As I’ve gotten to know Lauren and Abdul, I have fallen in love with their love story. When reminiscing on when they knew each other was “the one”, Lauren said it was when he calmed her down and comforted her as she went through an emotional time in her life. Abdul knew he was ready to marry Lauren after spending 3 weeks away from home. He missed her SO much and never wanted to imagine life without her. I am so stinkin’ happy they found their way to each other! They love to share laughs and have loads of fun together. They brought their style and visions together to create the ultimate aesthetic wedding at The Evergreen in Portland, and they knew from the beginning that this day was going to be about the time spent with their friends and family.

The love that radiated from Lauren and Abdul on their wedding day was gorgeous. I was obsessed with every ounce of it! Their wedding took place at The Evergreen in Southeast Portland. It is a stunning venue that feels like the perfect marriage (pun 100% intended!) of vintage and modern. It imitates a vintage gymnasium with wood floors, high windows, brick, and lootttsss of plants. One of my favorite touches had to be the iconic wallpaper in the bridal suite. You know I had to use it for alllll the epic photos!

Lauren and Abdul wanted their wedding day to be unique, and it was!

For starters, their ceremony was in the evening in the winter. Typically, I advise my couples against this. Evening weddings in the winter mean less natural lighting and that doesn’t always result in great photos. But, Lauren and Abdul knew their vision and believed in it! I ended up loving the unique vibe they had curated for their ceremony. String lights draped across the venue and loads of candles were lit creating an ambient glow. The photos ended up so moody and gorgeous!

These sweet lovers wanted to focus on the quality time they could spend with friends and family on such an important day. So, we captured the big photos but steered away from a lot of posed or “forced” portraits allowing them to have more time with their loved ones! As I mentioned, winter weddings tend to have less natural lighting. It can be hard to find a photographer who knows how to shoot in low lighting and do it well. I am SO glad they trusted me! We had to be strategic — use the flash on important photos, shoot in low lighting where it’s not as crucial. So, we kept the flash on for their processionals and recessionals but during the ceremony itself kept it low key with the ambient lighting the venue provided.

The love was totally in the air!

Friends and family shared toasts and laughed over dinner as they sat at round tables covered in elegant linens and adorable floral touches. I love seeing people come together for events like weddings because you can truly feel how important the day is to everyone in attendance. Smiles, happy tears, laughs, and more filled the venue as the wedding day carried on late into the night. While guests were partying on the dance floor I snuck Lauren and Abdul out for some late night portraits. This whole wedding at The Evergreen was tons of fun, but I had the MOST fun when we were shooting these portraits. As we headed outside I told Lauren and Abdul to think “Vogue after party” and they absolutely ate it UP! It was such a blast.

The gorgeous couple danced under streetlights and snuck behind closed doors resulting in the cutest couple photos. I wish these two endless years of laughter and love, and I know they’re going to be smiling ear to ear the whole time!