Affinity
for nature
THE BRENNA AND PHIL RICCI WEDDING
STORY BY KATHERINE LACAZE
T
hroughout their
10-year relationship,
Brenna and Phil Ricci
have shared an affinity for
nature, so it was only fitting
they pictured their wedding
outdoors beside a waterfall. After
considering roughly 20 different
waterfalls throughout Oregon, the
couple from La Pine settled on Blumenthal
Falls at the northern end of Short Sand Beach
as their ideal wedding venue.
“It was like getting a two-for-one,” Phil
said. “You get [the waterfall] and the beach.”
Brenna agreed the location was “magical,”
situated comfortably in the mountains and
boasting of old-growth forest and a variety of
rock features.
“All our guests were blown away by the
natural beauty we showed them to,” she said.
By nature, the location lent itself to a laid-
back and intimate atmosphere—exactly what
the couple was hoping for. Between the couple,
their six-member wedding party, and guests,
there were less than 25 people in attendance
when the Riccis were married Sept. 9, 2018.
The couple and many of their guests rented
houses in Rockaway Beach from Labor Day
weekend through the wedding, giving them
ample time to hang out, eat good food, listen to
music, visit a spa, whale-watch, hike
Neahkahnie Mountain, and share bonfires on
the beach.
“That was a really nice spot for us to all get
together,” Brenna said, adding the whole 10-
day affair was “really close to being one of my
favorite family reunions.”
For the wedding ceremony, Brenna was
drawn toward an India-influenced aesthetic
10
OUR COAST WEDDINGS 2019
PHOTOS BY JULIE ADAMS
that merged organically with the outdoor
setting. Her bare feet were decorated with
henna tattoos and her lace-covered, creamy
white dress came from India, while Phil was
dressed in a linen Havana suit to match.
Brenna’s bridesmaids wore silk Indian sari
skirts and simple cream-colored tops. Guests
were also encouraged to dress for comfort.
“We didn’t want to hold people down,”
Brenna said. “We wanted to keep it casual.”
Meanwhile, exquisite flower displays
offered a riot of colors: Marigolds, lime green
chrysanthemums
and
white
roses
complemented a bounty of dahlias in deep
reds, magentas and hot pinks, provided by
Tillamook-based nursery Old House Dahlias.
Wanting each guest to feel special, the bride
put together boutonnieres and small bouquets
so “everyone had some flowers,” Brenna said.
The wedding ceremony took place about
3:30 in the afternoon and was officiated by
Rev. Christina Irvine, a Christian non-denomi-
national minister from Manzanita who was
acquainted with the couple’s Astoria-based
wedding photographer, Julie Adams.
One particularly meaningful feature
integrated into the couple’s entire wedding
experience was a special sand ceremony. They
received a glass vase with a corkscrew top that
was engraved with their names and wedding
date. The week before the wedding, they spent
time combing the beach for rocks, shells and
pieces of driftwood to place inside the vase.
During the ceremony, Irvine talked about the
concept of the couple marrying their lives
together, and Brenna and Phil together filled
the vase with sand. Now, the vase sits as a
decoration in their home.
“It reminds us every day we are one, we are
unified,” Brenna said. >>