Emily Bowler and Trevor Dodge
February 8, 2014
Ceremony & Reception:
Emily Bowler, 29, thought that having snow on her wedding day would be romantic, but being hit with one of the worst snow and ice storms in recent years was a bit too “Be careful what you wish for.” Yet she and her groom Trevor Dodge, 32, wouldn’t let the frightful Portland weather stop them from throwing a party to remember.
A snowstorm was the furthest thing from the couple’s mind when Trevor proposed to Emily during a spring weekend trip to Napa, California. Fast-forward to February in Portland, the wedding was planned and the couple was hoping the weather would hold. On their big day, they woke up to a snow-covered city and critical wardrobe questions. Emily had pieced together an elegant bridal skirt from Ann Taylor with a champagne silk tank from Alexander Wang, but just in case, she brought her grandmother’s vintage mink fur that turned out to be perfect for the frigid temperatures. Members of the wedding party were troopers as they traipsed through frigid 20-degree temperatures to capture lasting images for the bride and groom. They even took pictures in front of the spot where Emily and Trevor first met, the 24 Hour Fitness in the Pearl District of Portland.
Intimacy and elegance was important for the special day, while also keeping it simple and understated. Emily and Trevor wanted the wedding to feel “more like a party than a traditional wedding,” with people up, talking and dancing. The couple chose Union/Pine, a converted warehouse space in Southeast Portland that is flooded with natural light and tastefully decorated with vintage finds. In other words, an ideal location for their traditional (and at times hilarious) standing-room-only ceremony. Kicking off the party, DJ Nature dropped “Good Life” by Kanye West and the dancefloor filled up. Instead of having a sit-down dinner, wedding guests munched on passed and plated appetizers, bite-size desserts and drinks to shrug off the cold. Continuing with the playful vibe, oversize balloons floated by guests, and tic-tac-toe boards provided for fun distractions. Decorated with white flowers and black-and-gold details, Union/Pine provided the backdrop for a soiree to warm a cold winter’s night.
A honeymoon to Maui is planned for the summer, but in the meantime the couple makes their home in Southwest Portland where Emily is a marketing project manager and Trevor is a mortgage banker.
