1. Real Weddings

Sabrina & Jesse: A Fall Wedding in Ashland, OR

Sabrina and Jesse's wedding celebrated their love for each other as well as the natural beauty of Oregon in autumn. They incorporated the fruits of th

Sabrina and Jesse's wedding celebrated their love for each other as well as the natural beauty of Oregon in autumn. They incorporated the fruits of the state by using everything from locally made wines to the native wood used to create their huppah. The Bride Sabrina Meier, 28, director of national sales and marketing The Groom Jesse Visser, 27, attorney The Date October 24 Sabrina and Jesse were introduced by a mutual acquaintance. When work transferred Sabrina to Ashland, Oregon, from Seattle, Washington, she had been warned that the small upscale retirement town would be a difficult place for her to meet a companion. But when she met Jesse, Sabrina knew that she met her soul mate. On our second date we took an evening walk after dinner through Lithia Park near Ashland's downtown plaza, says the bride. We stopped and sat beneath the stars in a beautiful sycamore grove. Just as Jesse leaned over and we were about to kiss for the first time, the park sprinkler system came to life! We knew that this was a sign of the excitement to come in our relationship. Jesse later proposed to her under the same trees.

The Program
Sabrina and Jesse planned their October wedding around the fall season with a color scheme that mimicked seasonal foods and wines with accents of reds, oranges and browns. We worked with our florist to achieve a whimsical design, says Sabrina. Flowers, berries, pomegranates and curly willow swags were the predominant decoration which gave things a garden feel even though the ceremony and reception took place indoors. Topiaries topped with white lights designated the four corners of the dance floor and a pomander ball hung at the entrance of the sanctuary. There were fresh pomegranates and roses strewn about the outdoor waterfall at the entrance to the synagogue, with more roses floating at its base.
The six bridesmaids and one maid of honor wore tea-length dresses in a mauve charmeuse by Lazaro.
Sabrina and Jesse cut a classic three-tier cake with Swiss dots patterned around the base of each tier.
Sabrina and Jesse were married beneath a huppah created from four poles of native Oregon Madrone wood that was harvested from the forest surrounding Jesse's childhood home. The canopy itself was made from the tallisim (prayer shawls) of the couple's parents and grandparents. Behind the huppah the sun shone through stained glass illuminating a naturally lit sanctuary and a view of the Siskiyou and the Cascade Mountains. Jesse and I wrote our own ketubah, says Sabrina. We chose to write about our personal feelings toward each other and lay out our commitments stating how we would treat one another for the rest of our lives. We spent a significant amount of time working on a document that reflected our love, plans and hopes for our marriage.
The band opened up the dance floor with a very lively and spirited rendition of Hava Nagila, the celebratory Hebrew folk song that translates to, Let us rejoice! Sabrina and Jesse danced to the Flatbush Waltz (they had taken Waltz lessons) and the bride took a spin with her father to Stand by Me.
The Ceremony Decor
The Escort Cards
Sabrina wore a Maggie Sottero gown. The strapless corset back dress was ivory over light gold with a cutaway overskirt created from a delicate lace. A decorative spray of pearls, glass beads, sequins, bugle beads and seed beads accented the delicate design. She accessorized with a bracelet of cultured pearls and gold links which was a gift from her mother, as well as a cultured pearl necklace she bought from an artist at a street fair in Bend, Oregon.