Real Wedding: Keven + Pieter’s Whimsical Fairytale Wedding

As promised, another gorgeous bride in a pink wedding dress – and she is wearing gold TOMS shoes! Keven + Pieter’s wedding was a fun, whimsical day in the woods. I love how involved their family + friends were, and Keven was sweet enough to share lots of great details.

From Keven, This was truly the wedding of my dreams! Our whole story has been like a fairytale, so it seemed fitting to have a fairytale wedding. We met during a snow storm in 2008 in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. Piet was visiting his brother for three months on a holiday from his home in Bristol, England. He was attending a different location of our Evergreen Church Community than I, but due to the snow I was unable to attend my normal group so I hitched a ride with my good friends to their group. We were introduced and conveniently both included in the days activities which consisted of sledding, hot totties, wine and a viewing of A Christmas Story. From there he flew back home to England, I came to visit a few months later, then he came to visit a few months after that and we threw caution to the wind and got married! Our wedding pictured here actually took place the day after our one year anniversary.

It was really important for us to convey the essence of our relationship to our guests. We feel everything in life should happen very organically, and this follows through in all areas of our lives, spiritually, romantically and so on. So having a lot of hand made elements was a big part of expressing this, including the boutonnieres, the cake stand, table pieces and even the cake toppers. It was also important to use local vendors and utilize the artistic talents of our friends and family. Our sister-in-law did most of the photography, our good friend made the rings, and we approached our favorite local nursery to create a completely unique bouquet. We wanted our guests to feel like they were a lot further away than just a hour out of Portland. The location was a significant place for us as well, it was actually the same place we became engaged at.

The best part about planning this wedding for me was being able to really express who we are creatively. The Swedish Stuga where the wedding took place was already inspired by A Midsummer Nights Dream. There was a functional chandelier hanging in the trees above where the ceremony took place (which is also the very spot Piet proposed to me), and the surrounding woods have hidden surround sound speakers which was perfect for some pre ceremony Sigur Ros. The most amazing part of having a wedding is seeing all these important people from different parts of your life come together from all over the world for one event. It brought tears to my eyes.

Any advice for those planning now? Remember that this is your special day, no one elses. Try not to get to wrapped up in crazy family demands or traditions that you may not connect with. This is your chance to start your own traditions and express your love for one another in your own unique way. Plus, if your wedding is fun and different, your guests will have that much more memorable and enjoyable of a time. You also don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on your wedding. Ask for help from friends, make your own invitations and check out wedding blogs for DIY projects. You can even get a group of friends together and do them all in a few evenings. Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Your friends and family are you best resources and usually they are happy to help you out on your special day.

Vendors:
Photography by: Kim Oanh Nguyen – van Zoen (Sister in Law – Digital) and Ann Ploeger (Film)
Cupcakes by: St.Cupcake – Portland, Oregon
Bouquet by: Michelle at Pistils Nursery – Portland, Oregon
Dress by: Xtabay Vintage Boutique
Grooms Suit: Custom Dutchess Clothier – Portland, OR
Rings by: (Close friend & father of the flower girl) Andy Lonquist at Olander Earthworks
Beer by: Laurelwood Brewery – Portland, Oregon
Food by: Brides Mother
Hair and Makeup by: Brides best friend
Tons of support from my brother and the good people at www.plywerk.com