Maggie + Cooper: a playful, camping-themed Oregon wedding suite.
How do you even begin to describe your own sister’s wedding? And what an honor it is to be asked to create the stationery for your most favorite human on the planet? Here’s my best shot. ❤️
Maggie and her long-time partner Cooper moved from Portland, Oregon to Juneau, Alaska in 2021. They had been considering a move out of “the big city” for a few years, and my family and I were thrilled when they announced their plans to come North. However, Oregon still held a special place in their hearts, not to mention plenty of friends, and they decided to keep their original wedding date and venue just outside of Portland in July 2022, at a lodge and camping grounds called Vernonia Springs. Oh, and the fact that this was their third attempt at a wedding - first the intial COVID outbreak in 2020, then an Oregon wildfire in 2021, and so Vernonia in 2022 proved to be the lucky charm.
It’s not every day you get to make wedding stationery for your sister. Full disclosure: budget was not a huge factor in this project, as it was my wedding gift to the couple. My mind immediately went to an elaborate multi-piece suite with maps, camping instructions, invitations, RSVPs, etc. Happily however, I had a few introspective moments, and asked myself what Maggie would prefer in a suite - and then I got really clever and I asked HER. Maggie and Cooper’s weekend was less about the traditional wedding ceremony and reception and more about celebrating in one place with all of their favorite people. She described their plans to offer all types of camping at the venue, including tents and RVs, and host immediate family and close friends in the yurts and wall tents on the property. There was time for mountain biking close by, space for lawn games, and the ceremony would take place in a garden. Maggie and Cooper’s wedding was one big family and friend reunion, in the warm Oregon sun - with kiddos running through the pines, a Hawaiian food truck for dinner, and a never-ending weekend of connection and laughter. To help you fully picture this perfect Alaska-Oregon vibe - Maggie wore custom daisy chacos with her wedding dress.
With all of this in mind, I settled on a design model of “Wes Anderson Goes Camping.” Or, as Maggie retorted, “So - Moonrise Kingdom?” The main invitation was a fairly clean and simple text with a quirky title font. An illustration of one of the yurts among the pine trees helped set the tone for a camping weekend, letterpress-printed in a groovy teal on bright white paper. With lots of opportunities for guests to join the fun beyond the ceremony and reception, a tri-fold weekend schedule with snippets of the venue and activities helped prepare a schedule for all invited. Multi-color was important on the schedule, so this single item was digitally printed in lieu of letterpress. A final mini-invitation for a subset of family and friends for the rehearsal dinner was pinned to the main stationery with a triangular gold clip - these were letterpress printed on a cheery midtone blue with teal ink. All stationery pieces were neatly stacked and bound with a sage green belly band, light blue striped twine, and fastened with a wax seal featuring a tent, trees, and the moon. The bound stack was then placed in a sassy bright yellow envelope.
The end result conveyed the importance of this playful group weekend - a communal adventure and celebration of love. Our families blended and laughed and danced, we threw bean bags on corn hole boards, and rejoiced that Maggie and Cooper were officially declared partners - no mean feat for two kids that started dating in middle school! Maggie’s natural sweetness and generosity shined through every detail, and Coopers boundless energy and laughter pervaded through the entire weekend. I gave a toast, it was a blur, and then I danced my butt off with my sister. It was perfect.
Flat lay photos by Sydney Akagi photography.
Ceremony and Reception photos by Myrtle Creative Co.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Wedding Invitation Suite
Invitation, A7, 118# cotton paper, letterpressed, one color
Trifold schedule, custom size, 90# cardstock, digitally printed, multicolor
Mini rehearsal invitation card, custom size, 118# cotton paper, letterpressed, one colors
Wax seals, camping stamp and custom marble color
Envelope (invitation suite), A7, return address letterpress printed
Koozies, outsourced online.
Chalkboard signs, hand-written day-of.