Allison & Ryan: An Oregon Coast Wedding at Camp Westwind (Part Two)

(Read Part One)

For a few minutes before their handfasting ceremony, Allison and Ryan stood alone to take in the view from the high meadow, the seaside cliff perfectly like the one on which Allison had always dreamed of being married.

Those of us who had made the steep, mile-long hike with them from Camp Westwind stood apart and watched as the looked out over the Pacific. It seemed that they felt momentarily that there was no one else in the world but the two of them.

Allison was radiant… the most beautiful bride in exactly the place she wanted to be.

Looking out over the coast, we were all struck by the beauty and significance of this wild location at the edge of the continent.

Then, Allison and Ryan invited their guests to gather round as they began the ceremony that would seal them in marriage.

A handfasting is a traditional ceremony, a marriage by one’s peers. Allison and Ryan wrote special vows for their handfasting, which they first read to each other. They then chose to have their two best friends bind their hands in the ways of old, binding them together to cement their vows. This tradition is the origin of the phrase “to tie the knot!”

Allison later told me that their handfasting was the most sentimental moment of the day. Her dearest friends were confirming their marriage, the September sun was setting over the ocean, and she was filled with love and happiness that Ryan had helped make her dream come true.

After the ceremony, there was still one more thing to do before the sun set and they made the trek back to Westwind for dinner and dancing.

Our beyond the High Meadow, at the true edge of the ocean was a high bluff that the couple had originally pictured as the location for their handfasting. A good half mile from High Meadow with a steep path along a knife’s edge, the location was truly beautiful but ultimately a hike they couldn’t ask their friends to make.

While the rest of the group either waited in High Meadow or began the walk home, a handful of us walked the trail to the bluff to watch the sun set into the ocean.

As twilight descended on the hill, we knew we’d have to hurry back to camp before it became completely dark. But the party was far from over. Waiting at the camp lodge were friends, music, and a homemade feast. The room, which had earlier been decorated by guests was filled with laughter and light.

After dinner, as the bluegrass band began to play, Allison and Ryan shared their first dance to “When You Come Back Down” by Nickel Creek. Ryan played this song for Allison when they were first falling in love and it has always reminded him of her.

Allison and Ryan also performed a “first song” together, backed up by their band: “By Way of Sorrow” by Cry Cry Cry. They practiced harmonies for months before the wedding, and Allison learned a flute solo to accompany the song. Even though the song was bittersweet, it was also beautiful and significant.

At the end of the song, we were all touched by what Allison and Ryan had shared with us that day. It was a wedding like none other I’d ever been to, and probably like none other I’ll ever see. Glad and grateful, we gave thank for our new friends danced long into the night.

Wedding photographers: Persimmon Images, Susanica Tam, Jonathan Moore
Venue: Camp Westwind
Flowers: Kruger Farm and Sammy’s Flowers, arranged by bride and guests
Invitations: Twin Ravens Press with maps by Crystal Kluge
Live music: Terracoustic
Bridal Attire: Miranda by Monique L’huillier
Rings: Andrew Nyce