Jess & Mason’s Outdoor Wedding Vision

Jess and Mason wanted a small outdoor wedding where they could celebrate and bring together their closest loved ones, without the pressure and tight timelines of traditional weddings. They invited their friends and family out to Jess’s family cabin near Bend, Oregon for an intimate ceremony and laidback reception.

Laidback Outdoor Wedding Reception

Jess and her family prepared charcuterie style snacks and treats for everyone to snack on while they mingled and played yard games. Jess and Mason also wanted to maintain some tradition in their cabin wedding. After everyone grabbed their drinks from The Thirsty Wheel, a mobile bar cart; they gathered on the deck of the cabin. Where Mason’s brother shared a short speech and toast before the couple cut their cake. (Cute little detail: They put little foxes on their cake for their last name, “Fox.”)

Then, once the sun went behind the trees, Jess and Mason had their first dance, danced with their parents, and danced in the backyard of the cabin until dark! 

If you like the sound of an intimate and laidback wedding, but don’t know where to start with planning, let me help!

Oregon Elopement Photographer

Hi there, I’m Bri! 

I’m an elopement photographer who doubles as your planner! After 8 years of telling love stories, I have photographed every type of wedding you can think of. Large venue weddings in California, small, intimate weddings all over the West Coast states, and private adventure elopements in Utah. I’ve seen it all, and have found that small, intimate weddings are the sweet spot!

Why a Cabin Wedding?

I believe cabin weddings are the best way to hold an intimate wedding. It allows you to spend your wedding day outdoors in nature, while still having access to the indoors to make logistics run smoothly and in the case that weather has other plans on your wedding day (while we plan for this to not happen every once in a while it does and I want to be prepared for you!)

The biggest question I get asked when planning elopements is “can I bring friends and family?” And to that I say, Of course! Eloping has no rules and you can do whatever you want. It’s actually quite rare for an elopement to not include any loved ones at all in some capacity.

Oftentimes, couples either want to read their vows privately or share that moment with some select family and friends. It’s also common for couples to want to invite more family and friends to be a part of their wedding day, without being a part of their ceremony. 

Reach out to me and we can chat about the best steps forward for what YOU WANT for your special day.

How to Plan Your Cabin Wedding

1. Figure Out Guest Count

Decide who you want at your ceremony and reception. Cabin weddings typically have less than 60 guests.

2. Find Your Cabin Wedding Venue

Here are the best wedding venues in Oregon for small, outdoor weddings:

1. Just the two of you and your witnesses: 2 Bedroom Airbnb near Smith Rock State Park 
2. 10-12 guests: Capella by the Seas in Brookings, OR
3. 15-25 guests: The Griffin House on the Columbia River Gorge
4. 30-40+ guests: Elk Lake Resort in Bend, OR & Mt. Hood Organic Farms

3. Choose a Ceremony Location

Does the cabin or venue of your choice have a good ceremony spot, or would you like to hold the ceremony somewhere nearby? I’d recommend chatting through this part with your photographer or planner/coordinator! (Or if I’m your photographer, then I do both!)

4. Figure Out Food Details

Here are some options I’ve seen work very well at cabin weddings!

1. Private Chef Prepared Dinner at the Cabin – This is the perfect way to create an intimate experience with your closest loved ones after your ceremony. 
2. Charcuterie Board and Mobile Bar at the Cabin – This is a good option for slightly larger cabin weddings. It is one of the more affordable options and easy to do yourself with the help of friends and family to setup. 
3. Food Truck – I call this the lazy girl option but only because it works! Food trucks are always a hit at weddings and it takes the stress and food planning off your plate!
4. Laidback Reception at a Local Brewery – This is a great way to include all your friends and family in your wedding day, while still keeping your ceremony small and intimate. 

5. Create Your Timeline

As your photographer that doubles as a planner, I will take care of this for you! Every wedding is different, so it’s impossible to give you a one size fits all timeline but here is a loose sample timeline that will give you an idea of order of events!

10am-1pm Get Ready at the Cabin
2pm Private First Look 
Family Photos + Bridal Party Photos if you have one
5pm Ceremony
6pm Send Your Guests to get Drinks While we Take Couple Photos at Sunset
7pm Dinner/Reception

6. Book Your Vendors

Here is a checklist of the vendors you will likely need! And the order of which I would book them:

1. Find Your Wedding Dress 
2. Hair and Makeup Artist
3. Florist
4. Food Vendors
5. Music Vendors – Live music tends to fit the intimate and moody vibe of a cabin wedding. However, if you don’t want to spend the money, you could also make a playlist and put someone in charge of playing ambient music.

Thanks for reading, I hope this was helpful!

You can find more inspiration for a small, outdoor wedding here, or learn more about the one on one planning assistance I offer in my photography packages for your special day!