Allison + Cayle
(June 12, 2021 in Benton City, WA)
In this blog post, the author shares her vision for her wedding and how it all came together on the big day. The author wanted an outdoor, rustic, and elegant wedding with a white, gold, wood, and greenery color scheme. The perfect venue was found at the Sugar Pine Barn at Tucannon Cellars and the perfect caterer at Pacific Pasta & Grill. The wedding ceremony featured traditional elements as well as a tree-planting ceremony and a celebration of the author's recent graduation from medical school. A unique aspect was the use of a 1969 Ford Bronco as the getaway car. The author's top tip for future brides is to accept help when it is offered.
By our real bride, Allison:
What was the vision for your wedding?
I have a lot of different tastes and ideas so it was hard to narrow down my vision for the wedding. My husband and I love the outdoors, so I knew I wanted an outdoor wedding and wanted to incorporate a rustic feel and natural look. At the same time, I wanted a timeless, classic, elegant look as well. I did know exactly what colors I wanted: mostly white, with gold accents, and natural wood and greenery.
The venue was the first thing I wanted to nail down and then everything else could fall in place around it. The Sugar Pine Barn at Tucannon Cellars had the perfect barn: it was a gorgeous interior with beautiful chandeliers and the natural wood. And the ground around the barn were immaculate. The grounds are gorgeous and then the cherry on top was the adjacent vineyard and orchard. Once we got the venue everything else fell into place.
Around the same time we were looking for a venue, we were searching for the perfect photographer. We found Jessica (Jessica Mumm Photography) and had her do our engagement shoot. We all got along so well and she was so genuine, we knew she’d be perfect to shoot our wedding as well.
Finding a caterer was a big deal too because having a truly delicious meal at the wedding was important to me. There were only a few options locally and I wasn’t totally sold until we found out that Pacific Pasta & Grill catered weddings as well. They are a small, local business and pasta is my favorite food group. We reached out and they even offered to do a free personal tasting. We took them up on it and I got to meet the owner, Mary Sue, who served us a delicious tasting and was so sweet and caring. She saved our date without pushing us for a deposit, knowing that the uncertain times could put a wrench in things. The meal on the day of the wedding went beautifully: tri-tip steak, shrimp skewers, a summer strawberry salad, fettuccine alfredo, and the best breadsticks.
How did it go the day-of?
The wedding ceremony took place outside in a beautiful open space surrounded by gardens with the vineyard, barn, and orchard in the background. The moments before we walked down the aisle, my husband and I and our wedding party stood in the groom’s cabin, and everyone went around and told stories of Cayle and I. We shared this moment with our officiant, Pastor Steve, too, and ended with a prayer. Then, just before the the ceremony was about to start, we all toasted and took a shot, Pastor Steve included.
It was a traditional ceremony officiated by my pastor, Steve. Cayle and I had spent the weeks leading up to the wedding meeting with Steve, which was invaluable. Having him up there with us on the day felt right and he made us feel safe and connected. My best friend, Bri, and my brother read the scripture passages we chose. The most special piece of the ceremony was the tree planting ceremony; Cayle and I planted a lime tree, as the song, “Lime Tree” by Trevor Hall played in the background. In that moment, it was just Cayle and I and everyone else disappeared. We listened to the words of the song and were connected to each other and to nature. I held his hands and prayed for us and our future. We both agree, that was the best part of the day.
Something else that was important to me, was the fact that I had just graduated medical school and was about to start my residency training in Emergency Medicine. I had just earned the title of Doctor and wanted to be able to celebrate that. At the end of the ceremony, when Steve introduced us a a couple, I got to hear him say “Dr. Allison Turpen.” I also made sure that our cake topper read “Mr. and Dr.” Cayle has supported me through my whole journey of medical school and dating long-distance, so on our wedding day he was happy to celebrate me and my accomplishments.
Another unique and sentimental part of our wedding day was the Bronco. Cayle’s dad, my father-in-law, owns a beautiful 1969 Ford Bronco that he has been working on for years. It was the car he took Cayle’s mom out in and the car that they drove off in after their wedding. Cayle and I had mentioned to his dad how cool it would be for us to use it as our getaway car at the wedding and that was all it took for him to really start working on it. There were lots of hiccups and we weren’t sure if it would be ready to drive off on the wedding day, but he got it done and it was beautiful. He even recreated the just married sign he had made for his own wedding getaway years before. We drove off in style and it meant the world to us and to Cayle’s dad.
What is your #1 tip to future brides?
Accept all the help that is offered. Some may disagree with this, because they don’t want everyone involved in the process, but it is a big undertaking, especially when you are trying to save money and do a lot of the work yourself. Allowing the people that love you to help when they offer is life-saving. They can help with research, crafting, sending invites, etc. It took a village to make our wedding happen. It was hard to let go of some of the control, but it made everything so much easier.
GOWN: LIVI BY L’AMOUR
PHOTOGRAPHER: JESSICA MUMM
VENUE: SUGAR PINE BARN AT TUCANNON CELLARS
WEDDING COORDINATOR: KAYLEE BUTZ
VIDEOGRAPHER: MICHAEL BURKE
MAKEUP: ANAIS VALDEZ MAKEUP
CATERER: PACIFIC PASTA AND GRILL
CAKE: DESSERTS BY KELLY
FLORIST: SIMPLIFIED CELEBRATIONS
