Destination Mountain Wedding in Oregon

sarah+dan-la-pine-or

Sarah and Dan’s destination mountain wedding in Oregon was a lovely weekend fete. Their 50 wedding guests enjoyed a relaxing three days at Dan’s parent’s resort and Sarah was perfectly calm throughout the entire planning process. That’s no small feat when you’re juggling a one-year old and grad school! You’ll love this sweet and laid back wedding. Enjoy!
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Sarah + Dan
September 15, 2012

La Pine, OR

Why a Mountain Wedding?

Dans (the groom) parents just happened to be the owners of East Lake Resort in Central Oregon. Dan’s sister had gotten married there 2 years before and I was slightly hesitant to use the venue, thinking I didn’t want to copy cat them. Luckily my future mother in law is a totally amazing party planner and convinced me that we would be able to make it individual and special to us. I am so glad I did, as it was the most amazing setting for our special day.

What was your budget?

We didn’t have a real budget other than to spend as little as possible. We had just had a baby and the groom had just started grad school so needless to say we didn’t have a ton of money. I don’t have a real firm number but I would guess the whole event cost around $30,000.

Where did you find your inspiration

My mother-in-law was my planner and advisor extraordinaire. We browsed some wedding magazines, looked at Pinterest and chatted about what I saw for the day and she just kind of ran with it. That being said, I am extremely laid back about details, there was nothing that I HAD to have and HAD to happen other than us to just have a day together.

Your Biggest Splurge

I would have to say the biggest splurge that kinda wasn’t as it didn’t come out of our pockets was our venue. Dan’s parents hosted 50 guests at their resort for a 3 day extravaganza. My mother in law planned a fabulous catered BBQ “rehearsal dinner” Friday night, a mimosa breakfast Saturday morning, boxed lunches for all guest for during the day Saturday and a farewell brunch Sunday morning before all the guests headed home.. It was beyond generous and PRICELESS.

Your Biggest Savings

The deserts were super affordable.

What were some personal details you incorporated?

My mother in law crafted a picture board of our little family that was super cute. The groom doesn’t like cake so we did pies with mini cupcakes instead. We didn’t want a traditional guest book and I love that we went with our fingerprint tree. We have it framed in our house and its awesome! There were a big basket of flip flops by the dance floor for those who really wanted to party without sore feet. So many people opted for flip flops and we danced longer bc of it!!!

Your favorite moment of the day.

We were blessed with great weather that day!! It was just so nice to have everyone there with us, to enjoy their company. We ate and drank and danced and laughed! It was a great day!! :)

Three things you’re glad you did.

  • I loved the fact that our photographer had a setup in the tent with the photo booth where he streamed pictures he had been taking all day up for viewing. His shots are so impressive and people loved getting to see them.
  • The photo booth was awesome too. Instant gratification, great props that we had hunted for and provided.
  • I loved that they printed 2 sets of each, one for the guest and one for our photo booth.

Anything you wish you hadn’t done?

I think the one thing that is just me specific was our little guy was a year old and I really needed an extra set of hands that day that was specifically designated to managing him. Everyone was sooo busy with other details & once I got my dress on I couldn’t really manage him without risking getting dirty. He was just overwhelmed from all the bustle and in hindsight I should have had a nanny just for him.

What was the best piece of wedding advice you got?

Take time to enjoy the food/ have a meal! We ate and it was great!

How did you choose your vendors?

We chose vendors by every process: word of mouth suggestions, online reviews, interviews. Luckily my mother in law has a lot of contacts in Central Oregon and handled a lot of the local details for me.

What is your very best advice to other mountain brides?

Take time out of the day for moments just for you and your groom and soak in the memories.

Oregon Mountain Wedding Vendors

Photography & Videography: Becerra Photography | Ceremony & Reception: East Lake Resort | Catering: Bleu BitesDessert: Random Order Pies + Ida’s Cupcakes | Rentals: Central Events Rentals | Flowers: Leaf + Petal Floral DesignGown: Lena Medoyoff | Shoes: TOMSGrooms Formal Wear: Nordstrom, Kenneth Cold | Hair/Makeup: Ty Houser, Tangerine Hair Salon Bend | Music/DJ: Absolute Entertainment, Shea Davis | Save the Dates & Invitations: Fine and Dandy Paperie Etsy Registery: Macy’s, Crate & Barrel and NewEgg