Chris and Eileen 's Wedding in Packwood, Washington

The story of our wedding

Wow, wedding planning during a pandemic, what a wild ride! Our wedding planning experience from beginning to end simply didn't go as planned. It was really challenging to find vendors because a lot of in person services where not available, and it was hard to make plans knowing that it could all be cancelled at any time. We had to change locations and even our wedding date! We went with an elopement, hoping that at least our parents could be there and if not that we'd still be able to carry on with just the two of us and our dogs! We both work in healthcare and this pandemic seriously changed a lot of how we do things this year! It's made our jobs more challenging and it definitely changed our wedding plans, but we go into uncertainty ready for it because we're in it together. We couldn't let something so dark decide whether or not we would get married. We wanted to put joy and light back into the world during this time!We did a lot of DIY and ordering online. Chris's mom and her friend (also named Chris) where amazing they did all the food planning and beautiful signage. Chris's dad and his friend Barry are grill masters, they fired up the smokers the day of. Barry also officiated, which turned out beautifully. Our photographer was our ROCK she was incredibly supportive through all the changes, and flexible when we went from a small wedding to an elopement. We started our day in Yakima, with a breakfast board in mimosas at our house while a friend did my hair and makeup. My grandma lives in Yakima, we where bummed that she couldn't come singer we're so close. We drove over to her house so she could see my dress first from a distance, that was a special moment for us. Then we hopped into our cars and headed up to the venue in Packwood! Packwood is a small town a lot of people may not know about, but it's special to us! It's a beautiful and easy drive for us so we often came up for hikes and weekend getaways while we where dating; and it's where we got engaged last year!The venue we chose was an air bnb called the Cozy Cabin in Packwood Washington, nestled along the Kowlitz river. This a frame cabin was the perfect setting for a romantic forest wedding, and the sound of the water in the background throughout the day was beautiful. Our parents where our guests, and our sweet dogs where our wedding party! The cabin has a loft that was perfect for getting ready, and I touched up my hair and makeup in the tiny bathroom overlooking the river. We exchanged our handwritten vows on the peninsula jetting our over the river at the edge of the property, while our dogs wandered around us. My furbabies walked me down the "aisle" around the side of the house along the river, and up to the deck. Actually one of them was very excited so he ran ahead, leading the way! Our officiant said some beautiful words that we are so grateful we got to start our marriage off with, and we said our "I do's" in the presence of our family.After signing our license we popped some champagne and had a little reception! The groom started a fire in the outdoor pit, we did some family photos, and sat down to dinner together around a 12 foot table. After dinner, we cut the cake and kept enjoying each other's company. After everyone helped us clean up and we said our goodbyes, we had our first dance, just the two of us by the fire. We didn't go on a honeymoon (Yet!) due time travel restrictions. We took a couple days in Packwood and then it was back to emergency med for us! We love to help people, and we wouldn't have it any other way. We could have rescheduled our wedding for next year, and we understand why alot of couples do that; everyone deserves to have the wedding of their dreams! For us being together, expressing our commitment and love for each other was the core of what our dream wedding would be. When we kept that in mind everything just fell into place. We feel blessed that we're healthy, our families are healthy and that we got to have a beautiful day in nature to open this new chapter in our lives together.