Justin & Stephanie’s                                                                                   

European Inspired Wedding in the Pacific Northwest

 

Engagement in Paris - Inspiration

Justin Dowd and Stephanie Hughes dreamed of having a European inspired wedding in the Pacific Northwest. Their adventure began when Justin proposed to Stephanie in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on their first trip to Europe. Justin and Stephanie were swept off their feet by the photographers at L’Amour de Paris for a whirlwind tour of world-famous landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Pont Alexandre III, and Petit Palais. The couple took engagement photos and video running around the streets of Paris and had a memorable celebration dinner with family in the Michelin Star Le Relais Plaza at the Hotel Plaza Athenee. They ended the evening with a sunset cruise on the Seine River taking in the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower. It was a truly memorable experience they will never forget!

​

Inspired by their travels, Justin and Stephanie wanted to bring the same sense of love, excitement, sophistication, and magic they felt during their Paris engagement trip to their loved ones – From Paris, with Love. The photos and video from Justin and Stephanie’s engagement from L’Amour de Paris were used to create the wedding website and invitations designed by the bride. Authentic photos of the bride and groom at famous Paris landmarks during their engagement trip were also used for theme specific décor at the reception. Sweetlife Photographers Jake and Anna Tenney, a husband-and-wife team, then did an amazing job as the fine art film and digital photographers for this love story of Justin and Stephanie’s European inspired wedding in the Pacific Northwest. Alesia Films thoughtfully crafted an elegant film through digital and 8mm vintage formats, using the emotion of the bride and groom’s vows and they also provided drone shots from overhead throughout the wedding day.

​

Wedding Ceremony at Villa Catalana Cellars

Justin and Stephanie chose Villa Catalana Cellars for the ceremony venue as the perfect location to share their love story. This is a European-style villa inspired by the Romansch architecture of a 12th-century church in Barcelona, Spain that is in Oregon City! Family and friends from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Illinois and Montreal, Canada were invited to the wedding with a virtual passport. Justin and Stephanie wanted family and friends to feel like they had traveled to a new destination where they hoped guests would experience the dreams, ideas, and inspirations that made their wedding at Villa Catalana possible. Wedding guests were invited to stroll through the gardens, enjoy the beauty of the villa, and listen to live European-style guitar music by Mariano and Masud from the cupola. The live music was infused throughout the villa grounds so guests could hear the music as they toured the gardens. Family and friends gathered inside the conservatory tasting room and under the grape arbor for honey lavender lemonade and custom decorated, wedding themed, shortbread cookies by Heavenly Scrumptious. Then everyone joined together in the outdoor Lakeside Amphitheatre for the wedding ceremony overlooking Villa Catalana.

​

Wedding Ceremony Highlights

Highlights of the wedding ceremony included custom written vows by the bride and groom that included words from the love letters Justin and Stephanie wrote to each other during their 10-year courtship! They were just 15- and 16-year-old first loves when they met and started their amazing love story! During the ceremony, the bride and groom surprised their parents with a tribute called, “The Gift of Good Parents.” Pastor Brad Brucker from Epic House church in Sherwood, Oregon shared “God’s Love in Marriage” with words of wisdom from The Bible for the bride and groom. 

​

Wedding Ceremony Fashions

Stephanie wore a Delicate Lace Sweetheart Ballgown Wedding Dress by designer Martina Liana from True Society White Dress and a second look Willowby by Watters Cecilia Convertible-Sleeve Corset Lace Wedding Gown from BHLDN at Anthropologie for dancing at the reception. Justin wore a BOSS Hugo Wool Black Tuxedo, white dress shirt with white brass/onyx cuff link and studio set, and a black satin bow tie from Nordstrom. Stephanie’s Maid of Honor was her sister Christine Hughes and Justin’s Best Man was his brother Joel Dowd. The couple’s childhood through college age friends served as attendants. The bridesmaids wore The Mia Dress in Neutral Champagne from Birdy Grey with pearl necklaces and earrings from Altar’d State. The groomsmen wore Vera Wang Black Super 130S tuxedos and white dress shirts with black and gold jewelry from The Men’s Warehouse. The adorable Flower Girl was Aria Baldwin who wore a flower crown from Blum Design in Flowers and a white, lace, tea length, flower girl dress, Model 1033, from HerMajestyFlowerGirl on Etsy. Blossom & Beauty provided hair and make-up for the bridesmaids and groomsmen who got ready in the fabulous bridal party suites at The Arc Light Event Space with brunch charcuterie boards from The Hive Catering. The bridal party was transported from the Arc Light to Villa Catalana for the wedding ceremony by Aspen Limousine. 

​

Wedding Ceremony Floral Design

Jordan Gladow and her team from Blum Design in Flowers created an extraordinary floral arch, bouquets and boutonnieres for the bridal party and they added floral accents to the gardens to surround Villa Catalana with love. The bridal bouquet included light pink, dark pink, apricot, orange and cream-colored heirloom roses, with lavender, sweet pea, zinnia, & snapdragon accents, tied with vintage lace from Paris.

​

Wedding Ceremony Musical Highlights

Musical highlights during the wedding ceremony included famous guitarists Mariano and Masud from El Gaucho in downtown Portland who played European style music and a special instrumental arrangement of Taylor Swift’s “Lover” as the processional. Vocalist Catherine Van Der Salm sang “La Vie en Rose” in French and English as a tribute to family members from Montreal, Canada who traveled over 3,000 miles for the wedding. In a scene reminiscent of The Sound of Music, a trio of singers from In Mulieribus sang “Climb Every Mountain” for the recessional as the bride and groom made their way up the path to the Villa Catalana balcony which overlooked the Lakeside Amphitheatre where the ceremony took place. Guitarists Mariano and Masud also played a special version of “A Distant Dream” by the Texas Gypsies as the postlude which was the music selected by the producers of Justin and Stephanie’s engagement video from L’Amour de Paris.

​

Heartfelt Words in the Wedding Program

The wedding program included a request for everyone to “Do Everything in Love” along with the words from 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7. The program also included a thank you to wedding guests with the following heartfelt message from Justin and Stephanie:

“To our family and friends, words cannot express the joy that we feel having you here to share the beginning of our lives together. You are our favorite people in the world. You have made us who we are and for that we are forever grateful. Love, Justin & Stephanie”

​

Reception at Amaterra Winery 

Amaterra Winery was chosen as the reception venue right as construction was completed. Amaterra is now a new state-of-the-art event space, restaurant, and winery, located in Portland’s West Hills, which was inspired by the Pacific Northwest. Wedding reception guests were invited to celebrate the marriage of Justin Dowd and Stephanie Hughes with a French Provencial Garden Party in the Skyline Ballroom. Jordan Gladow, founder and designer for Blum Design in Flowers, worked collaboratively with Stephanie to produce an extraordinary overall design based on the bride’s favorite flowers, creative vision, and color palette inspired by Guerlain Paris. Guests were also invited to experience the Guerlain Paris perfumes and colognes during the reception to make our wedding guests feel as special as the bride and groom! Stephanie and Justin experienced how special Guerlain fragrances were while on their engagement trip to Paris. In line with our French Provencial Garden Party theme, Blum Design by Flowers beautifully decorated every table in the Skyline Ballroom with fresh flowers from the Guerlain Paris color palette, lighted candles, gold accents, European treasures and tableware by Great Jones NW. Primrose Gold Mirrors from Anthropologie were adorned with flowers while being used as backdrops and signage reminiscent of Versailles.

​

Amaterra Executive Chef Jami Flatt and his culinary team prepared a gourmet dinner of Cedar Roasted Glazed Salmon, Roasted Beef Strip Loin and Market Vegetable Risotto showcasing the seasonal bounty of the local Beaverton Farmer’s Market along with Willamette Valley Greens and Olive and Herb Fagoza Bread. Chef Jami also created a special updated recipe for the salmon sauce inspired by a family recipe that he graciously presented to guests at the reception. The signature cocktails were a “La Vie en Rose” life in pink drink for the bride and the “Honeymoon” tropical drink for the groom. The wedding cake was lovingly created by La Provence Boulangerie & Patisserie, the bistro and cafe location for Justin and Stephanie’s special occasion dates and celebrations! Petit fours of honey lavender cake topped with real lavender, champagne cake with pink roses, and French macarons were served as desserts.

​

Our Bridal Bliss Operations Manager & Lead Planner Ari Busch and Amaterra Event Sales Coordinator Katie Carver gave us expert recommendations for experienced vendors to source the bride and groom’s creative vision. We were able to elevate the sophistication of the already impressive Amaterra Skyline Ballroom with drapery by Drew Bergerson of Runestone Events, uplighting and custom logo projection by Tanner Devereux of Greenlight Creative, and special event rentals by Makayla Katona of Arden Event Collective. We cannot thank our expert representatives and their teams enough for helping us bring to life our European inspired wedding in the Pacific Northwest! You helped make our dreams come true!

​

The Terrace Lawn at Amaterra, with all its natural Pacific Northwest beauty, a stunning 30-foot-high natural rock waterfall and reflecting pools, was accentuated with additional flowers from Blum Design in Flowers, English Garden theme specific greenery from Cornell Farm Nursery, and Spring floral artistic displays from Altar’d State. A four-tiered Italian fountain from Terra Casa was decorated by Blum Design in Flowers and centered on the Terrace Lawn. Guests were invited to enjoy appetizers and refreshments on the Terrace Lawn followed by a gourmet dinner, live music, toasts, and wedding cake in the Skyline Ballroom. The Tracy Kim Quartet with special guest Gavin Bondy from Pink Martini played French Café music for the reception. 

The bride and groom’s first dance was to Taylor Swift’s “Lover,” followed by parents’ dances to “When You Wish Upon a Star” by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington (Disney) and “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. The bridal bouquet was caught by Mia George who got engaged to Justin’s cousin and groomsman McKinley Gillum the day after the wedding. Congrats!

​

Guests then joined the bride and groom for an after party with DJ Vinnie Toma and dancing before sending off the newlyweds with a parade of cascading sparklers by DJ Cutt Entertainment as the couple began their life of adventure together. 

 

Honeymoon in Europe

For their honeymoon, the bride and groom went to the Amalfi Coast of Italy, with visits to Naples, Sorento, Positano, Rome, and Paris, France. Justin and Stephanie’s hearts and minds were awhirl with all the adventure! On their wedding day, the newlyweds had the time of their lives with family and friends who gave them enough memories to last a lifetime! Justin and Stephanie are so thankful and grateful for the generosity of heart, spirit, love and support our family, friends and event professionals showed while joining the bride and groom on the adventure of their European inspired wedding in the Pacific Northwest! And then what happened next? Justin & Stephanie lived happily ever after!!!

​

Lovingly written by Lori Pratt-Hughes, Mother of the Bride