Vows, Voodoo, and the Grant House: Michael & Stephanie's Wedding at Fort Vancouver
Some couples plan a wedding around a venue. Michael and Stephanie planned a wedding around themselves, and then found venues that could keep up. Fort Vancouver delivered.
The ceremony took place in the bandstand gazebo at Fort Vancouver, one of those quietly perfect spots that somehow manages to feel both historic and completely intimate at the same time. White painted columns, arched openings, a blue summer sky framing it all from every angle. Stephanie in a simple, clean white dress with her waves down and her tattoos showing. Michael in a charcoal suit with those warm tan shoes that caught the light in every photo. The two of them held hands and said their vows in front of the people they loved most, and the whole thing was over in the best possible way: quietly, genuinely, without any fuss.
After the ceremony, the day moved to the Grant House, the oldest surviving building at Fort Vancouver, with its wraparound porches and American flags and the kind of golden afternoon light that makes everyone look like they belong in a film. The reception was small, easy, and warm. Shot glasses raised on the porch. Stephanie sipping champagne straight from the bottle while Michael looked on, completely unsurprised. The photos of the group toast with the flag in the background are some of my favorites from the whole day.
And then, instead of a wedding cake, they brought out Voodoo Doughnuts. A full spread of them: bacon maple bars, Portland cream, sprinkles, a lavender one, a chocolate glazed situation with candy on top. The two of them stood outside and each took a doughnut and just went for it, side by side in their wedding clothes, completely delighted with themselves. It was one of the most joyful frames of the day.
Michael and Stephanie, your wedding was exactly you, start to finish. Thank you for letting me be there for it.
