You do not want to miss the story of this sweet backyard Covid-19 era microwedding that took place this fall in Vancouver, Washington! It has me melting still months later. First of all, I have to express my utmost gratitude to these families and couples who trust me during these crazy times to come into their homes and lives to capture the most beautiful day! Thank you thank you one million times over.
Lets jump right in! “Microweddings“, or intimate weddings, have become more popular in the Pacific Northwest prior, but since Covid-19 hit the idea of a wedding has had to shift. There are now so many factors to consider when getting married in 2020: the safety of your loved ones, travel and/or state restrictions, higher risk individuals, just to name a few. This wedding was one of the smallest I did this year but also one of the sweetest! The wedding guests included: the next door neighbor (officiant) and her husband, the brides parents, and the brides brother (and his wife and daughter). So 9 people total including bride and groom!
Rewinding a few years… Audrey grew up in the US and Mehdi is from Australia. They both, strangers at the time, decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail solo and start the hike on the same day. If you don’t know this trail it is a 2,650 mile trek from Mexico to Canada and takes roughly 5-6 months to complete. I am in awe of anyone who chooses to take this adventure and think its so incredibly badass. Audrey and Mehdi met on day 1 of their hike and spent the remainder of the PCT together growing and getting to know one another. What are the odds?! Here they were thinking they would experience months of relative solitude and instead fell into each others laps right off the bat! If this doesn’t test any relationship with another human I don’t know what would.
Due to immigration laws Mehdi had to return to Australia after completing the PCT. They spent months doing long distance, Audrey spent a decent chunk of time in Australia, and then covid hit. Mehdi and Audrey were supposed to get married in early 2020 but travel restrictions kept him from getting here until October. The moment his 2 week quarantine was up they didn’t waste a moment throwing together this amazing backyard bash and tying the knot. You’ll see some photos below of their trekking poles lining the aisle, their backpacking tents set up in the yard, and their hiking boots, all representing the beginning of what is their love story!
Audreys sister in law did a lot of the design and floral arrangements using Dahlias grown on the property, her brother filmed footage and managed the zoom call, her parents hosted in their gorgeous backyard, and the next door neighbors were officiant and cocktail extraordinaire. I can’t forget the precious floral girl and doggy ring bearer! Everyone had a role and it came together so beautifully. The images are beautiful but their stories are what make them that much more special.
If you have any questions or concerns about getting married in 2021 please reach out! I currently still have a handful of dates open and would love to help tell your love story. Find my contact form here.
If you’d like to check out another example of a Covid-era wedding here’s the link to a Coastal smaller wedding reception and ceremony or a Columbia Gorge intimate wedding.
