Portland Destination Wedding Photographer // A Magical Garvan Woodland Gardens Wedding

We are thrilled to announce that Sun & Sparrow has been featured for this magical wedding at Anthony Chapel at the Garvan Woodland Gardens. Courtney & Stephen’s wedding feature can be seen on Boho Bride. The day was wonderful and we were honored to be a part of it.

The Couple: Courtney & Stephen

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Courtney and Stephen are such wonderful people. It was really fun to get to know them as a couple while planning their wedding, and it has been even better to get to know them as friends. They love to travel and are energized by life, living life to the fullest in as many ways as possible. The two of them are also very silly, with a very intuitive approach to life and a deep connection to the people around them. It is hard not to be their friend once you get around them as they are incredibly magnetic people!

Courtney is from Los Angeles, specifically the South Bay. We actually grew up going to the same schools and running in similar circles, and we were friends when we were younger. Read a little more about my friendship with Courtney on the blog I made about their beautiful engagement session in the Columbia Gorge!

Courtney and Stephen’s relationship began serendipitously as they moved to O’ahu from different places after college. The day they met, Stephen was going to an ultimate frisbee tournament while Courtney was set to borrow a friend’s car who happened to be playing in the same tournament. Courtney, by chance, decided to go to the pre-tournament welcome party where she and Stephen hit it off. By the end of the day, they were across the street together, having mochi ice cream and ice cream cake, which became a tradition for them as they built a strong friendship that grew into the love they cherish today.

The Venue: A Garvan Woodland Gardens Wedding at Anthony Chapel

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This venue was a dream. Garvan Woodland Gardens is a botanical garden in Arkansas. It just so happened that it sat right in the path of the Solar Eclipse, so it worked out that Courtney and Stephen were able to book, what felt to me like the perfect venue for their incredibly meaningful wedding.

Being there in the spring blew me away. I had never seen a garden so beautiful before. There were so many colors and pathways with wonderful things to see. I loved the waterfalls, bridges, lakeside views and treehouses. It was shocking to see all of that beauty in one space, and I was so happy that Courtney and Stephen chose me to be a part of their beautiful destination wedding.

The Wedding Day: A Once In a Lifetime Eclipse Themed Wedding

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The Wedding Day

Being the only shooter at Courtney and Stephen’s wedding was a wild ride. I started by arriving at Chittum Venue and doing multiple sets of flat lay, while jumping between Courtney and Stephen’s rooms doing different sets of getting ready pictures. It was like I was acting as two photographers at once. Both of them had so much fun.

The First Look

Eventually we went to the Gardens to have their first look. Their first look was on a bridge near the entrance of the garden, with Japanese maple colors arching over it that perfectly matched their wedding colors. It was a great way to start their portraits. After their first look we went immediately into wedding party pictures so we could zoom around the wedding venue to get romantics done. We only had thirty minutes to get their romantic photos done so I am incredibly proud that we were able to get so many amazing photos!

Anthony Chapel

The wedding was in the most beautiful chapel. Anthony chapel has head to toe beauty with glass walls and an amazing architectural design. It felt like magic being in there. Seeing Courtney and Stephen getting married was a blast because of all of the sentiment that they added into their wedding.

Reception

They rented a vintage car to travel from the ceremony to the reception, and then the reception was one of the most fun receptions I’ve ever experienced because it was full of swing dancing, which is a big part of Courtney and Stephen’s relationship.

The day after the wedding, there was an eclipse viewing party. I was so glad that I brought my camera to that event because I did not anticipate how breathtaking an eclipse would be. To be there with all of the people I had grown to become friends with over the course of my time in Arkansaas was very special as well. The real connection that Courtney and Stephen have with their friends definitely shows in the friends that they brought along on this adventure.

An Eclipse-Themed Wedding

Travel is a stream that has always run through Courtney & Stephen’s relationship. They often take time to visit special places and take adventures together. I love hearing about the beautiful and interesting spaces they get to enjoy together, so of course, travel and experience were woven throughout their wedding.

In 2020, the couple planned another one of their many adventures to see a solar eclipse in Chile. Unfortunately, their plans had to be put on hold as the world struggled through the global pandemic. “By April 2020, over 80% of flight movements were restricted across all regions” (Wikipedia). Once that happened, they decided that they would have to go see the eclipse in 2024, and ended up planning their wedding around it.

They searched across the eclipse path for National Parks, and glass chapels, and came across Anthony Chapel in Hot Springs National Park. This venue featured so many of the things they were looking for that they decided to use it for their wedding. Their love of nature and travel were encapsulated by the national park, while Anthony Chapel mirrored Wayfarers Chapel in Palos Verdes, where Courtney’s parents were married.

Eclipse Themed Wedding Gallery

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Portland Destination Wedding Photographer: Sun & Sparrow

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As a photographer, based in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, I really love working with couples all over the West Coast. Courtney and Stephen live close to my Pacific Northwest base, so I was excited when we were able to connect and they told me that their vision clicked with my work. I travel a lot for weddings, so when they told me about Garvan Woodland Gardens I was immediately excited to work with them.

Whether you are getting married near Portland, or somewhere else, I would love to talk to you about being your Portland Destination Wedding photographer. The most important thing I look for is that your vision connects with my work and that you connect with me. Fill out the form on our inquiry page today so we can start the process for you to get the dreamy wedding photos and connected experience you deserve!

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