Marissa Ooyevaar-Voorhies and Tyler Voorhies

OME COUPLES START THEIR STORY AS sweethearts in school, while others find love online or

meet through mutual friends. Tyler and Marissa’s story starts with one of the oldest and most celebrated of traditions: the drinking of wine.

It seems fate was on her side the day Marissa walked into Willamette Valley Vineyards with her mom to pick up her monthly wine club shipment. Over lunch, they chatted with the tasting room manager about their jobs and how Marissa was in the process of moving back to Eugene from Portland. Several weeks later, Marissa was vacationing with her family in Palm Springs when she got the most unexpected call of her life: Willamette Valley Vineyards offering her a job as their hospitality and events director. Surprised and excited, she decided to go for the interview, and landed the job.

B Y M E G A N H O B B S • P H OTO S B Y E M I LY G A R R I C K – S T E E N S O N

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It was here that she met Tyler, Willamette Valley Vineyards’ warehouse manager and assistant winemaker. For their first date, the couple went to Sarver Winery, then continued to LaVelle Vineyards, and finished up at Izumi Sushi and Grill. It was “the best first date,” says Marissa. “Tyler was just so fun and easy to get along with.” For their second date, Tyler surprised Marissa by bringing her to the Salem Art Fair, where one of her favorite bands was playing. The third date topped them all: Tyler arranged a walk through the vineyard, complete with an extravagant picnic lunch and a bottle of champagne to drink while the pair indulged in one of their favorite pastimes, “nerd-ing out” about wine. Tyler admits he knew by the end of the first week that Marissa was the one.

And just a short six months later, the couple was engaged. Given

Marissa’s experience in coordinating events, the two planned their wedding quickly and then embarked on a trip to Europe so Tyler could meet Marissa’s parents, who live in Holland. After two weeks in Holland, a week in Portugal, a week in Spain, and four days in France, the couple was ready to get home and get married!

Originally, they picked a vineyard in Forest Grove for their venue; their passion for wine along with the changing colors of the leaves for a September wedding was too much to resist. Unfortunately, complications arose and they scrambled to find a new spot just one month before the big day. Then they saw the Downtown Athletic Club and fell in love with its vintage, classy, elegant setting. They chose a color scheme using shades of gray accented by fuchsia on the ladies’ necklaces and shoes and the gentlemen’s ties in the wedding party.

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Fn Smeing Extraonay

PHOTOS BY BRUCE BECERRA

FcilityTranquility Luurytimber-framed reception hall • 34 foot ceilings • 4 wrought iron chandeliers • rock fireplace • kitchen & full bar • projection screen • cordless microphones • indoor and outdoor speakersspeakers • grand entrance into court yard • wood

decking & rock patios

4 bedrooms • hot tub • ample space for an overnight

retreat • spa packages • 30 foot gazebo with Brazilian

redwood flooring • full seating on dream turf • excellent view of the

coastalcoastal mountain range

located between Eugene

and Corvallis • private 7 acre park • natural wooded setting • 1/4 acre pond stocked with trout

and koi • 54 foot bridge • water wheel • 3 water falls

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To incorporate an element of the vineyard inside, they brought in big wine barrels to work as both decoration and tables on which to set large plates of food. As a delicious reminder of how they met, the two paired wine from Willamette Valley Vineyards with each course of the meal, in addition to the open bottles of wine on every table. Catering to their shared sweet tooth, the couple picked out 10 cakes from Market of Choice for a cake buffet, along with a tiered one for them to cut.

The couple decided to seat the bridal party at a “King’s Table,” complete with candelabras, so that everyone could sit with their date. Their main focus was to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome so they could relax and have a good time. Their DJ from

Apogee Events traveled from Salem to keep the party hopping, and the addition of a photo booth made for hilarious and memorable snapshots of all their guests.

Marissa remembers that on the big day she didn’t get truly emotional until the couple’s good friend, who was scheduled to play guitar during the ceremony, led the bridal party in a surprise rendition of Train’s song “Marry Me.” “It was so incredibly touching and meaningful. . . and was what made me finally cry!” The icing on the cake, however, was a special contribution from Tyler’s grandfather, who drove his rebuilt Ford F-100 to the wedding so the happy couple could snap some vintage-style photos.

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WEDDING DATE: September 1, 2013

WEDDING AND RECEPTION VENUE: Downtown Athletic Club

NUMBER OF GUESTS: 200

CEREMONY MUSIC: Train’s “Marry Me”

RECEPTION MUSIC: Zach Thomas of Apogee Events

HONEYMOON: One small trip per month, just the two of them

GUEST FAVORS: An assortment of sweets, including saltwater taffy, their favorite

PHOTOGRAPHY: Emily G Photography; photo booth from Blue Bus Creatives

DRINK MENU: Wine from Willamette Valley Vineyards

CATERING: Downtown Athletic Club

CAKE: Market of Choice

RINGS: Hers: Harry Ritchie’s Jewelers, His: Etsy

DRESS: The Bridal Gallery in Salem

SHOES FOR THE BRIDE: Vince Camuto, Nordstrom

FLORIST: Shannon with Sun Blossoms Floral

HAIR/MAKEUP: Lussuria Salon

SAVE-THE-DATE/INVITATIONS: Design Inspirations by Katie

Details

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