Youngberg Hill Wedding | McMinnville, OR

Kimberly & Dan’s Youngberg Hill wedding was practically perfect in every way. The decor, the florals, the venue, the weather, the sky, the food… every little detail was carefully thought out by Kimberly and outlined in her 30 page wedding planning document. Impressive!!!

Warning! There is a LOT of text in this post – but it’s worth a read!
If text isn’t your thing just give it a good scroll to get to the photos. ☺️

The text below was created by their officiant, Melissa Coe of Melissa Coe Ceremonies – one of the best officiants I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. So read along to hear about Kimberly & Dan’s love story and get some inspiration for your own personalized ceremony.

Once upon a time, as all good stories begin …

There were two people named Kimberly and Dan. They were both very busy people with full schedules and lives and even though they weren’t necessarily focused on immediately finding the love of their life, they were seemingly destined to meet the old-fashioned way – online! They both tried online dating as a preferable alternative to the typical meet-someone-in-a-bar-who-might-turn-out-to-be-a-psychopath method and thankfully, for the sake of their story, they signed up on the same site.

The year was 2017 – exactly and precisely two years ago today! And even though it’s a mystery who was the first one to ‘swipe right,’ they began messaging right away. After some great conversations online – evidently just the right amount of time necessary to make sure that neither of them was a scary or hardened criminal – they agreed to meet at the Headwaters restaurant at the Heathman for lunch.

Dan can still remember seeing her when she walked in. She stopped inside the entrance, turned, looked around and saw him – a very attractive man in a suit (according to her recollection) who stood up when she arrived and gave her a warm hug. She smiled at him and possessed such a brightness and beauty that he was instantly smitten before she even sat down! And then, they began talking and eating and laughing and honestly, they never stopped. Although there was one silly moment when he just kinda…pulled her in. He made a face – you probably know the one – when he lifts one eyebrow and gives this very quizzical look of humorous disbelief? Yeah. That one. And then, she was smitten as well.

After lunch, they weren’t quite ready to say goodbye so, they took a walk around downtown and continued to talk. They chatted about everything and anything, effortlessly and easily. Sharing stories about themselves, their histories and experiences, their beliefs and hopes for their future. About diversity, equity, and inclusion. Clearly, they had a lot in common, and for the first time in a very long time, they both felt as if this was someone with whom they could spend more time. Their date ended with a hug and the desire to keep talking. And it was a long and lovely, perfect afternoon.

They went out again and again, and along the way they learned much about one another as they listened, challenged, supported and trusted enough to be vulnerable, open and authentic. Soon, they were inseparable. Most of her clothes (and cat) moved into his home and her apartment turned into a glorified (and rather expensive) storage space which she eventually got rid of, even if it was scary for her to get rid of plan B! Additionally, along the way they’ve discovered that they’re incredibly compatible even while traveling and hiking!

But when did they know they were in love? Especially the kind of love that makes one begin to think about spending the rest of their life with another? It’s hard for Dan to pinpoint exactly when, but it wasn’t long after they met when she sent him a recording of her singing a song, “Meet Me by The Water” and at that point, he knew. He just knew. Kimberly thinks it might have been when he lifted his eyebrow at her on their first date. On the other hand, there were so many foundational moments that day that told her that she would fall for him in a very big way, but she knew for sure when she got rid of her apartment…

They got engaged before the actual proposal. They both knew they wanted to marry, looked at rings, found one, kept it, got it resized and then, thought it would be silly not to wear it. But this past January, he proposed on the morning of the 5th when they woke up here at Youngberg Hill. So, word of warning! Whoever is sleeping in the Jura room – watch out! Magical things happen there!!! But that is why we’re here today at their wedding, the day when they promise to love each other for the rest of their lives and if you don’t know what it is that they love about each other, please allow me to tell you…

Dan loves Kimberly. He loves how natural it feels for them to be together, their chemistry, her beautiful singing voice, the fact that even though he can be perhaps a bit tooooooo aggressive hiking and traveling, they’re great together. He loves cooking and taking care of her, that she calls him on his BS when necessary, calling him a freak sometimes (which he knows is a term of endearment) and gives him greater depth and purpose, bringing light into his life while lifting his spirit. He loves and admires her willingness to always try hard, bringing her whole effort and attention to everything in her life. He appreciates and values her perspectives on life, love and relationships. But mostly, he loves this intelligent, funny, talented, beautiful, delicate, strong, intense and loving woman more than he ever thought it would be possible to love another. And he knows he will love her for the rest of his life.

Kimberly loves Dan. She loves that he is her happy place, that she and he are at peace when they’re together and are two peas in a pod – literally, actually and truly because they are “perfect” for each other. Similar in a lot of ways but in their differences they find a fuller spectrum of love and understanding of themselves and others. She loves, respects and admires his strength, confidence and fearlessness but also that he is hilarious, compassionate, hard-working, and crazy smart. He is a wonderful combination of tradition and modernity, proving that masculinity isn’t limited to physical strength, subdued emotional displays or dominance. She loves that he is patient, supportive, protective, intentional, romantic and sexy, handsome, mischievous, occasionally clueless and the love of her life. Whom she’d really, really like to make her “trophy husband” sometime in the near future.

But above all, they know that they will continue to live their life together fully, completely, privately, simply and lovingly until the end of their days.