wedding

A Wintry Elopement in Colorado

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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.

The groom, officiant, and bride.

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:

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

Pendleton Wedding Wayback: Bob and Melba Stork

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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.

Storks Wedding, 10/27/1951

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.

Storks honeymooning at the Grand Canyon

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
Lauren & Drew, Robert & Melba

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

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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).

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

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.

PWM_USA_label

Pendleton & Weddings

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The Fisher/Johnsons

Here at Pendleton, we are so moved when people take the time to let us know the special ways they incorporate Pendleton into their lives. And that includes weddings!

Heather Bayles Photography

Quite a few editorial shoots use us for wedding or engagement photos.  But when we’re used as part of an actual wedding, as we were in the wedding of Zoe Fisher and Matt Johnson (photos by Heather Bayles Photography), we are incredibly proud.

The Storks

Pendleton played a part in the engagement of Bob and Melba Stork. They 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.

Storks Wedding, 10/27/1951

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.

The Storks in 1951 at the Grand Canyon

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

The Storks have worn their shirts as jackets many times over the 61 years of their marriage. They have been part of travels throughout the United States, and Melba says, “(they) are as bright, fashionable and warm as they were when we purchased them 61 years ago.”

Bob and Melba Stork were married 61 years on October 27, 2012. Bob is 93, and Melba is a bit younger. They still travel, but they won’t be taking their Pendleton shirts with them anymore. They are passing them down to their granddaughter, Lauren, and her fiance, Drew, who will be married this coming February. We will count ourselves lucky to get a photo of the “kids” in these shirts.

The Grewe Bonds

The next wedding we’re going to show you took place last winter, when Celeste Grewe and Joshua Bond said “I do” at Camp Creek Campground in the Mt Hood National Forest. After the bridal party wended its way through a snow-carpeted forest, the ceremony took place in front of the camp kitchen 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 last 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.” As you watch the slideshow (photos by Mike at Powers Studios), watch for other Pendleton items on the guests and bridal party.

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.

Happy New Year!

A Very Lebowski Wedding

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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.

The Fisher + Johnson Wedding party in Laurelhurst Park
All the Young Dudes…

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!

Zoe in her wedding dress

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.

Buckle detail, and nail polish

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.

The Fisher + Johnson Wedding party in Laurelhurst Park

“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!”

The Fisher + Johnson Wedding party in Laurelhurst Park

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.