Taylor and Mattox’s Summer Wedding at Mt Hood Skibowl | Mt Hood Wedding Photographer
Some couples plan a wedding. Taylor and Mattox planned a full day at the mountain, complete with chairlift rides, a bluebird view of Mt. Hood, and a guest list that raced down an alpine slide in cocktail attire. I have photographed a lot of weddings on this mountain, and this one will be hard to top.
Where is Mt Hood Skibowl?
Mt Hood Skibowl sits in Government Camp, Oregon, about an hour east of Portland on Highway 26 and 35 minutes up the hill from my studio in Sandy. In summer the ski area turns into an adventure park, which is exactly why Taylor and Mattox picked it. Their ceremony sat in the mountainside meadow by the Historic Warming Hut, a stone and timber building from the same era as Timberline Lodge, with Mt. Hood filling the skyline behind the aisle.
What was Taylor and Mattox’s wedding day like?
Bright, colorful, and completely them. The bride got ready inside the Warming Hut with its stone fireplace and log beams, then the wedding party, dressed in mismatched shades of blue, gathered on the hut steps for portraits. The groom wore a light gray suit with a turquoise bolo tie and a mustache that deserves its own credit line. We slipped away to a rocky overlook for portraits with Mt. Hood towering behind them, and back at the meadow the aisle was lined with dahlias and zinnias in every shade of pink and orange. After the first kiss the whole meadow cheered with the mountain looking on.
Did the wedding guests really ride the alpine slide?
They really did. So did the bride and groom, and the photographers. Skibowl’s dual track alpine slide runs a half mile down the mountain, and after the ceremony the guests traded their chairs for sleds. Flower girls in flower crowns, groomsmen in suits, bridesmaids with bouquets held high, nearly everyone came down the track grinning, and half of them wore stick-on mustaches in honor of the groom. Taylor and Mattox raced each other down the side by side tracks in a gown and a suit, and those frames might be my favorite recessional alternative I have ever photographed.
What was the reception at Skibowl like?
The party moved to a white tent at the base of the mountain, glowing with string lights and filled with dahlia centerpieces. Custom Mattox and Taylor stickers were scattered across every table, family arrived carrying money bouquets, and a live band with a full horn section kept the dance floor packed past sunset. There were flower-covered cakes, a first dance that ended in a dip, and one perfect costume change: the bride finished the night in a custom Wild Wild Wife jacket.
Why book Mt Hood Skibowl for your wedding?
Because your guests get an experience, not just a seat. The chairlift ride, the ceremony meadow at 4,000 feet, the alpine slide, and the reception tent at the base give the day a built-in adventure without a single gravel road. I put together a full guide to weddings at this venue on my Skibowl wedding page, and rules and offerings can change season to season, so I confirm the current details for every couple.
Looking for a Mt Hood Skibowl wedding photographer?
I am Becky Chambers, owner of Studio 623 Photography in Sandy, Oregon, with 20+ years of weddings in the Mt. Hood corridor behind me, so Skibowl is a home game. You can see more mountain celebrations on my Oregon wedding photographers page, and if you are planning your own day at Skibowl or anywhere near Mt. Hood, tell me about it through my contact page. Congratulations, Taylor and Mattox. You two made a whole mountain feel like a backyard party.
