Whimsical Forest Wedding at Camp Cedar Ridge

Tell us about the first time you met. 

Jackie: It was a Sunday, and I was tired and sweaty and grumpy, getting off a tour and coming over to my friend’s house for her birthday. She opened the door to give me a hug, and over her shoulder, I saw Kailey for the first time. 

We locked eyes, and it was one of those *this would never happen to me* moments where everything in the world faded away, and all that mattered was Kailey. 

Kailey: It felt like I was reconnecting with a soul I had known in past lifetimes. It’s been a long, twisty road to get to where we are now, but I am so excited to be married to my partner and best friend.

If you have two hours to spare and want to hear the very long, corny, and steamy version of how we actually ended up together, we tell the story on our podcast.

Tell us about the proposal.

Kailey’s Proposal: Jackie told me she wanted to marry me mere weeks into dating. Given that patience wasn’t Jackie’s strong suit, she asked me to be the one to propose when I felt like the time was right.

I had a custom ring made by Automic Gold, a really awesome queer-owned jewelry company, in early 2021, but I knew I wanted to propose on our one-year anniversary.

I planned out the proposal in Malibu, CA, including hiring a photographer to secretly capture it. 

We walked down to the beach beneath the Malibu cliffs, I laid out a blanket on the sand, and gave Jackie a few letters and pieces of poetry to read. I read her a short poem I wrote, then asked her to marry me. She said yes, and we got some amazing engagement photos. 

Jackie’s Proposal: After we got engaged, I knew I wanted to propose to Kailey as well. I came up with an elaborate unnecessarily detailed lie about meeting friends up in a cabin in the mountains. When we got nearby, I dropped her at a park, without much explanation, while I ran to the cabin to set everything up.

When I was ready, I picked Kailey up, made her close her eyes — again, without explanation — and led her inside the cabin. Then, I turned on “The Best” by Tina Turner, had Kailey open her eyes, and proceeded to reenact the scene in Schitt’s Creek where David danced for Patrick in Rose Apothecary.

After confidently, yet awkwardly pretending to be David, I proposed to Kailey, and she said yes.

Talk us through your wedding day.

We were lucky enough to find a venue that doubled as a camp, so we all got to stay in a lodge on-site. 

We woke up with our bridal party and ate breakfast with them. After Jackie played basketball with Kailey’s brothers, everyone dispersed to get ready. Our family and bridal party made sure our decorations were in place that morning.

Kailey’s sister, Ashleigh, did an incredible job on Jackie’s makeup. Jackie and Kailey got ready together up until changing into their wedding attire.

Once everyone was ready, Jackie went with our photographer to prepare for the first look. Kailey’s sisters, Megan and Ashleigh, helped Kailey into her dress, and they walked down to meet Jackie at the first look spot on a little bridge.

When we saw each other for the first time, all of our nerves and stress melted away. We took photos with each other and our bridal party, then we lined up to start the ceremony.

The bridal party walked down to “Until We Get There” by Lucius. Jackie walked with her Uncle Mike, followed by Kailey and her parents (Derek and Lori) to “The Best” by Noah Reid.

One of Jackie’s best friends, Megan Forbes, did the most beautiful job as the officiant, even reading an original poem. We chose to write our own vows and read them to each other during the ceremony, but Jackie couldn’t get through them without crying and asking the guests for a tissue. Kailey’s brother, Joshua, came to the rescue. 

After saying “I do,” we did our secret handshake before sharing our first kiss as a married couple.

Following the ceremony, we had family photos, then went to the reception, which was set up with yard games, playing cards, a fire pit, and a dance floor. We had Ash Woodfire cater amazing pizza for us and the guests and drinks from Grüvi. 

Our first dance was to “Wake Me” by Bleachers, a song we’ve loved since even before we were dating. Kailey danced with her Dad to “When You Need Me” by Bruce Springsteen. Jackie then shared a dance with her best man, Sehler, to “Hearts Content” by Brandi Carlisle, the song they had talked about dancing to at each other’s weddings since they were in high school. 

After speeches that made us cry, we all danced to our favorite songs — classics including songs from the Lizzie McGuire movie and “What is Love” by Haddaway — DJ’d by our friend Chris Webber. Jackie had a blast chasing her cousins, Brealyn , Tatum, and Hudson around the dance floor. After her 4-year old cousin, Hudson, taught her how to break dance, he bashfully asked Kailey to dance with him as well. Between dances, the guests enjoyed cupcakes provided by a Portland business, Fat Cupcake. 

We closed the night, fittingly, with “The Best” by Tina Turner, surrounded by our best friends and family. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.

The morning after the wedding, our families stayed and we all ended our festivities by going down a 300 foot slip and slide, compliments of our amazing venue.