Lana and Brian’s wedding tops the list for the most unique wedding I’ve ever photographed.
Held on the first day of Spring, the wedding was set at the rustic McMenamin’s Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, which was an ideal location for a vintage-styled wedding. Its old round barn, historic outbuildings, unprimed wood, and small forest were the perfect setting for creating some beautiful portraits of their vintage-inspired steampunk clothing. (And not just theirs, but their friends’ as well!)
The interior of the barn was also a lovely place for the candle- and Christmas-tree lit ceremony and reception.
As you’ll see in the slideshow of their wedding photographs, there were many unique themes incorporated into the wedding decor: Egyptian scarabs, peacock feathers, antiques, and plenty of handmade steampunk and vintage-inspired clothing. Even the ring box–replete with peacocks on the cover, and a scarab inside–was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. The entire afternoon was a visual feast, and I was privileged to be able to photograph it.
I asked Lana to share with you where she found the various pieces of her wedding ensemble, and she was more than happy to do so. She shared the following:
All I’ve been able to do this week is relive my perfect day through
your photographs, so I don’t mind at all reviewing our vendors for
you!
We arrived at the Steampunk idea because it seemed like the best
catch-all for all our sundry themes: Egyptian, pagan, Spring Equinox,
scarabs, peacock feathers, nineteenth century/Victorian …
It started with me picking the “gothic steampunk pirate” dress which
is kind of a crazy mix of styles. We didn’t want to embellish our
outfits with too many mechanical/metallic bits which usually go with
the steampunk theme, because after all it’s our wedding. We wanted to
look beautiful/handsome and classic as opposed to gimmicky. So Brian
instituted a “no gears” and “no goggles” policy for us because these
seem to be the two cliche ingredients for creating the Steampunk look.
Steampunk is, first and foremost, a sci-fi literary movement, more
than a fashion or music scene. So our use of the term applied to an
imagined past – an alternate Victorian era with an emphasis on
mechanical technology. For us it was just a free pass to add fantasy
elements to our Victorian look.
Both Brian and I wear a lot of black and are much more at home with a
Gothic look. So the Steampunk aesthetic was a totally new experience
for us. We wanted to make our day special by incorporating colors and
styles we wouldn’t normally wear. I even made a point not to wear
black eyeliner, so my face felt naked and vulnerable! But that’s
appropriate for a wedding.
My gorgeous dress came from Romantic Threads:
http://www.romanticthreads.com/
It fit perfectly and required no alterations. Belinda, the designer,
allowed me to customize the colors.
I found a Portland-based designer on Etsy for the hat. She was also a
gem to work with:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Noxenlux
Brian’s pants, vest, and shirt came from the Gentleman’s Emporium
online store. No complaints – timely service and quality clothes:
http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/gentlemans.php
The goth/punk store Slash and Burn, our neighbors here in Eugene,
provided Brian’s shoes and coat:
http://www.findcoolclothes.com/
The bridesmaid’s dress and my petticoat came from Recollections
vintage. Gosh they’re great – Melissa’s dress did not require
alterations either! They were timely and agreed to customize some items for us,
and their prices are fantastic! Perfect for the steampunk bride on a budget.
I thought I would plug this vendor too, since we bought most of our
decorations there. The vases, dried flowers, abaca, flower stand, and
copper paper-runner came from Loose Ends in Salem, a decorator’s
warehouse which is liquidating its stock right now.
Positive review of our Vegan, gluten-free cake!
Everything else we did ourselves or found at places like Etsy or
Michael’s craft store. The kind people at McMenamin’s Edgefield
distillery bar let me raid their recycling for all the bottle
decorations.
I am so grateful to Miriam of 40 Notes Perfume for designing a custom
wedding scent as unique as our ceremony. We worked together for
months and she crafted a perfume composed of white grapefruit, white
ginger, mango leaf, and palo santo, to capture the fresh, bracing feel
of the first day of the Spring. She’s a true alchemist!
And last but certainly not least, our beautiful wedding flowers: Geranium Lake Flowers
As one of the most experienced Portland wedding photographers, it is such a delight to have stunning weddings like this to photograph!