Summer in Hood River is the season for … kiteboarding, windsurfing, biking, hiking, wine sipping, river rafting, fishing, photo taking, beer diving and, for many a happy couple, getting married.
Makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to start their married lives in one of the most beautiful settings on the planet?
- Julie Tong and Stephen Lewis — now, happily married.
Consider, for example, Julie Tong and Stephen Lewis.
She grew up just outside Washington, D.C., and is a newly minted attorney. Stephen, an emergency room nurse, hails from North Powder, Ore., and a family that grows organic potatoes in Idaho — featured on the shelves at Whole Foods, and on the plates of the reception dinner prepared by Blossoms Catering, the Hood River Hotel’s sister biz.
To reach the wedding venue at the Mt. Hood Bed & Breakfast, Julie and Stephen and their two dogs hopped in a car and started driving west from their home in Baltimore, Md.. Five days later — one covering 800 miles — they arrived in a place that, based on their effusive comments, they might someday call home.
It’s bound to be a wedding with unintended memories — sometimes, the best kind. For one thing, their ceremony took place under a pall of smoke from the Dollar Lake Fire several miles south on the north flank of majestic Mt. Hood.
Oddly, their wedding photos will probably remind them of that, because the smoke made for a bright orange hue to the day’s fading light.
Another memory?
“I was stung by a yellow jacket as I was putting Stephen’s wedding band on his finger!” Julie says. “I couldn’t believe it.”
After the exchange of vows, friends got the sting under control.
Choosing Oregon as a wedding destination made all sorts of sense. “Stephen’s surviving grandmothers lived in Oregon and could not travel far,” Julie says. “Additionally, the majority of Stephen’s family is from Oregon and we have always felt a special connection to the state.”
Us, too. Because Julie and Stephen love being outdoors, they chose the Mt. Hood B&B at the foot of Oregon’s tallest mountain. Then they began a search for a caterer, and loved the combination of quality food and affordable pricing they found with Blossoms Catering.
“It was a dream working with Cathy, Chef Mark, Beth and their team,” Julie says. “They were energetic, creative, and willing to work with two picky, self-described foodies like us. Mt. Hood and the Hood River area will forever have a special place in our hearts.”
For us, being a part of such special events is one reason we all love working at the Hood River Hotel and Blossoms Catering. We wish Julie and Stephen an eventful — and happy — life together. Something tells us, we’ll see them again.
Too cool. Nice story. I look forward to seeing more.