Smith Rock Wedding and Campfire Hotel Reception in Bend, OR - Erin & Elias

 

Showing off some sweet dance moves at Smith Rock

 

It doesn't get more vibey than this. A burnt orange suit on the groom. Embroidered flowers on the bride's veil. Saying "I do" in front of arguably one of the most beautiful natural landmarks in Oregon. Mismatched vintage 70s glassware at the reception. Swoon. I mean honestly if you asked me to get married all over again and how I'd like to do it I'd be taking all the notes from Erin & Elias' day. I connected with all their wedding choices so much and we really hit it off during lessons and became friends. But before I knew any of this, months before, Erin called me to inquire about dance lessons...

Reception tablescape at the Campfire Hotel

 

Most of my initial phone calls with potential clients are pretty par for the course. Questions about cost, when a couple should start taking lessons, etc. But after my first chat with Erin I was 1,000% sure I'd scared her off. Every vendor has had an experience like this. When that ideal client/couple reaches out about the most dreamy project and you're almost screaming "pick me, pick me!" on the other end of the line because you want them to hire you so bad. This was it for me.

The stunning, intricate embroidery on Erin's dress

 

So the pivotal point in our conversation when things took a turn happened when I was running through my list of typical questions and I eventually came to "do you have your song picked out yet?" Yes, Erin explained, they did, and when she first shared their choice with me it didn't ring a bell. "This is the Day" by The The. And then she said "Have you ever seen the movie Empire Records?" and I think my heart exploded in that instance. I couldn't contain my excitement. You see Empire Records was a cult classic and was a high school obsession for me and my group of friends back in the day. We celebrated Rex Manning Day, made cupcakes, stickers to hand out at school, shirts to wear and of course watched the movie obsessively. The song they had chosen was from the ending scene in the movie where all the cast members are on the roof of the record store dancing together. I knew both the song and scene well. I verbally vomited all of this to Erin and when we hung up the phone I thought "gee wiz, that was embarrassing." But ultimately, she felt my enthusiasm and decided to give me the gig.

Erin & Elias holding my Empire Records DVD during one of our lessons...cause I'm a nerd

 

While I clearly loved their song choice, it was really long. Almost 5 minutes long. So they edited it down to just over 3 minutes. It's a happy bubbly song so I knew I was going to choreograph in a way that amplified that. They danced a basic step touch sprinkled into various parts of the dance, along with more advanced turns, dips and lifts. After much deliberation both of the newlyweds opted for sneaks on the dance floor and Erin even changed her dress for the reception. Being comfy is always such a solid choice. I can't overstate how down to earth and chill both Elias and Erin were and how that made lessons all the more enjoyable for me. Their personalities allowed them both to be open during the learning process and they seemed to enjoy practicing on their own too. I was fortunate enough to see several of their practice dance videos where they were spinning around on various lawns in the Portland area during warm summer evenings. Even though I don't think most couples think of their practice videos as treasures, I think Elias & Erin will watch those years from now and that they'll hold fond memories.

Please enjoy a few pics from their super fun dance and stellar day below.

 

Photographer: Esther Rohr Photography

Wedding Location: Smith Rock State Park

Reception Location: Campfire Hotel  

DJ: Rhythm Roadie