Grant and Taylor's Vibrant, Exotic-Inspired Wedding

Grant and Taylor's love story involved a tropical romance, a long-distance relationship, and plenty of travel — so it's only fitting that their wedding was a two-week, multistate affair culminating in an internationally influenced reception. The couple met on Oahu, HI, where they were both students studying at Brigham Young University — Hawaii. Bride Taylor jokes, "Hawaiian sunsets and flowers in your hair really don't give you much of a shot at not falling in love, so the odds were stacked against us from the beginning!" After maintaining their relationship long distance when Grant moved back home to Portland, OR, and Taylor finished school in Hawaii, Grant proposed in the exact spot where they had their first kiss — a remote bay on Oahu's North Shore.

They were married in a private ceremony at the LDS temple in Lake Oswego, OR; had portraits taken the Portland Rose Garden; and then a week later held their reception for friends and family in Taylor's hometown of San Diego, CA. Keep reading to see more photos of the whole celebration and hear more about the planning process from the bride! Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

The Dress

The Dress

"I went searching for dresses with my mom and sister and tried on some gorgeous gowns (as well as some awful ones), but just didn't feel like I had quite hit the nail on the head with any of them. I remember talking with my mom in the kitchen when the idea popped into my head that Los Angeles was the answer (when is it not?). I had been going about it all wrong — bridal boutiques weren't my thing and I was boggled by the price tags of something you wear once for a few hours. We headed up to LA that next morning and honed in on vintage dress stores.

As we were perusing the racks of the second store (Golyester on La Brea) we visited, my mom reached the 1920s section and held up a piece that didn't look like much on the hanger, but looked like it was my size. This particular dress had a gorgeous Champagne-colored silk slip that laid seamlessly underneath a silk organza overlay. The skirt gently passed over my hips and had a slight trumpet at the bottom and truly fit perfectly down to the centimeter. I can only imagine my expression as I swung open the dressing room curtain and stared at my mom with it on. Even better, the price tag read $350. The woman at the store came over and gushed along with my mom and I, as I twirled around and elated at the way it accentuated my bum. She brought out a handmade wax flower crown from about the same time period, and the ribbons that cascaded from the back of the crown perfectly highlighted the layered V-back dress. I had found my other soul mate." Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

The Look

The Look

"As soon as I was engaged, I reached out to my darling and talented friend Jacqueline Francis, who by trade is a florist but is also one of the most creative and free-flowing people I know. I don't know how many other people would have just flowed with my daily color palette changes and my (perhaps too) relaxed approach to an event that actually requires a lot of planning. I would send her emails from Hawaii with Pinterest images of floral arrangements as well as completely unrelated images that just made me happy (read: camels adorned with colorful tassels and floating markets in Thailand). She brilliantly translated all of my chaotic inspiration into something unforgettable with the help of my sweet mom, who would have to step in from time to time and remind me that my grandmother probably wouldn't be able to comfortably eat dinner on Moroccan floor pillows. Overall, we wanted people to be relaxed and to have fun. I'd venture to say Grant and I are pretty fun and relaxed people ourselves, and we wanted it to be a stress-free and memorable experience for every guest." Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

The Details

The Details

The reception kicked off with a "cocktail hour" — minus the booze — with fancy Mexican sodas poured by twin sons of Taylor's family friends. Then all the guests walked over to the reception area for tacos and dancing, as well as another juice station manned by the twins. Taylor adds:

"We decided on street tacos and Jamaican food for dinner, and my incredible mom made Mexican wedding cookies and our cake, which was flavored with lilikoi juice (our favorite fruit from Hawaii). Dancing was a must, and we hooked up with DJ Chris Anthony, who also flowed flawlessly with our eccentric party playlist. And I couldn't have asked for better photographers — both Cara Denison and Samantha Shorey were instant friends within minutes of meeting them. The whole shebang was sweet and intimate, but also a party, which is exactly what we wanted." Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Advice For Brides

Advice For Brides

"My advice to those planning a wedding: enjoy it! This may sound impossible to some people, and I had my fair share of stressful moments — er, breakdowns on the living room floor — but all in all, this should be a memorable and fun experience leading up to one of the most exciting days of your life! Decide on what's most important to you and your partner and consider what aspects of the celebration you're willing to put the most time/effort/money into. What do you want your ceremony to be like? What about your celebration? Is it about food? Flowers? Dancing? Traditions?

I think my best advice would be to take a deep breath and realize that regardless of opinions that will undoubtedly be inundating you, this day is about you and the love of your life! Do what you want, how you want, and make it your day. Allow yourself and those you adore to beam with love and light, 'cause that's what this whole love thing is about, anyway." Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison

Photos by Sam Shorey and Cara Denison