The McLean House Portland | A Rainy, Joyful Wedding Day
A perfect, imperfect day — and I cried. On record.
Let me just say this upfront: I don't cry at weddings. Ask anyone. But Dustin's reaction when he saw Rachel for the first time? I was done. Full tears. Happy ones.
I've known Rachel since she was in middle school — she's my ex-cousin, which is its own kind of bond that doesn't go away just because life changes shape — and watching her be loved that well, by someone who looked at her like Dustin did in that moment, got me. It really got me.
The day started quietly, just the two of them, with a private vow reading before anything else. That choice set the tone for everything that followed — intentional, intimate, and completely theirs.
Then the rain showed up.
Oregon is going to Oregon, and nobody was surprised, but the McLean House was ready. A white tent went up over the garden and honestly? It was better for it. The lush greenery pressed right up against the tent walls, pink rhododendrons blazing in the background, and "The Hundleys" glowing in neon above them as they exchanged vows. The whole thing felt like a secret garden that happened to have a dance floor.
For dinner, they went with Sizzle Pie — and I'll say it plainly: more weddings should do this. There is nothing more joyful than a long table covered in pizza while people in formal wear load up their plates like it's the best idea anyone's ever had. Because it is.
The cake fell over. The dancing started anyway.
Toasts were made — heartfelt, funny, real ones — including one from the bride's twin brother Brandon, who I happen to play Dungeons & Dragons with every week, so I may be biased, but his was my favorite. The kind of speech that makes you feel like you really know someone, or know them even better than you thought.
Rachel and Dustin, thank you for letting me be there. For the rain and the neon and the pizza and every imperfect, perfect moment in between. This is exactly the kind of day I love documenting — the kind that actually feels like the people in it.
Congratulations, Hundleys. 🤍
Venue: The McLean House | Catering: Sizzle Pie | Portland, Oregon
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