Kari Rae

Dan & Maddi's Green Villa Barn Wedding | Portland Wedding Photographer | Happy Anniversary

A year ago on May 5th, I had the pleasure of photographing Dan & Maddi's wedding day at the Green Villa Barn in Independence, Oregon. On their anniversary, I was still on Maui shooting a wedding with Anthem Photography by Maria Lamb. The fun thing is, Maria second-shot Dan & Maddi's weeding with me! So we celebrated together ;) As a special congrats to D&M on their first anniversary, I thought I'd post their wedding to the blog! Who knows why I didn't the first time.

Maddi and I are now dreaming of & planning a destination shoot for the two of them... here's hoping! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dan and Maddi, Happy 1st Anniversary!! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day..it was beautiful; as is your love for each other. :) What a pleasure to document it! You two are awesome...many blessings for all the years of your marriage.

Logan & Rikki - Pittock Mansion Engagement Session | Portland Wedding Photographer, Kari Rae Photography

She is from a small town in Tennessee. He is from Portland. They met in passing while away at college one day, and Rikki was sure to get his number from a friend. She contacted Logan, they grabbed lunch, and the rest is history...

They will be married on June 15th, 2013 on beautiful family property, surrounded by sunflowers & love!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Logan & Rikki: ENGAGED. (and surrounded by the most lovely fog)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jordan Proposes to Stacy | Portland Proposal Photographer

Proposals are SO fun!!! I love the thoughtfulness & hard work that goes into a guy's decision to ask for his girlfriend's hand in marriage.

Some proposals are super creative. Some are mega romantic. Some are surrounded by family & friends. Some are all of the above.

A few months ago, our friend Jordan told Zach & I that he was ready to propose to Stacy, his girlfriend of 4 years. We were pumped for them, of course! And I told him he couldn't do it without a photographer present. He agreed.

Jordan & Stacy are both mentors at our church's high school group with us. They are amazing leaders to these students and have been compassionate, consistent and CUTE together for years now. :)

We were all ready for this day, but didn't know when it would come.....

Jordan, knowing Stacy very very well, decided that he had to propose where lots of people who love Stacy were present. HIGH SCHOOL GROUP.

So he worked his magic with Kevin (who really is a magician) to scheme up something that would catch Stacy off-guard.

Kevin called all the leaders up to the front to participate in a game. He then drew names for the 3 leaders that would play. Leah, Josiah, and Stacy.

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0001

Stacy was first up. There were 3 pedestals up front, each with an envelope that held instructions for her tasks. She was told that for each task she completed, one of our students would get to got to Dunes (our winter retreat) for free. So everybody cheered her on!

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0003

First envelope. She was instructed to show everybody what the paper said.. "Drink Me." So Kevin poured some water in a cup and she drank it. Easy!

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0005

Second envelope. "Eat Me." There were animal crackers there...so she ate a couple.

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0007

Third Envelope. Magic Kevin pulled her under the spotlight to open this envelope, and he disappeared while she opened it. Notice how she looks into the crowd when she was what was written....a little confused :)

"What does it say, Stacy??"   ......   she answers as if it's a question. "It says 'Marry Me' ?"

Everybody starts screaming. :) Remember, she is standing in front of over 100 high schoolers!

I can only imagine the butterflies in her stomach at this moment!! Accompanied with confusion...since Jordan is nowhere to be seen.

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0012

Then the room goes black.

And a spotlight appears down the aisle in the back of the room.

There he is.

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0014

Going to get his bride!!!

The students are still screaming. I'm sure many people are crying. I'm pretty sure I was too. :)

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0018

"Stacy," he says. "We've been together too long to not let this happen."

A loud "awwww" erupts from the crowd. Everybody is still screaming with delight.

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0022

**butterflies**

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0026

"Stacy, will you marry me?"

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0029

"YES!"

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0031

(still screaming. Accompanied this time by clapping, whistling, hooting & hollering.)

Then a video comes on the screen. It's filled with tons of their friends each sitting in a chair saying, "They're finally getting married!" over and over. Because that's how we all feel. :)

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0035

They turn to come down off the stage.... and then she sees the 20 or so family members who came just to watch it all happen.

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0036

Tears. Hugs. Congratulations!

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0038

And a lot of admiring her ring, of course!

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0040

And the two families shall become one.

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kariraephotography_JordanStacyProposal_0042

CONGRATULATIONS, Mr. & Soon-To-Be Mrs. Raney!!! You guys are amazing, we are so excited for you, and can't wait to watch how Jesus shines through you guys as a team!

Rory & Erin's Mt. Hood Wedding | Oregon Wedding Photographer

It was 1 year and 5 days ago when I first heard from Erin. I had completed my first season of weddings (phew!) and the new year had begun.

She wrote to me saying that she was getting married in September up at the gorgeous Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.

We talked, decided we were a fabulous fit for each other, and booked their wedding! September 9, 2012. I. could. not. wait.

We kept in contact throughout the year - dreaming and planning and getting giddy about the day. It was all worth it.

Rory & Erin have two precious little girls, who were very involved in the ceremony...perusing the aisle and winning over the hearts of all the guests :)

Overall, it was a lovely day, and I can't wait to share these images from our freezing cold September morning on the mountain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ceremony Location: Timberline Lodge, Raven's Nest Timberline also catered and provided the cake! They are a fantastic venue and I highly recommend them for a smooth, lovely wedding day

Florist: Distinctive Designs by Denice

Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist: Aleah Pursley - Stylist

Wedding Dress: Allure, from Blush Bridal Boutique Erin & Rory, thank you for choosing Kari Rae Photography to capture the joy & beauty of your life, your love, YOU!

Danielle & Aaron - Classic Backyard Wedding | Oregon Wedding Photographer

Danielle & Aaron.... oh, how I could go on & on about how much I adore this couple. You might remember them from their romantic fishing engagement session! You can check it out here.

This was a unique wedding when it comes to photography because Dani's dad is actually an amazing, extremely experienced photographer himself (he has photographed over 600 weddings throughout his career ....yeah, six hundred!).

So it was his desire to also shoot his gorgeous daughter's wedding, and I was called in to help throughout the day and then take over during the ceremony & reception so he could be fully present. It was so much fun watching his joy as he photographed his sweet Dani on her wedding day! And quite the honor to be able to photograph it as well...

Aaron & Dani's story is one for the books. Seriously. I asked her to tell it for you, and I am so excited to share! Here we go...

From Danielle: "We saw each other almost every day, but after working together for almost a year, Aaron and I had barely spoken ten words to each other.

Despite this, however, I was fascinated by him. There was something about him that made me giddy when he was around."

"He came to me one day in May asking if I knew of anyone that was a nanny. Given that I have a passion for children, and that I was looking for extra income over the summer, I immediately replied that I could babysit for him.

He replied, a bit flippantly, that he needed “a little more than a babysitter”. Being the kind of person that I am, I took this as a challenge. I may have been young, but I knew that I was capable, and I wanted him to take me seriously."

"I went to him again with my offer, explaining that I had experience. He said thank you, but that he had actually found someone a few days before.

I was disappointed, but eager that I had finally had a conversation with this man that I felt so drawn to."

(This is one of my favorite moments of the day...Aaron's daughters seeing their new mom in her wedding dress for the first time...oh, my heart!)

"Now this next bit, you may call chance, or perhaps a convenient coincidence....but we swear that it was fate! He came to me again and asked if I could please help him.

The nanny that he had arranged had called and told him she could no longer help, and his children were only a few weeks away from the end of school. I (of course!) agreed. So, I became his nanny, and we began to get to know each other. The summer was going by, and I got a glimpse into his life."

"I was there for his three beautiful children through their first Summer without a mother. It goes without saying that I fell in love with those little blessings, but by the end of the summer..

I knew that I had fallen in love with this amazing man as well."

"He was charming, and kind. He was the bravest man that I had ever met.

But I was also scared. This man that I was so in love with, was 15 years my senior, and he had three children. How was I ready for that? Could I be the mother that these children so desperately needed?"

"All of these terrifying questions had me trying to run away, but Aaron was my rock.

He saw in me what I could not see in myself.

He supported and comforted me through my fears, and we grew to love each other deeper than either of us could have imagined that we could love."

 

(The above images are some I took of Dani's dad photographing them...such special moments, I wanted them to be fully remembered!)

"I could no longer be his nanny through all of this, so I began to take on a more motherly role."

"Thanks largely to Aaron's unwavering belief in me, I was then confident that we could do this. Together.

This brought us to the most trying time of our relationship. What would other people think?"

"The answer to this one question was the biggest turning point and most profound lesson that our time together has brought our way.

The truth of the matter was that we belonged together."

"This was God's plan for us, and others' opinions were irrelevant."

"We chose to love each other, unconditionally, and forever, and THAT is what mattered."

I always love the moments directly following the ceremony. The raw emotions are beautiful. Such overwhelming joy!

The newly joined family. These 5 are going places, I tell you!

I also asked Dani to tell us about her wedding planning experience.. "Planning our wedding was honestly, a breeze. We had the greatest support from my mom and sisters, and we cut our budget by taking on a lot of DIY projects!

Aaron was adamant that he wanted me to do most of the planning, and that he wanted the day to be everything that I ever imagined. What a great man that I chose to marry ;)"

"He was involved in major decisions, such as location, ambiance, and song choice type of things, and left all the small details to me."

"We had originally planned to have the ceremony at the Bell Tower Chapel in Boring, Oregon, and then move to the reception at my parents' house up the road. This was the plan until  four days before the big day! More guests were coming than anticipated, and this put us over capacity.

Though this fact induced a few tears, my rock and voice-of-reason, fantastic husband (then fiance), brought me back down to earth by telling me that the day was still going to happen, no matter where it was located. We called all the guests, moved the Ceremony over to my parent's as well, and everything turned out more perfect than we dreamed."

Her advice to future brides: "1. You are marrying the love of your life.

You will be surrounded by the people that you love the most. And whatever happens during planning, or on your big day, it will be perfect, simply because of those two facts.

The day that you worked so hard to plan for will fly by, so cherish every precious, perfect, and celebratory moment."

"2. Your photographer and videographer are your two most important vendors.

At the end of the day, and in 50 years, all that you will have left is your love, your photos, and your video!

Whether it be to reminisce together, or to show your children for a sentimental moment, or maybe even a good laugh, it is a must-have in my opinion."

"3. HAVE FUN!!!! This is one of the greatest and most exciting times in your life...."

"Your wedding day is the beginning of an amazing and love-filled journey, and you only get to do it once."

"So breathe, relax, and enjoy every blissful second."

 

Aaron & Danielle, I can't thank you enough for asking me to be a part of your day, being so excited about your images, and loving each other through everything..no matter how scary it might be at times. You two are so loving, and are setting an amazing example for your three beautiful children - I can't say enough to tell you how much I appreciate and look up to you & your selfless hearts!

May the Lord continue to bless you in abundance as He already has, and come alongside you as you bless others as well. :)