My family is full of individuals who do things their special way. There is no conforming (at least not much). Everyone is their own person and is encouraged to be so. My family is sarcastic, intelligent, curious, driven and laid back at the same time. They are funny and beautiful and I am going on a bit too much about how wonderful they are, aren’t I? Well, this is the lead in paragraph that sets the tone for this whole post so I shall set it right. Basically, a fantastic bunch of fun loving, hard working, loving people who dance to the beat of their own drum. And now we have another one added to the bunch…

The bride, and my cousin, Oriana met Spencer some time ago. I met Spencer at my son’s wedding five years ago. It went something like this…the wedding DJ asked each table to send a representative to the dance floor to have a “dance off”…the winner’s table would be released to get into the dinner line. Fabulous idea by the way. Spencer was one of the dancers. He took his assignment seriously. I watched this beast of a man with the longest legs in history, break dance like a damn boss…arms and legs flying. In fact, his legs flew so high that he almost took out the dance floor lights! HA! Needless to say his table ate first.

There were so many special moments and a bazillion personalized touches that it would be too much to write them all here. So, I’ll just give you a brief note about some of them…

Gift from bride’s grandmother to daughter-in-law to bride – Our grandmother gave Marcene, the mother of the bride, this gift on her wedding day. And now Marcene passed it to her daughter, Oriana. It came with the original handwritten note from our grandmother. Yeah, we all cried. So special.
Crusty old school bus – The bus is being renovated by Spencer who drove himself and his groomsmen to the ceremony and parked it at the beginning of the isle. Badass moment.
Vintage Ford Bronco – Otar, the father of the bride, drove the bride to the altar in style.
Oscar – The bride’s beloved Boston Terrier. After the ceremony I heard the groom quietly say to Oscar “Oscar, now you have a new daddy.”
Grandma – Spencer’s beloved grandmother had a beautiful smile on her face the entire day.
Speeches – The most heartfelt and sweet and funny memories shared and good wishes given by family and friends.
Delicious cupcakes – Made by the bride’s aunt Debbie and a friend, Amanda. Lemon with lemon curd and buttercream frosting, and chocolate with chocolate frosting…mmmm.
Cake toppers – There were about 8 different vintage cake toppers painted to resemble Spencer and Oriana.
Pigs – Little pigs in all forms decorated the food tables…it’s no secret that Oriana loves pigs. It might be a mistake to love anything too much in our family because you’ll get a lot of what you love. Just ask Aunt Lyndy who loves cows (or used to). LOL
Wine – Provided by and made by our Uncle Dave. One label has a photo of our beloved grandmother and is named in her honor.
Vintage hunting ammo cases – The bride and her friend, Jessica, personalized the cases for each groomsmen and contained special gifts.
Officiant – the bride’s cousin, Dustin, beautifully officiated the ceremony.

As I mentioned, too many special moments to mention them all but I will never forget them and this day and how generous Spencer and Oriana are with those they love. They poured their hearts and souls into this wedding in celebration, not only of their love for one another, but the love and appreciation they have for their family and friends.

Welcome to family Spencer. You and your wonderful family are now bonded with ours until eternity. And congratulations and much love to you both. xo

Venue – Hoffman Farms, Beaverton, Oregon
DJ – Nick Lem
Caterer – Dicky’s Barbecue Pit
Florist – Floralshop by Meuy Tzeo
Cake – Joselyn Feldman
Cupcakes – Debbie Weber and Amanda Schaffer
Wedding Coordinator – Rochelle Dawn
Officiant – Dustin Kochis
Hair – Jodi Clausen, Brenna Hoffman
Airbrushing – Mackenzie Harper
Makeup – Lacie Morrill