On a summer day in Oregon, Andie and Jimmy brought their families together for a celebration that sidestepped tradition in favour of something more unexpected. They chose to exchange vows at the top of Wallowa Lake Tramway, surrounded by views of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, wearing lace from Andie’s late mother’s dress. After the ceremony led by a punk poet friend, they ended the day racing go-karts!
“We did not have a wedding party or the typical wedding reception,” said Andie, who works as a wedding planner. “We could not wait to get married and decided to get married on top of a mountain just with our family and to enjoy a weekend of family activities.”
Their guest list was limited to immediate family, with Jimmy’s relatives traveling from Los Angeles to meet Andie’s in La Grande, a town of 12,000 where she grew up.
Jimmy’s family found the ceremony spot just 30 minutes before they began. Guests stood on the mountaintop, no chairs or elaborate setup, as Andie walked up the path with her dad. “We both cried and giggled. It was exactly how I pictured it,” she said. “We had a little Bluetooth speaker for me to walk to some music. We played Ave Maria by Kathryn Scott, Yo-Yo Ma, and Charles Gounod.”
After popping a bottle of champagne and taking a few family photos, they descended the mountain and lined up with tourists at the local go-kart track. “We had to wait in line with all of the tourists, but it was so much fun to just be with our family in our wedding attire”, said Andie.
Planning wasn’t without challenges, even for a professional. The hardest part, she said, was choosing who to invite. “There’s pressure from all sides, even when you’re doing something intentionally small. It was hard not having my mum around for that.”
Andie’s mother passed away from cancer in 2015. In the months leading up to the wedding, Andie and her sister went through their family home hoping to find their mom’s 1980s wedding dress. Though it never turned up, they did find a different gown – a runner-up choice her mother had considered. “My aunt told me it was actually her first pick. I brought it to Jimmy’s sister, who’s a seamstress, and she used the lace to make my veil and gloves.”
Her bouquet was also wrapped in a ribbon holding a locket with her mother’s handwriting and a photo of her riding the same tram up the mountain decades earlier. During the ceremony, her sister and best friend spotted yellow butterflies circling the site. “The summer my mum was sick, I would see yellow butterflies every day,” Andie said “A friend once told me they mean you’re where you’re supposed to be. Now, whenever I see one, I think of her.”
Their advice to other couples? Don’t rush. Take your time. Make it your own. “And for the men,” Jimmy added, “do more. Find out how you can help your partner with the process.”
They’re still planning to hold a reception one day, something bigger where more friends an family can join in. But for now, this was exactly what felt right for them.
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