Married in the rain
THE KELSEY PARSONS AND RY KAGAN WEDDING
STORY BY DWIGHT CASWELL
K
elsey and Ry Kagan went to
high school together in
Portland, and over a decade,
that friendship became a
romance, that on Oct. 1, 2016,
became a marriage held in
Astoria’s Shively Park. The
couple had always loved Astoria, but they wondered if the
town had all the venues and vendors necessary for their
16
RIVER & SEA WEDDINGS 2017
PHOTOS BY OLIVIA ASTON
wedding. They discovered that would be no problem at all.
The merrymaking began with a “welcome beer” for
guests at Buoy Beer, and this was not the only bibulous
aspect of the weekend. There was a meet and greet at Fort
George Brewery and Public House, and on Sunday, a
farewell brunch catered by Monte Alban Restaurant at Pilot
House Distillery. For the rehearsal dinner Kelsey and Ry
chose the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Barbey
Center, with the dinner catered by Clemente’s.
Kelsey and Ry chose the remains of the formal garden at
Shively because, as the bride puts it, “We were in search of
a unique and special place to get married, and since half of
our guests were from out-of-state we wanted them to have
a very Oregon experience.” However wet it might be. The
couple decided against umbrellas or tents for the audience
to retreat under if it rained. “We didn’t want to hide the
splendor of the location,” Kelsey said, “and we’re true
Oregonians.” >>