A Wintry Elopement in Colorado

February 1, 2021February 9, 2021 / pendletonwoolenmills / Leave a comment

Editor’s note:

A man and woman hold a Pendleton blanket in the snow, while their officiant marries them.

With the changes, postponements, disappointments and losses we have all lived through in this year, it’s important to take a moment to share happiness. We hope you find joy in Brenna and Scott’s breathtaking elopement, coordinated and photographed by Alix Loosle this past fall.

As Told by the Bride

Scott and I planned to have our wedding in St. Louis in August 2020, but had to reschedule and then postpone until May. When it looked like the world might not be back together again by 2021, we decided to secretly elope in Colorado where Scott’s brother could marry us. We immediately e-mailed Alix to see if she was available, and within a few days she helped us plan our entire wedding in Estes Park for just a few weeks later.

The groom waits with the officiant in the snowy mountains of Breckenridge, Colorado.

We loved that this wedding was going to be intimate, relaxed, and outside. A week before the wedding we got the news that Rocky Mountain National Park was affected by the wildfires, and we had to choose a new location. We landed on Blue Lakes in Breckenridge, and we found the perfect cabin nearby where we could spend the week.

The bride approaches in a white wedding dress on the white sow, holding beautiful flowers.

On our journey to Colorado the night before what was supposed to be our wedding day, we were hit with a blizzard and spent the night sleeping in our truck waiting for the road to re-open. At this point all we could do was laugh and go with the flow! Alix and Scott’s brother and sister in law are some of the most gracious people we could have been surrounded by and were able to switch their travel plans so we could have the wedding the following day.

Our blizzard adventure turned out to be the biggest silver lining. October 27th was the most gorgeous day. Blue Lakes was covered in snow and seemed like a dream. We were able to spend the day of the wedding writing our vows, drinking chai bourbon lattes, making a cheese board, and hanging out with family.

Chris married us in the most personal and intimate ceremony, and his wife, Kelsey, read a beautiful reading and wrangled our puppy Lou.

Lou the Lab waits to see the wedding, wearing a Pendleton Pet dog cot.

We laughed and cried and took breaks during the ceremony to warm up and recover. We popped a bottle of champagne immediately after and watched the moon as it rose perfectly between the mountains.

It was the most amazing day of our lives and we are so happy to finally be Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell!

Congratulations!

the happy couple and Lou, after the ceremony.

Our thanks to the bride, groom, and to photographer Alix Loosle for sharing her work. We are always so honored to be included in the amazing events of your lives. Thank you.

See more here: www.alixannlooslephotography.com

Wedding vendors on Instagram:

Florist: @velvetarmoirefloral
Bride’s Dress Shop: @ateliertami_bridal
Bride’s Shoes: @aldo_shoes
Groom’s Suit: @canali1934
Groom’s Shoes: @blundstoneusa
Jewelry: @cartier

Feeling inspired for your own special occasions? See what’s beautiful from Pendleton here: Pendleton-usa.com

Five Favorite Pendleton Wedding Gifts

May 31, 2018July 16, 2020 / pendletonwoolenmills / Leave a comment

Wedding Gifts for Everyone

Summer is wedding season, and June is here. Are you looking for the perfect wedding gift? We have some suggestions to send your newlyweds off in style! Here are our top five Pendleton wedding gift suggestions.

5. Towel for Two

A Pendleton geometric spa towel hangs on a piece of driftwood on the seashore.

The beach is a perfect place to lie side-by-side on the Pendleton Towel for Two. This big, blanket-sized towel is extra plush and soft—perfect for wrapping up together. Pure cotton terry is sheared on one side for softness, looped on the other for superior absorption. Just roll it up and take it along, thanks to the nylon carrying strap (included).

Shown above: Serrado Below: Tucson and Point Reyes

Two Pendleton spa towels, side by side.

4. Motor Robe

Originally called steamer rugs during the early 20th century, these blankets were a warm, welcome companion for those who traveled by horse-drawn carriage, train or boat. We haven’t been able to verify this, but company lore says that one was included with every new Model T sold by Henry Ford! With roots like that, you can see why this is a perfect blanket for a beginning, including a new marriage. Sturdy, warm, a fantastic indoor/outdoor throw. Each fringed motor robe is still woven in our America mills and comes with a convenient leather carrier.

See them here: Motor Robes by Pendleton

3. Bright Mesa Tabletop Linens

A table set with Pendleton Bright Mesa table linens.

Sharing meals each day is thought to be one of the keys to family happiness. Welcome the new couple to this idea with Pendleton’s Bright Mesa table linens collection. Starting the day with breakfast, sharing the day’s happenings over dinner, or taking a leisurely weekend lunch with friends is even more fun when you’re using these bright linens. The design combines iconic Pendleton motifs in a cheerful pattern that brightens up a tabletop with Placemats, Tea Towels, Table Runner and Napkins.

See the collection here: Bright Mesa

2. Fifth Avenue Throw

A row of Pendleton Fifthe Avenue throws hang on pegs.

Pendleton’s Fifth Avenue Throw feels like cashmere, but it’s woven from superfine pure merino, then softly brushed to a velvety softness. This top-of-the-line, featherweight throw is our USA mills’ most luxurious. It’s offered in plaids and stripes to match any décor, including the ever-popular Glacier Park Stripe. This throw will last for a lifetime of snuggling on the couch, reading books or watching TV together.

See them here: 5th Avenue Throw

1. Heirloom Classic Blanket

A monogrammed Pendleton bed blanket and two striped throws.

Simple, chic and timeless, the Heirloom Blanket is the ultimate gift. This warm, fleecy bed blanket is woven from merino wool, and finished with a soft satin binding that’s perfectly dyed to match. Personalize it with embroidery (in any color–including ivory for a subtle tone-on-tone effect) for an incomparable wedding gift that’s made in the USA. The lucky couple that receives this blanket as a wedding gift will use it for the rest of their lives together, and pass it down to their children.

See it here: Heirloom Classic Blanket

And if you’re wondering, it’s hanging with striped Fifth Avenue Throws.

And you can see the rest of our ideas here: Wedding Gifts from Pendleton Woolen Mills

Pendleton Wedding Wayback: Bob and Melba Stork

July 29, 2016March 17, 2021 / pendletonwoolenmills / 2 Comments

Ed. note: We are closing Wedding Month here on Pendleton Threads with the Storks, whose Pendleton wedding story spans three generations, many decades of marriage and the Grand Canyon! Enjoy.

The Stork Story

Bob and Melba Stork were shopping in Pasadena, California on a spring day in 1951 when a store window with Pendleton shirts caught their attention. They looked at several patterns and decided on a red and green plaid as an engagement gift to each other.

Bob and Melba wore traditional bridal attire when they were married on October 27th, 1951, at St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Temple City, California.

The Honeymoon

After the wedding, they left for a honeymoon trip to the Grand Canyon, where they stayed in a cabin near El Tovar. Bob set up a tripod to capture a picture of them wearing their shirts as a newly married couple.

Anniversary Plans

Fifty years later, their twin daughters and their husbands organized a golden wedding anniversary celebration for the Storks, their family and friends at the Grand Canyon. This photo was taken near the spot where the first photo was taken; a short distance from their honeymoon cabin.

Storks Anniversary, 10/2001, at the Grand Canyon

The Storks wore their shirts as jackets many times over the years of their marriage. They have been part of travels throughout the United States, and Melba said, “(they) are as bright, fashionable and warm as they were when we purchased them over sixty years ago.”

A Traditions Carries On

Bob and Melba Stork made a gift of their Pendleton engagement shirts to their granddaughter, Lauren, and her new husband, Drew.

Lauren & Drew in her grandparents' Pendleton shirts

Said Mrs. Stork, “Their wedding took place in Dallas, and all sixty of the invited friends and family enjoyed the weekend festivities.” Our congratulations to Lauren and Drew, and to Bob and Melba Stork. Sadly, Melba is no longer with us, though she is part of her family’s loving memories.

Thanks for making Pendleton part of your family traditions.

Pendleton Mountain Weddings

July 27, 2016March 17, 2021 / pendletonwoolenmills / Leave a comment

A Winter Engagement

How about a little refreshing chill in July? No matter how hot it gets in Oregon, we are never far from snow thanks to beautiful Mt. Hood, the dormant volcano that dominates the Portland skyline. Mt. Hood provided a wintry setting for these engagement photos of Sarah and Jeffrey, who were married in 2015.

Sarah and Jeffrey on the snowy slopes of Mt Hood, wrapped in a Friends of Timberline blanket.

The happy couple had their engagement photos taken on Mt. Hood. Fittingly, they are is wrapped in a Pendleton blanket woven for Friends of Timberline. This nonprofit group is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the historic Timberline Lodge (you can read more about the lodge’s fascinating history–and it is fascinating–read it here).

Congratulations!

We want to say thank-you and congratulations to Sarah and Jeffrey, who were kind enough to share their photos with us. The blanket’s striking monogram was done by a friend of the bride’s mother to commemorate the day of their wedding.

Wedding invitation on monogrammed blanket

If you’re interested in the Friends of Timberline blanket, please call the gift shop at 503-272-4436. You can find out about monogramming at our Woolen Mill Store.

A Winter Wedding

The winter wedding of Celeste Grewe and Joshua Bond took place at Camp Creek Campground in the Mt Hood National Forest. After the bridal party wended its way through a snow-carpeted forest, the couple said “I do” in front of a camp kitchen constructed for the CCC workers in 1936.

Bond wedding photography by Mike at Powers Studios.

Josh and Celeste met while working at a local snowboard shop called Exit Real World (with whom we did a collaboration some years back). The mountain has played an important part in their relationship, so it was fitting that they were married at 2200 ft elevation.

Celeste had this to say:

“We wanted our wedding to really reflect Oregon, and especially to give our out-of-town guests a great feel for the history of the state. Both our families raised us with Pendleton products. Pendleton has a longstanding history with Oregon and the Northwest. It was important to incorporate a traditional element into our wedding, which is where we got the blanket ceremony (plus it was really cold that February). It was also a wonderful way to ask our parents to be involved with the ceremony.”

First, the bride and groom were wrapped in Crater Lake National Park blankets by their fathers. This symbolized their separate lives. These blankets were removed and held by their maid of honor and best man. Then the mothers of the bride and groom wrapped them in a white Glacier National Park blanket to symbolize their shared future.

The Crater Lake blankets were presented to the mothers as gifts. Celeste said of the Glacier blanket, “It’s a show piece in our home.” She is happy with how the national park blankets hearken back to “…the early part of the 1900s, the national parks, and the CCC and WPA, and the 1940s time frame of the ring I inherited from my paternal grandmother.” photos by Mike at Powers Studios.

Again, Congratulations!

To all of our friends who have made Pendleton part of their weddings, we say, best wishes for the future. May your beginnings be sweet, and may your lives together be wonderful. Thanks for letting us be a part of both. We are always happy to monogram your blankets through our Woolen Mill Store. Find beautiful ideas for including blankets in your wedding here and on our Pinterest Weddings board.

A Beautiful Wedding in Sundance, Utah!

July 14, 2016July 21, 2021 / pendletonwoolenmills / Leave a comment

Welcome back to our wedding month!

Lisa and Paul were married March 29th 2015 in Sundance Utah.

As Paul explains, “We picked Sundance for a few reasons, we love the mountains, the venue is very rustic yet has nice amenities, and Salt Lake City is really central. Ease of transport was important as we had family coming in from both coasts.”

The couple, wrapped in a Pendleton blanket, walks the venue grounds.

Oregon as Can Be

“We wanted to incorporate as much of Oregon as we could into the event so we served Deschutes and 10 Barrel beer, Domaine Serene Chardonnay, Beaux Freres PIno Noir, and Pok Pok drinking vinegars at various events.”

“We gave out Quinn Candy, Portland Bee Balm and a lucky ceramic horse shoe by Caravan Pacific (a friend of ours) in our gift bag.”

“In that vein, what could be more Oregon than Pendleton blankets?”

rocker with a Pendleton throw by the fireplace

Wrapped in Love

“Since we were having the reception and the ceremony in different buildings, we wanted the guests to be comfortable in transit so we provided enough for the women to wear as shawls.”

“Lisa had her own, which you will see in the pictures which currently adorns a chair in our living room.”

“Sheri, the manager at the downtown Portland store, was super helpful in finding the right blankets for the occasion.”

Congratulations to the beautiful couple, and best wishes for a future as bright as the mountain sun.

photos by Mel Barlow

shop for your own blankets here: SHOP

Historic Cameron Trading Post Wedding

July 8, 2016July 21, 2021 / pendletonwoolenmills / Leave a comment

Wedding Month

July is Wedding Month for us here at Pendleton. We are starting out with a post from APracticalWedding.com, reprinted with permission. This beautiful wedding between Brenda and Donovan incorporates Navajo traditions, including Pendleton blankets. Enjoy!

Brenda and Donovan

We Made Our $10K, 120 Guest Modern Navajo Wedding Our Own

These moccasins were made for walking (down the aisle)

Arizona Wedding Photographer | LeahAndMark & Co. | Navajo | Cameron Trading Post — Arizona; Wedding; Photographer; LeahAndMark & Co.; Navajo; Cameron Trading Post

BRENDA, PE TEACHER AND GRAD STUDENT & DONOVAN, NETWORK SPECIALIST

SUM-UP OF THE WEDDING VIBE: Respectful and happy mix of traditional and modern cultures.

PLANNED BUDGET: $7,000

ACTUAL BUDGET: $9,800

NUMBER OF GUESTS: 120

WHERE WE ALLOCATED THE MOST FUNDS:

We spent most of our funds at the venue—buying hotel rooms for the wedding party, the officiant, photographer, and ourselves. We also spent a good chunk of change on the catering and cake. We wanted to make sure that everyone was comfortable and provided for.

WHERE WE ALLOCATED THE LEAST FUNDS:

Decorating. The most expensive decoration we had to purchase was the garlands, roughly $125 a piece. The rose petals were bought at the grocery stores for $12.99 and spread all around. Otherwise, the Pendleton blankets and chairs were items we already had. The rest, like the tulle and the long pieces of fabric, came from Goodwill at the price of $10 total. The ceremonial items for the altar were also items we already owned. Mother Nature took care of the rest!

My dress was incredibly inexpensive as I spent less than $200 to buy and make alterations. My moccasins were a gift and the jewelry were family heirlooms that I wore in honor of my grandmother.

WHAT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT:

The makeup artist! I could not believe the amazing job he did with everyone! We do not wear makeup on a regular basis so it was a relief to see that he knew how to make us look great for such an amazing day.

A FEW THINGS THAT HELPED US ALONG THE WAY:

A wedding coordinator was definitely needed as my family had never gone through a wedding of this fashion before. We were mixing traditional Navajo elements with a contemporary wedding, and we needed someone to guide us through the logistics of how it should look. She took care of things like helping us choose a cake, a makeup artist, and a florist and negotiating with the venue to ensure our needs were met. In a traditional Navajo wedding, there is no talk of any of that, as most weddings are performed at the homestead with everyone pitching in. In this case, we needed guidance, and she did a great job!

Our hardworking and caring family was instrumental in getting our wedding set up. The venue would only make sure it was clean and free of weeds. The rest was up to us. My family then took it upon themselves the day before the wedding to show up and set up late into the night to make sure we didn’t worry about it on the wedding day itself. They also provided the appetizers during our social hour and picked up our wedding cake in Flagstaff, Arizona, which was fifty minutes south of Cameron. We also had a trusted family member with lots of knowledge of Navajo tradition officiate the wedding. Then there were all the little details like the game we played, and someone to coordinate the packing and unpacking of everything we brought to the venue—chairs, decorations, tables, etc. The wedding would not have gone as smoothly without their help. Anything is possible with family!

MY BEST PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR MY PLANNING SELF:

Invite more people than what you have planned for. I wish I had sent out more invitations than I originally did. I invited exactly sixty people in my circle of family and friends and thought they would all come, and they didn’t, which meant there were some empty seats I could have filled with others. Lesson learned: invite more people than you planned for; it’ll work out in the end. Also, ENJOY IT! I was so consumed with making sure others were having a good time that I forgot that I was supposed to have a good time too. In hindsight, the wedding was beautiful, but I didn’t realize it till the end.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE WEDDING:

The wedding vows. We wrote our own and I felt that meant more to me than anything. We looked each other in the eyes and nothing mattered. To hear my husband tell me how he felt was an incredible feeling! Also, right before we cut our wedding cake my nephew-in-law and my son sang a traditional Navajo blessingway song. As the song progressed, my family and friends joined in and it was soon a chorus of young and old singing to bless our marriage in a good way. I was overwhelmed with love and happiness that I started to cry. It was then I felt so proud to have the culture that I do and to share it with my husband from that day forth.

OTHER NOTES:

Some people asked us why we didn’t have a true Navajo wedding, and the truth was I had already been married in that way. In Navajo tradition, you cannot marry twice out of the Navajo wedding basket so we had to get creative. I love my heritage but also respect the laws of it, and I wanted to marry in a way that was respectful but also reflected both our faith and culture. The wedding could be described as a mix of both Navajo tradition and Native American Church (NAC) practices in a contemporary format. With permission from my mother and aunts, we took what we could from our culture such as the washing of the hands and the exchanging of the dowry and incorporated prayer and blessings done with NAC paraphernalia (hawk feathers and burning of cedar) and then added the contemporary elements like my dad walking me down the aisle and the exchanging of the rings. The result was a wedding that had such deep meaning for both of us.

This post includes one or more of our sponsors, who are a key part of supporting APW. Check out theDirectory page for Leah and Mark Photography.

THE INFO:

A Very Lebowski Wedding

December 22, 2011August 3, 2021 / pendletonwoolenmills / 3 Comments

Fisher + Johnson

This past fall, Zoe Fisher and Matt Johnson tied the knot under an ancient tree in Portland’s Laurelhurst Park. The bride was beautiful and the groom was handsome, but here at Pendleton, our attention was drawn to the row of attending men.

There they are, standing proud in our Dude Cardigan, Pendleton’s tribute to the Westerley worn by Jeff Bridges as The Dude in “The Big Lebowski.”

All the Details

I was able to talk to Zoe to talk about her wedding last week, and the first thing I asked her was, did her wedding have an official theme? “It was Portland,” said Zoe. “Just Portland. My husband’s family is from the East coast and this was going to be their first trip out here. So we wanted the wedding to reflect Portland as much as it could.”

Marrying in red is a bold choice. It’s a fantastic color, and Zoe’s dress has a definite Adele vibe. Was it new or vintage? “Both, kind of. I found a vintage 1950s Butterick pattern on eBay and gave it to a Portland seamstress named Skye Blue. She’s into sustainable and upcycled designs, so I knew she’d be up for an unconventional wedding dress. I gave her the pattern and fabric I found for $6.00 a yard at the Fabric Depot.”

And look what she did with it!

The dress was new and old. Zoe added something borrowed and something blue with the Chanel Nouvelle Vague nail polish, owned and applied by a friend.

Zoe was ready to get married in style. But what about the men?

The Fisher + Johnson Wedding party in Laurelhurst Park - the Dudes

Two occurrences had the bride-and-groom-to-be thinking about having the male members of the wedding party in Pendleton sweaters.

Last December, Zoe saw a feature in Portland Bride magazine that used the Pendleton Jerome cardigan. “It definitely fit in with our theme. Pendleton is the Portland brand.”

Photo of bride & groom (models) from Portland Bride magazine, used with permission

Then in May of 2011, The Oregonian ran a feature on the Dude Cardigan, a tribute version of the cardigan worn in a movie that, well, it means a lot to Matt and Zoe. “We’re basically obsessed with The Big Lebowski. So much so that we quote it almost every day.”

The stars were set to align. But a call to the downtown Portland Pendleton store was worrisome. “The ship date was really close to the wedding, and they’d pre-sold most of the stock before it even arrived. We were on the waiting list!”

Zoe decided to go to the store in person to look at other sweater options. When she arrived, associates were unpacking Dude sweaters and making calls. And once Zoe saw the cardigan in person, no other would do.

The Fisher + Johnson Wedding party in Laurelhurst Park - the Dudes and the groom

That’s where Pendleton people stepped in. Sheri Vanderpool, manager at Portland Pendleton, says, “Associate Michelle Seyer worked with Zoe personally, calling all around the country.” Michelle kept calling until she found enough for Matt’s three groomsmen, and Zoe’s best friend Jazz, who was one of her attendants. The sweaters came from every geographic region.

“We bought the sweaters and gave them as attendant gifts,” explains Zoe. “My dad was a little pouty that he didn’t get to wear one, but I said, no Dad, you’re the father of the bride. You wear a suit.” And of course, the groom Matt wanted one, too. He may or may not be getting one for Christmas. Matt will just have to wait and see on December 25th.

The event was captured on film by Heather Bayles, a Portland photographer who allowed us to use these shots. Ms. Bayles took the pre-wedding shots at the Nines Hotel and the reception photos at the Bossanova Ballroom. Y

The very Oregon flowers were provided by Quince .

A big thanks to Zoe and Matt for allowing us to share in their very Lebowski wedding, and a special thanks to Zoe for sharing all the details that went into planning an event of so much heart, soul and style.

When complimented on her bravery for planning an outdoor wedding in Portland’s fall weather, she said, “Well, we decorated our save-the-date cards with an umbrella.” Did the wedding party have umbrellas, just in case? That idea made Zoe laugh. “We’re natives! We don’t do umbrellas!”

Congratulations, Zoe and Matt Johnson, and here’s to a beautiful future together. And if the Johnsons have inspired you to investigate some creative choices for your wedding, come see us online or at one of our stores. We’d be happy to make it happen for you.