Brin & Christine’s hotel wedding was such a perfect last bash for our year. Peter and I got to photograph it together, a perfect (and quintessential late-night-Taco-Bell-punctuated) wedding to finish out the season. These families were something special—Brian and his older brother, Christine and her younger sister, no extra bridal party, involved and vigorously joyful friends and family. The dress code brief was “funky formal”—it was so fun to see how the guests made it their own and how much it boosted their buy-in to the whole party!
Christine beaded her own veil, her mom made Brian’s tie. Special things we loved were how alike Brian and his brother looked, getting to nerd out with flash in the beautiful hotel, Christine’s outfit change, and lemme tell you ABOUT their first dance, ya’ll. Never have we seen such a gorgeous dance + song combo—we’ve been introducing our boy crew to the heights of “The Phantom of the Opera” lately, and when Brian & Christine’s first dance was to “All I Ask of You” it was jaw-droppingly gorgeous and so moving. Did not expect to feel like we’d been to a professional show! Not to mention me (Susannah) fighting for my LIFE as I completely lost it behind my camera during the mother-son dance.
It’s been a while since we’ve photographed a wedding at the Sentinel Hotel. Two things that are important to know when you have your wedding in a hotel: your party is probably going to be RIPPING and you don’t have to worry about the weather and all its foibles (holler at the moody dramas of an Oregon fall!). Honestly, more people should do indoor weddings from October to April instead of opting hard for the classic summer wedding. You also get to party louder and longer than most outdoor weddings (hence, the great party). Outdoor weddings come with noise ordinances and quiet hours. Plus, after your wedding, all you have to do is take an elevator and you get to crash in your own room!
It was also fun to return to Portland after getting to photograph Christine and Brian’s engagement photos downtown earlier this year, a super fun after-dark shoot. They really showcased their classiness for their engagement shoot, and it was so fun to see how perfectly the Sentinel Hotel fit with that for their wedding.
The Sentinel Hotel for their wedding was a perfect match to their classiness that they really showcased for their engagement shoot.
We also loved how Christine, a self-admitted Type A, planned her wedding in such an organized way, the day-of coordinators told us they would hire her onto their team. And then, even better, she did exactly what we LOVE: she handed the reins over on her wedding day so she could be relaxed, present, and enjoy every moment. Day-of coordinating led and rocked by Katelyn at Your Perfect Bridesmaid.
The rest of the team of vendors, some of whom we got to have great chats with:
DJ: Zacch at @djz2c
Cake: @fatcupcakeor
Food: @jakescateringatsentinel
Flowers: @amandakaramfloral
Rentals: @ardeneventcollective
Makeup: @coreenecollinshair
Hair: @expressionsbyali
