Cayla + Graham's Camping Wedding in Central Oregon

Bend / Lakefront / Summer Camp Wedding

Julia Duke Photo

Photographer- Julia Duke Photo

Planning- Ponderosa Planning

Dress- The Bespoke Bride

Hair- K & Co Bridal and Hairstyling

Makeup- Cassidy Elise Artistry

Custom Wedding Bands- Chaparral Jewelry

Earrings- Alpenglow Jewelry

Footwear- Chacos

Getting Ready Location- East Lake Resort

Rehearsal Catering- La Paella Bend

Reception Catering- El Sancho

Rentals- Central Event Rentals

Dishware- Human Eco Consulting

Julia Duke Photo

Cayla and Graham's love story started in Olympia, Washington and grew to a committed partnership when they moved to Central Oregon in 2018. But my love story with this couple started many years ago as Cayla's best friend. This is a story about their wedding and how Ponderosa Planning started!

Cayla and I have watched each other grow for a decade through love and heartache, careers and cross-state moves. When she met Graham, I knew she had found her forever partner. Graham proposed during a climbing trip in Red Rocks, Nevada in 2019. The outdoors have always been the place they treasure spending time together.

Being the type-A, organizational planner friend that I am, I jumped in to planning their wedding for the following summer. Luckily, Cayla obliged. I poured over outdoorsy wedding inspiration online, researched vendor options, and created an excessive number of excel spreadsheets. I woke up every morning excited to work on building their special day. About a month into this process, Cayla looked at me and said, "dude-- you need to do this as your job." It was one of life's lightbulb moments. All of the work experience and skills I had honed in the years leading up to this combined towards one obvious conclusion: wedding planning.

Julia Duke Photo

As I planned their wedding, I also jumped headfirst into creating this business. We went wedding dress shopping at The Bespoke Bride where Cayla unexpectedly found her dress and I unexpectedly made a mentorship connection with the owner, Jenn. Fast forward 2+ years and I'm confident I wouldn't be where I am today without that serendipitous moment.

In April 2020, Cayla and Graham made the painstaking decision to postpone their wedding until 2021. As one of many couples impacted by the pandemic, they handled it with grace and flexibility even in the face of so many unknowns. In the course of the next six months, their plans kept evolving but always for the better. Serendipity continued to bless them, and me, even in the darkness of covid disappointment. Their wedding plans got better and better, and my business continued to grow slowly but mightily.

Cayla and Graham have always loved camping, hiking, and being outdoors together with their two dogs. We were able to build an epic summer solstice wedding weekend that celebrated their love of Central Oregon, the place that brought them together, with an intimate group of people who have always supported them. Their wedding was based at a campground on the shores of East Lake at the Newberry Caldera National Monument. It was the ultimate summer camp wedding weekend with paddle boarding, play time on the beach, bonfires, and camping amongst the pines at the lake.

Cayla and her bride squad got ready at a cabin at East Lake Resort. Bridesmaids wore all shades of teal, while the matron of honor and maid of honor wore rust. The matron of honor Aya put together a beautiful brunch spread complete with mimosas in Hydroflasks. The bride and groom wore Chacos, the quintessential summer footwear for these Central Oregonians. Their custom wedding bands have the topographical line of the caldera engraved into them. Friends and family contributed with flower arrangements, signage, and mismatched glassware for the bar. The ceremony was lakefront, followed by a joyous reception with margaritas, tacos, heartfelt toasts, a dance party on the campsite's dirt floor, a bonfire, and ending the night with skinny dipping in East Lake.

This summer camp wedding was one of the most memorable weekends of my own life, because I was able to witness the union of my very best friend to her forever person after 18 months of patiently waiting. It was also the culmination of the inspiration for my business, something I am so proud to reflect on to this day.