A Colourful Vintage Camp Wedding on the Oregon Coast
Sometimes changing the plan is exactly what gets you closer to the wedding that actually feels right. After moving to Oregon and rethinking their original plans, Allegra (she/her) and Constance (she/her) found Camp Clark in Cloverdale, a historic scout camp tucked between the forest and the Oregon Coast. With cliffs, a private beach and plenty of character already built in, the venue gave them a pretty good starting point.
From there, they leaned into what they call “Moonrise Kingdom meets music festival.” Think vintage camp details, bold colour, vinyl records, DIY touches and a drag queen running the reception instead of a traditional DJ. There were personal vows overlooking the coast, a first look in the woods and plenty of details that mattered to the two of them, with Katelyn Servedio there to capture it all.
How did your love story begin?
We came from very different walks of life and probably never would have crossed paths socially. Meeting through work gave us a natural reason to spend time together and really get to know each other.
From the beginning, there was an undeniable spark and an easy chemistry, but our story was very much a slow burn. It took time for us to recognise our feelings, allow them to grow and intentionally build a relationship. Looking back, that gradual unfolding made what we have now feel even more meaningful.
What was the wedding planning experience like for you both?
Constance: I am often perceived as taking on a more masculine role in our relationship, and my very heteronormative family even refers to me as “the guy.” Because of that, I have seen a lot of people in that role take a backseat in wedding planning, and I was really intentional about not doing that.
I wanted to be actively involved while also being honest about what mattered most to me, where I wanted to collaborate and where Allegra already had a clear vision that I was happy to support.
It was not a perfectly equal split. Allegra definitely carried more of the planning responsibilities, but what mattered most to us was open communication. I tried to be mindful not to shut down when I felt stressed or overwhelmed because if I was feeling it, Allegra was probably feeling it tenfold.
Wedding planning itself was definitely a ride. All those clichés about things falling apart at the eleventh hour turned out to be pretty accurate, but we genuinely enjoyed the journey. We originally had an entirely different wedding planned at another venue. A series of changes led us to push the date back and eventually choose a new venue. During that time, we moved to Oregon, which allowed us to find somewhere much closer to home.
We did most of the planning ourselves with a lot of help from family and friends. We also both work in marketing, so we put our project management hats on and lived in a massive spreadsheet and shared Google Drive.
Whenever things became overwhelming, we tried to lean into each other instead of turning on each other. At the end of the day, it helped to remember that it was supposed to be joyful and, most of the time, it just was not that serious.
What led you to Camp Clark for your wedding?
We did a lot of online research and intentionally started with the venue, then built everything else backwards from there. We toured around eleven or twelve venues before deciding to have the wedding closer to our new home in Oregon.
Camp Clark ended up being such a blessing. It is a historic scout camp where the forest meets the Oregon Coast, with cliffs and a private beach, and the team was communicative, flexible and generous about letting us visit for walkthroughs whenever we needed them.
One of the biggest things we learned through the search was not to settle just because you are tired of looking. If you are working really hard to convince yourself that a venue is right, it is probably worth looking at a few more options.
What inspired the vintage camp feel of the wedding?
Our overall theme was largely influenced by the venue itself.
One of our favourite films is Moonrise Kingdom, and we loved how its scout camp setting, colour palette and sense of whimsy worked with the space. We leaned into that through vintage camp elements, colour and the overall feel of the day. We even played the film silently during our welcome party to help set the tone.
If we had to sum it up, the theme was “Moonrise Kingdom meets music festival.”
We wanted a lot of colour and vibrancy without it feeling like a Pride parade. Bringing in bold, joyful colour in an intentional way allowed everything to feel celebratory, cohesive and true to both of us.
Tell us about some of the DIY details you created.
Oh, we definitely undertook quite a few DIY projects.
One of our favourites was the seating chart. Music is a huge part of our relationship, and we have a massive vinyl collection, so it felt natural to bring that into the wedding.
We created a large display with oversized vinyl records. Each sleeve listed the guests assigned to that table, so every record represented a table. Then we used smaller 45 records with table numbers on them at the tables themselves.
We also created a few different stations around the venue. One was a memorial table honouring the people who could not be there with us. Another was a voicemail guest book through After the Tone, where guests could leave us voice messages on a vintage style phone.
One of our absolute favourites was the swag bar. As two people who work in marketing, we could not help ourselves. We made stickers with cartoon versions of our dogs, notebooks featuring the venue and T shirts for guests to take home. It was a huge hit and felt like such a fun extension of who we are.
What did you want the ceremony to feel like?
We knew we wanted the ceremony to be simple and intentional. We did not want anything long or drawn out, and there was nothing religious in the ceremony itself. We did have a prayer circle beforehand with our wedding party and close family, which felt really grounding and meaningful.
We both wrote our own vows and gave each other space to go through that process individually. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions we made because our vows ended up complementing each other so naturally.
There truly wasn’t a dry eye in the house. During cocktail hour, multiple people, mostly older men, told us our vows had made them sob, which made it even better.
Music was also incredibly important to us. Constance had a very specific vision for how the processional and recessional should feel, and the songs we chose really set the tone.
We kept the ceremony design minimal with wooden benches from the camp, a simple wooden arch and not much else. We wanted the surroundings, the sounds and the words to speak for themselves rather than overdoing the visuals.
One moment that really stands out was when our officiant asked us to pause and look out at all of our people. Nearly everyone had travelled at least a state away to be there, so getting to stop and really take that in was incredibly special.
Why did you choose a drag queen as your reception host?
First and foremost, the drag queen.
As a queer couple, it felt completely natural to make drag a centrepiece of our day. Drag has always been meaningful throughout our relationship, and we have been to countless shows together, so incorporating it into the wedding felt like an authentic reflection of who we are.
Aspen Meadows was such a special find. She had lived in Reno and moved to Portland, which was the same move we had made, so there was an immediate connection.
It was important to us that this was not just entertainment. We wanted to support queer art within our queer wedding, so we made sure Aspen was fairly compensated, had full creative freedom and was genuinely treated as a collaborator.
We were excited to introduce some of our more heteronormative family and friends to drag, especially the older guests. Many of them had never been to a drag show before and ended up being some of the most enthusiastic participants.
Having Aspen there was one of the best decisions we made.
Talk us through the wedding day.
Allegra: The day started early. Really early. Hair and makeup began around 6 a.m. at our house, with almost twenty people cycling through. The morning was busy but fun, with good music, breakfast and lots of familiar faces coming and going as we got ready.
Around noon, my wedding party and close family took a shuttle to the venue to get dressed and handle the final touches. Constance and her crew arrived about an hour later.
Once she was ready, we did our first look. It was a last minute decision that ended up being one of the most special moments of the entire day. I had kept my dress a secret for more than a year, so seeing Constance’s reaction in the woods was incredibly emotional and grounding. It is a moment I will never forget.
Our ceremony started a little late, which pushed everything else back, but we did not let it affect our experience. Afterwards, we took photos with family and friends before moving into cocktail hour, where everyone could wander the grassy hill overlooking the Oregon Coast.
Our reception kicked off with the most fun grand entrance we could have imagined. Aspen Meadows performed Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga while we danced in with all of our people.
From there, it was dinner, heartfelt toasts, cake cutting, our dances and a packed dance floor. Constance snuck away for golden hour beach photos, and we had so many fun moments with friends throughout the night. Truly the best day ever.
Constance: My experience of the day started much calmer. Our house was intentionally low key. We did not drink heavily the night before, which I highly recommend. We woke up early, made breakfast and helped each other get dressed. My wedding party was mostly family, so the morning felt relaxed and full of laughter.
Once we arrived at the venue, we hustled to get ready. And yes, the first look was incredible. It gave us such an intimate moment together, and I am grateful I got to see Allegra’s dress before anyone else. It also saved me from completely losing it at the altar.
As the ceremony approached, things became a little frantic with late shuttles and last minute fixes, but once it started, it could not have gone better.
Walking down the aisle and seeing all the people we love who had travelled so far to be there was overwhelming in the best way. I chose to walk with my sister, which was very intentional. Having someone emotionally grounding beside you makes such a difference.
When Allegra came down the aisle with her dad, it was a full tornado of emotions. Excitement, pressure, joy and awe. Our vows came soon after, and they were the heart of the ceremony. Saying them out loud in front of our people was one of the most meaningful moments of my life.
Afterwards, we had charcuterie, lawn games and plenty for guests to explore. Camp Clark has a private beach, so we put out baskets of flip flops for people who wanted to walk down and enjoy it.
We moved into the reception with speeches, our first dance and dancing late into the night. We also made time for sunset photos, which I am so glad we did, even though photo fatigue is real.
To finish the night, we hosted an after party back in town where a family member bought out a bar so everyone could keep celebrating.
How did you approach wedding traditions that did not necessarily fit your relationship?
Allegra: Honestly, a lot of traditional wedding customs do not fully reflect LGBTQ+ relationships. When you trace many of them back to their origins, they are rooted in ideas about ownership and gender roles that do not align with who we are or what our partnership represents.
We tried not to overthink it. Instead, we trusted our gut.
We kept the traditions that felt meaningful to us, like cake cutting, our first dance and having people we love walk us down the aisle. We let go of the ones that did not. We skipped the garter toss and bouquet toss, and we decided not to have a traditional grand exit because we would rather spend that time celebrating with our friends.
We also gave ourselves permission to see each other throughout the wedding day. We were together during the morning and chose to have a first look before the ceremony.
Constance is my safe space, and being able to share those moments with her was incredibly grounding. It calmed my nerves, made the day feel more connected and honestly just made logistical sense.
At the end of the day, we approached traditions the same way we approached everything else. We kept what felt true to us and released what did not.
Captured by Katelyn Servedio
Cake My Petite Sweet
Catering Renegade Catering
Celebrant Diva Matters Ministry
Drag Queen and Reception Host Aspen Meadows
Florist Floral Expressions
Hair and Makeup Stevi the Hair Witch and Shantilly Artistry
Stylist True Society
Suit Designer Kirrin Finch
Venue Camp Clark
