A Summer Camp Wedding in Sandy, Oregon
A Summer Camp Wedding Gives Analog Vibes
Think Dirty Dancing meets Moonrise Kingdom and you’ll have the perfect summer camp wedding.
Gather your favorite people for a full weekend of celebration. Go on hikes. Make some art. Play some games. Go skinny dipping in the river if you’re feeling bold.
A summer camp wedding strips away pretensions and gives you a full weekend of authentic connection with the people you love most in this world. Go all out with your decor. Create something beautiful and unexpected for your wedding day. Or take a note from Melia and Tanner and create some tasteful DIY decor. Hand-strung garlands in the dance hall, a handmade canvas banner over the stage, and hand crafted stars around the deck transformed a rustic wood building into a whimsical celebration.
No matter how you decorate, a summer camp wedding gives you something most weddings don’t: real time. A whole weekend of it, analog and unhurried.
My Thoughts on Camp Namanu as a Wedding Venue
This is one of the best camp wedding venues I’ve photographed. Camp Namanu offers both enclosed cabins and open-air treehouse cabins for your guests. They have on-site staff who help run games and activities throughout the weekend, and if you want it to feel extra authentic they even have their own kitchen staff. Camp Namanu has a rich history that makes the whole property feel lived-in rather than staged. Stepping onto the grounds feels a little like stepping back in time to an era when people actually talked to each other and had analog hobbies instead of phones in their hands.
That’s what makes this place perfect for an unplugged wedding. Community matters more here than content does. There’s a dedicated archery range, an arts and crafts building, and a nature house. A duck pond and some adorable architecture round out the property. The whole camp sits along the banks of the Sandy River.
Camp Namanu functions as a getaway for your guests, not just a backdrop for a single afternoon. I recommend it completely.
How Melia & Tanner Made This Summer Camp Wedding Their Own
Melia & Tanner booked my Threshold Collection – full wedding day photography coverage with a few hours of coverage the day before their wedding. Ninety-plus guests stayed on site for the weekend, tucked into cabins scattered under ancient Douglas Firs.
The weekend started on a Friday with a welcome dinner for their closest friends and family. A first look and couples portraits around the property followed. It was a completely unique way to kick off a wedding weekend. It also allowed Melia and Tanner to spend more time with their guests on the day of the wedding itself.
Friday night once more guests started to arrive, Melia and Tanner gathered with everyone in Uncle Toby’s Storyhouse for a fun camp style talent show complete with poetry readings, songs, and a few genuinely funny stand-up comedy bits.
Saturday opened with games and archery, guests scattered across the grounds throughout the morning connecting over friendship bracelets, getting in a morning jog, or finding a quiet patch of grass to read a book. Before the ceremony Melia and Tanner got ready together in their mid-century cabin, drew spirit animal cards which became a part of their ceremony, and had a casual and relaxed morning with their closest people.
My team and I photographed the ceremony in the round on vintage film cameras along with our trusty digitals. We caught guests mid-laugh and wiping away happy tears. After the pronouncement, Melia & Tanner led their guests to the meadow. The whole group sang their way in a procession, capturing the entire guest list in one large group photo.
Dinner was served in the dining hall, long tables end to end. After toasts, everyone moved into Uncle Toby’s Storyhouse. It’s a barn-like building with skylights, wood everything, a giant stone fireplace, and a full size stage. Melia, being the amazing crafter that she is, decorated the dance hall with handmade stars, paper garlands, and a beautiful canvas banner strung above the stage. After the formal dances, a live bluegrass band kept the party going late into the evening — a perfect end to a perfect summer camp wedding.
Planning a summer camp wedding of your own?
I love this kind of wedding more than almost any other. I specialize in documenting two-day and full wedding weekend events, the kind where the story doesn’t start at “I do” and end at the reception, but actually lives in everything around it. And since I work as a destination photographer, I’d love to be there for yours wherever it happens, west coast, east coast, or somewhere over the sea. If you’re dreaming up a summer camp wedding, reach out. I’d love to hear about it.
Vendors
Venue: Camp Namanu
Photographer: Briana Morrison
Catering: Rip City Grill
Dessert: Pie Spot PDX & Maxine’s PDX
Suit: Indochino Weddings
Dress: Handmade by the bride
