Carlson Photography, did an incredible job highlighting the traditional Hindu elements of this Bend, Oregon wedding.
Timeless, by definition, is never out of style, and this personal Portland wedding was absolutely no exception—from the bold fashion to the smallest details. Since we brought up fashion, we have to talk about the groom’s custom emerald green suit for a second. The velvety finish is so timeless and classy that it belongs on a red carpet.
Carefully complimenting the suit, Alle’s lace bridal gown and her bridal denim jacket are available on our Pinterest board. The fashion in this incredibly elegant wedding was enhanced by the intimate gathering shared with their families and friends. With a few surprises up their sleeves, this couple brought tears of joy to their guests’ faces.
Get ready to see gorgeous floral arrangements, strung lights, and picturesque table decor. Scroll down for photos captured by Karra Leigh Photo and definitely grab the tissues.
The Couple:
Alle and Scott
The Wedding:
The Evergreen, Portland, Oregon
Why The Evergreen Venue?
We toured probably 20 venues and knew immediately when we walked into Blockhouse and The Evergreen that they were exactly what we were looking for. Both intimate settings that are very ‘Portland’ but still gave us flexibility to create the atmosphere we were seeking for both events.
Creating A Timeless Wedding
The most important thing to us when planning our wedding was creating an intimate and timeless wedding that was truly us with the help of our day-of planning team. As an Interior Designer and lover of all things branded, I had very specific ideas about how our rehearsal, ceremony, and reception all tied together with the classic, curated, modern, unique and timeless vibe we were going for. Cohesion and details make or break it in my opinion and working with Mae + Co. Creative gave us a huge sense of ease because we knew that they would implement our plans with utter perfection. Manda and her team are all about the details too and working with them was a dream!
Memories Made in Portland
Hands down when I surprised Scott just after our first look—when we were doing wedding party photos—with his dream motorcycle. My twin brother, who was in the wedding party, snuck away and drove up with it. No one knew what was going on other than our videographer and photographer who captured all the moments leading up to it—he was in total shock! Additionally, we wrote personal vows to one another that we shared during our first look. We wanted to have a deep connection just between the two of us before the ceremony started. It was magical and probably the most memorable single moment other than our engagement.
Wedding Advice From The Bride
As someone who is exceptionally detail-oriented and organized, I would say that it is really important to take care of all the most important planning aspects first. Getting the big things checked off helps the rest of the process be streamlined and calm. Create a wedding folder and save all wedding-related materials in one place to easily reference back to. Sub-folders are always a good idea too!
Let’s Take A Snack Break
Crown Paella was incredible! We had a huge variety of appetizers that were served during cocktail hour at Loyal Legion before the Reception. For dinner, there were three different paella’s and a variety of other yummy foods, but dessert was what I was most excited about. We had Hungry Hero make a spectacular dessert bar full of all different bars, cookies, pie pops, cupcakes, etc. We wanted our own cake for the two of us that Dream Cakes PDX created and it was hands down the best cake we have ever had. Later in the evening, when the dancing and photo booth opened up, we served 1927 s’mores and Ruby Jewel Ice cream sandwiches for late night snacks!
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