Shasta and Ken's Intimate Forest Wedding at Coolidge State Park in Plymouth, Vermont
For a part of her career, Shasta worked at a wedding magazine, seeing photos of big, fancy weddings every day. When it came to planning her own wedding to her adventure buddy, Ken, she knew immediately that she wanted something totally different than a traditional celebration. Shasta and Ken took elements of a wedding: a honeymoon, ceremony, engagement photos, and mixed up the order to create something incredibly personal and meaningful to who they are.
When I met up with Shasta and Ken on Friday, they’d been honeymooning already for a week- camping and exploring the Coolidge State Forest while putting together last-minute details for their wedding. As their close family members decorated the pavilion overlooking the Green Mountains and snacked on local cheese and hard cider made by Shasta and Ken, the couple donned their favorite non-wedding clothes and joined me on a walk in the woods, where we took engagement-style photos before they made the switch into a white dress and suit. Shasta had planned this from the beginning, saying that they wanted the opportunity to have some photos in regular clothes because they’d be likely using those way more than the traditional wedding ones. It was a great time to relax and hang with them before we proceeded to the ceremony.
After a quick wardrobe change, Shasta and Ken walked to through the pavilion to the ringing of bells by Ken’s niece and nephew. They said their vows in front of 20 of their closest family members, then had their first dance accompanied by a vinyl record of their favorite songs on one of Ken’s portable record players. It was so fun witnessing this unique wedding remix as envisioned by such a fun couple.