Camp vibes without being cheesy: that’s how today’s bride described her dream wedding day and we are happy to say…she TOTALLY pulled it off! Karli + Calum are two creatives who love pizza, each other, and the great outdoors! Karli called on lanterns, lawn games, casual decor, campfire, and lots of clever details to bring her vision to life. However, none of it would have come about without one very important piece:
We are both PNW born and raised, and love being outdoors and camping. Calum also fly-fishes, so discovering that our venue, The River House covered mountains, trees, AND a river was perfect for us. This, plus all my notes about camp vibes, blanket patterns/textures, and rich colors—it kind of all went together.
Samantha McFarlen captured all the dreamy details of the day…let’s have a look!
Little Hammer designed the perfect camp-inspired wedding invitation for the day!
Are you not loooving these bridesmaids tones?! We’re totally feeling it recreated the look for all those who agree:
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How cute is that welcome sign? Karli actually enjoyed the DIY elements of her wedding so much that she’s opening her own wedding + home decor online store with her two BFFs!
The Mountain-View Ceremony
The view doesn’t get better than this!
Calum: Watching Karli walk down the aisle then finally being married once the sun hit Mount Index. That was pretty special.
Karli: To finally be up there after so much work and time then see the sun break out mid-ceremony was a giant sense of relief. Any remaining weight on my shoulders was gone and it literally felt like only Calum and me up there.
Processional: Waiting for My Real Life to Begin by Colin Hay
Recessional: Temptation Sensation (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Theme Song) by Heinz Kiessling
First Dance: I'm In Love by Wilson Pickett
Karli’s Two-Piece Wedding Dress
An apparel designer by day, Karli designed the adorable top half of her dress to match the Lis Simon skirt!
Reception with all the Camp Vibes
What’s a camp-inspired wedding without a camper photo booth?! Glamp Photo Booth fit the bill perfectly!
K + C wanted to avoid any decor that skewed super feminine, so opted for Pendleton blanket-type patterns (like these cute table runners) and geometric details throughout.
1. Book the big $$ stuff early (venue, catering, photographer etc.) to know how much is have left in the budget for all the little things.
2. Making a calendar from now up until the wedding with milestone due dates—as if it's your day job—to get things done. I felt this worked better for me rather than cramming a ton of stuff in a weekend with no solid plan and getting burned out. For all crafty stuff, block out work days/evenings and due dates to make sure to keep up with it all—and recruit your friends to help. They are happy to do it. It sucks sometimes, but if something comes up like birthdays, parties, shows, etc. and lands on one of your scheduled work days...stick to your wedding guns and say no. If that's too depressing (which it can be sometimes... #fomo!?) make an appearance at said event, but stay strict then get back to your planned workday. It's worth it in the end and you'll feel accomplished and keep the stress away.
3. The day belongs to you and your new partner forever. Do everything exactly how you two want—don't cave to the pressure of other peoples' wants and desires, even if its family members. More often than not, you'll know if its something you want or don't want right away—trust your gut! If you fall somewhere in the middle of knowing or not, there is probably a great middle ground to find to make both parties happy.
What a day! Congrats to Karli + Calum…here’s to all the adventure to come!
photography: Samantha McFarlen // venue name: The River House, Index, Washington, USA // event design: Bride, Karli // florals: Aunt Pam // wedding dress: skirt from Lis Simon // wedding dress boutique: Calla Bridal // hair stylist: Pacific Brides // makeup artist: Pacific Brides // paper goods: cousin Blake // handmade details: diy // catering: Veraci Pizza // tabletop rentals: Cort Party Rental // furniture rentals: Puget Sound Farm // photo booth: Glamp Photo Booth // beer: Farmstrong Brewery // wine: Canoe Ridge // wedding dress top: Bride, Karli
Ah love the photos beautiful couple and venue