Yes. Yes. F** Yes.: Austin & Chelsea's Abernethy Center Wedding*
Let me tell you about the watch.
Austin proposed to Chelsea. And when he did, she apparently left no room for ambiguity about how she felt about it — because on their wedding day at Abernethy Center's Abigail's Garden in Oregon City, she gave him a custom-engraved Timex with the back inscribed with the exact words she said when he got down on one knee. It read: Yes. Yes. F** Yes.* Dated 09.26.2020.
Before the ceremony, Austin and Chelsea slipped away for private vows — just the two of them, reading letters to each other in the lush greenery of Abigail's Garden before a single guest had arrived. It's one of my favorite things couples can do on their wedding day, and watching Chelsea read her words while holding Austin's hands — the trees and ferns all around them, the garden quiet — was one of those moments that reminds me why I do this job.
Abigail's Garden at the Abernethy Center is one of the most beautiful ceremony spaces in the Portland metro area — a classic white gazebo draped in lush greenery, set against a weeping willow that frames everything like a painting. The bridesmaids were in sage green, the groomsmen in suspenders and coordinating ties, and Chelsea's off-the-shoulder gown and cascading bouquet of blush, peach, and white blooms were absolutely stunning. The whole aesthetic was soft and garden-fresh and exactly right for this venue.
This wedding also had a particularly special layer for me personally — I photographed Austin's sister's wedding during COVID, when gatherings were small, celebrations were quiet, and everyone was just trying to hold it together. Being back with this family for a full, joyful, everyone-in-the-room celebration felt like a reunion. It felt like exhaling.
And then the reception happened, and exhaling turned into screaming, because at some point during the night the DJ played I2I by Powerline — yes, the song from A Goofy Movie, and if you know you know.
Austin and Chelsea — you two are a perfect match. Yes. Yes. F*** yes.
P.S. The Abernethy is one of my all-time favorite venues — if you want to see more beautiful weddings there, check out Vincent and Kelly's Vietnamese tea ceremony wedding here and Joyce and Peter's stunning Nigerian-American celebration here!
Photographed at Abernethy Center, Abigail's Garden, Oregon City, Oregon.
Real Review:
My wife and I explored for quite a while to find a wedding photographer. We knew the search was over when we sat down with Leah. She made us feel comfortable right away and was all in for the different plans and ideas we had. We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer!
Abernethy Center wedding, Abigail's Garden wedding Oregon City, Oregon City wedding photographer, Abernethy Center Abigail's Garden, Oregon wedding photographer, fun wedding reception Oregon, Oregon City garden wedding, Pacific Northwest wedding photographer, outdoor garden wedding Oregon, woman proposes wedding story
