Megan and Mitch were married on July 23rd of 2022 on a sandy beach near Seaside, Oregon. Their intimate ceremony on the beach with their little fur baby Pickles was such a sweet moment. Congratulations Mitch and Megan, we are so thrilled to have been a part of your love story.

The Proposal :. We booked a weekend getaway to Seaside, OR over Valentine's Day weekend in 2021. On the morning of Saturday, February 13th, we took a walk on the beach before heading to breakfast. It was also the first time our miniature dachshund, Pickle, had ever been to the beach. As we were enjoying our morning walk and watching Pickle discover the beach, Mitch stopped and fidgeted with something in his pockets. I turned around to see him on one knee with a ring box in his hand! I was in complete shock and of course said yes! We had been together almost 8 years and had recently moved to Seattle for him to start his dream job with the Seattle Fire Department and I thought the last thing on his mind would be to get married. Turns out, he had told everyone in his SFD Recruit Class that he was going to propose as soon as recruit school was over becuase he knew how much of a sacrifice I had made to move away from all of my friends and family just so he could chase his dreams. On one of our visits back home to Lewiston, ID, he had visited our hometown jeweler "The Diamond Shop" and picked out the perfect ring! He had hid it from me for almost two months and I had no idea! He said he wanted to get it from The Diamond Shop so that I would always have a piece of home with me.

The Big Day: Our wedding day was the best day of my life. Since we got engaged in Seaside, OR, we decided that we also wanted to get married somewhere on the beach. We settled on Gearhart, OR, just a few miles north of Seaside. Our reception was held at McMenamins Gearhart, which has just about as much personalities and quirks as we do. The venue and beach locations were absolutely stunning and we couldn't have asked for better weather (with the Oregon Coast, you never know what you're going to get!).

We had a small wedding, with about 80 of our closest friends and family. Our wedding party was also small, just a maid of honor and best man. The beach set up was very simple with white folding chairs and a driftwood arch that was draped in fabric and flowers. The ocean was our backdrop for the ceremony.

For the reception, we had tents set up in an L shape, with the open portion being the "dance floor". We hung lights and greenery from the tents and put disco balls in the center of each tent to add a little bit of sparkle (highly recommend disco balls). Centerpieces were also very simple; half of the tables had white lanterns that we found at Ikea, and the other half had floral bouquets made up of white flowers and eucalyptus accents. Every table also had little votive candles in candle holders. Tablecloths were white, with sage green napkins.

What was your favorite part of your wedding? It's hard to pick just one thing as my favorite, but I think the first look and saying our own vows privately to each other was the best part. We got to get the serious stuff out of the way and it really helped calm my nerves to get to see Mitch before the ceremony.

Special Memories: We wanted to do something fun for our wedding photos, since you only get married once (hopefully :) ). So our photographer, Kali Photography based out of Lewiston, ID, took us on an adventure around Seaside, which was perfect because it got us away from the venue while they were setting up and all of our guests who were staying in Gearhart. We took photos on the carousel inside the Seaside Mall, along the promenade where we got engaged, and on a beautiful secluded driftwood beach. Our photos turned out amazing and it was really fun to walk around the busy town in our wedding outfits.

When it was time to walk down the aisle, I separated from Mitch so that I could meet my dad for a first look before he walked me down the aisle (we walked down the aisle from a different, hidden location). This ended up being one of my most favorite memories from the day. We didn't have any sort of formal dress code, and my dad had refused to tell me what he had purchased to wear for the day. All that he would tell me is that Pickle, our miniature dachshund, would love it. It was the most amazing Hawaiian shirt with dachshunds all over it! He had also felt left out from the "girl's day" that took place the day before when we all went to get Manicures and Pedicures, so he went out and found nail polish and had painted his toenails so that he could be fancy like the rest of us.

What advice would you give to future brides?: Enjoy the day. Something will go wrong...just embrace it. It makes for a good story later. Sneak away for some extra one on one photos during your reception. I highly recommend doing a first look. It really helps relieve all the stress from the day. Remember this day is about you and your future spouse, do what YOU want to do.