Is there anything more beautiful than a wedding ceremony on a chilly Pacific Northwest beach at sunset and roasting marshmallows on an open flame while singing the kumbaya? It’s hard to imagine a more romantic event (but it could be my inner PNW girl in my head talking), and we’re sure to imagine the reasons Chelsea & Jorell put aside the grand wedding plans and instead opt for this romantic, intimate wedding.
The couple is now living in Hawaii. The couple has lived through years of distances with oceans between them. Jorell in Hawaii and Chelsea in Oregon were in love during trips to Hawaii, tours with bands, and visits to the legendary Cannon Beach. A few years after their engagement and courtship, the couple jokingly wondered, “Why don’t we have a wedding in the sand at Haystack Rock with our nearest and dearest loved ones?’
The plan was to host an intimate beach wedding with a bonfire in two months. With the help of Cannon Beach’s breathtaking rock formations (it truly is stunning!), the couple turned their attention towards a beautiful aisle of florals and a bonfire area stocked with s’mores. The photo of the wedding taken by Marina Goktas is as romantic as it could be.
Our Love Story
I had the pleasure of meeting Jorell during a performance in Portland, Oregon. I was completing my studies at PSU as he had been performing with a group from Hawaii. I only have to say that it was fate, as I’ve never been to a concert or show. The last-minute choice led me to the venue the night I went to the show. Jorell and I were acquaintances, and that’s how we ended up seated next to each other and chatting after the concert. After the show was over, the two of us swapped numbers. At first, nothing happened, and then a couple of months later, we started to text, and since then, not a single day has gone by since we haven’t contacted one another. After a few months of conversations with a handful of friends, a few of mine and I set up an excursion to Hawaii during the summer.
On July 9 on July 9, July 9, Jorell and I began dating. It’s indeed wild to meet someone for the first time in the evening, have a conversation for a few hours, then text for a couple of months, then travel 2,000 miles to meet someone you consider your best friend and a person you can imagine the future of with. Jorell and I traveled long distances for two years when I was finishing my degree, and we hung out whenever we could during breaks from classes. Thanks to his touring job, I would drive there to go to a show with him whenever he was close to Portland. After two years of trying, I thought about shifting to Hawaii and, after six months, figured I had to go back to Oregon to complete my master’s degree in teaching to follow my dream of becoming an educator. Following another year of distance, I finally returned to Hawaii in 2016.
Since then, it’s as if we’ve known each other for a long time, and we’re happy to be able to put the years of distance between us. In August of 2017, we tied the knot in the same spot where the parents of his wedding reception.
The Planning
We were sure that we would like to have a wedding but were not sure about the cost of a marriage with the number of people we knew. Then, one day, we decided we needed to have a small affair as we didn’t want to put off the event for too long. Although we could have funds for a lavish wedding, we couldn’t shell out that much money. In a joke (in some kind), I suggested that we have our wedding on the beach in Oregon near Cannon Beach, specifically Haystack Rock. The place was significant for us since numerous times when Jorell was on tour, and I was in school; we would travel up to Cannon Beach. Both of us enjoy the movie The Goonies, so it was always one of the activities we wanted doing. My surprise was that Jorell was a fan of the concept.
On July 9, 2018, on our anniversary of six years, we said “I do” in the most elegant way. Our wedding was easy, but it was stunning. Every detail of our wedding was memorable. As I walked down my aisle, Jorell’s two acquaintances sang and played guitar. One of them was in the same group Jorell was part of on the night we first met. Our relationship with each other has always been a journey, and our story isn’t the same as what you hear on the news. Our wedding was exactly like that as an experience, not your usual wedding, but ideally for us.
The Florals & Decor
Our wedding vision was simple, intimate, and stunning. We chose the colors because we decided that peach, coral, gray, and cream fit the look of our wedding. They also complement the natural hues of the Oregon Coast. Oregon Coast. The decor was rustic; again, it was a perfect match for the beach venue. Because we were planning only a small event, “elopement,” we didn’t need much decor for the reception or ceremony.
Because our wedding was at the beach, I knew I wanted something to make an aisle and decor for where we would stand at the time of our ceremony. Flowers and Paisley Floral designed the most stunning flowering circle, with fairy lights interspersed with rose petals leading to the process. As if Haystack rock wasn’t already impressive enough, the flower part was a stunning addition.
