WEDDING WEEK

San Juan Safaris - Whale Watching

Whale Watching

Mike's Cafe and Wine Bar

Welcome Party

Stay at Saltwater Farms

Rehearsal & Dinner

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Saltwater Farms

Reception

Hangover Brunch

Fall

Our Wedding

Sometimes romance starts like a meet-cute in a movie. For us, it was a first date that ended with Brandon singing “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” at stripparaoke.&nbsp; This first date story is one for the ages. As all modern romance stories begin, we matched on Bumble. Unbeknownst to Courtney, Brandon was only in Portland for a long weekend for his birthday. Luckily, due to Courtney’s horrid planning skills and Brandon’s persistence, our first date was truly epic. It started with cocktails at a rooftop bar (Noble Rot) where Brandon confessed that he was only in town for the weekend to celebrate his birthday with friends. Feeling less pressure of anything serious coming of this, Courtney did what she would normally never do: meet Brandon's friends for dinner on their first date. They asked what they should do their last night in Portland to which Courtney responded that they should definitely hit up a strip club (Sassy’s to be exact), a pastime famous in Portland. Long story short, the group of four went to a barcade before heading to stripparaoke, where Brandon gave Courtney a stack of $1s, told her to “make me look good”, and sang, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”. Truly the best first date either of them had been on. So much so that Courtney asked him to stay in Portland an extra night to hang out more.&nbsp; After an unforgettable couple of days, Brandon booked Southwest tickets to visit Courtney every weekend for the next month and a half. As they say, when you know you know. Three months into a whirlwind romance, Courtney moved down to San Jose.&nbsp; Our first year was filled with travel, eating, and overall adventuring. Normally, this is when someone would say, “And the rest is history”. Unfortunately, COVID had other plans for us. When COVID hit, we asked Brandon’s grandpa if we could stay in his Ashland vacation home “for a few weeks until COVID is over”. 8 months later, we bought the Ashland house and started renovations. The first order of business: ripping out the blue shag carpet. After surviving a fire evacuation, avoiding COVID, renovating a 1950s house, and a feeble attempt to teach Courtney to golf, we knew we could get through all of life’s ups and downs laughing and supporting each other along the way.&nbsp; In July 2021, Brandon treated Courtney to a trip to Tulum, Mexico, our first international trip since COVID began. On July 21st, 2021, Brandon hired a private chef and proposed to Courtney on a private rooftop overlooking Tulum’s jungle.&nbsp; With so much gratitude for our time in beautiful Ashland, OR, we bought a condo in The Pearl in Portland, OR in Oct. 2021 and have been loving a return to city life.&nbsp; Early this year, we finally decided to start planning our wedding and we are thrilled to have you celebrate with us! We know that asking you all to come to the San Juan Islands is a commitment, but we promise the beauty of the island, and the events (read: a gorgeous island and a wedding designed to maximize fun) are going to be well worth it. We look forward to spending a few days with our favorite people!

Our Story

Photos

There are a few ways to get to Friday Harbor. Below are two brief overviews of each. Details about each can be found in the subsequent sections. Recommended route to Friday Harbor:If flying to Washington, coordinate flights to Sea-Tac with friends/family &gt; drive/car share to Anacortes &gt; take a ferry to Friday Harbor **Check Southwest and Alaska deals into Bellingham airport. Bonus: You'll likely see orca whales, bald eagles, and beautiful scenery along the way Fancy and/or impatient folks who'd prefer a chartered flight:Fly or drive to Sea-Tac airport &gt; take a charter flight to Friday Harbor

Travel to Friday Harbor (Read First)

Getting to the Island

Important: Book a ferry reservation as far in advance as possible, especially if you are taking a car. There is a stand-by option for cars and walk-ons if there are no reservations available. You will need to get to the ferry quite early to get on the ferry without a reservation. About the ferry: In May, you'll likely see orca whales, bald eagles, and other wildlife. The journey is stunning, but it is about two hours. Highly recommend bringing snacks and games (and wine 🍷). There are also bars on the ferry, but they were shut down due to COVID. TBD whether they will be up and running again by our wedding.

Anacortes Ferry Terminal

There are a few airlines that can take you to Friday Harbor from Sea-Tac or Renton, WA. The website has curated the options.

Chartered Flights

Island Accommodations

Located right in Friday Harbor's downtown near all the action. It's 1.5 miles (5 min) from Saltwater Farm. Great restaurant onsite for breakfast, lunch, and dinner overlooking the harbor.

Friday Harbor House

Great little hotel in the heart of Friday Harbor. Comfortable accommodations but it's a few blocks from the waterfront views. Located 1.4 miles (5min) from Saltwater Farm.

Bird Rock Hotel

A limited number of guests can camp or boondock on property at Saltwater Farms from Friday to Sunday for free. There are restroom facilities you can use in the main event barn. Please reach out to Courtney and Brandon if you are interested in this option. Please beware it's in tents.

Camping or Boondocking at Saltwater Farm

There are plenty of private rentals all over the island! Find an awesome house, cabin, or condo on the island for you, or get a group of friends together by checking out VRBO or Airbnb!

Aribnb or VRBO

Transportation to the Wedding

We've chartered a Jolly Trolly to transport our guests staying downtown Friday Harbor to and from the wedding venue. Pick up at Friday Harbor House at 4 &amp; 4:30 pm to the wedding, Departing Salt Water Farms at 11:15 &amp; 11:45pm to Friday Harbor House

Friday Harbor Jolly Trolley Inc.

There are a few options on the island. We recommend that you arrange your ride(s) ahead of time as drivers are limited.

Local Taxi Service

Travel + Accommodations

If you want to join the Bride and Groom to be, we've booked ourselves on the Thursday, May 4th 1pm Classic Tour from Friday Harbor.

Rent a scooter, moped, EV, or e-bike in town to explore the island

Susie's Moped Rentals

Crystal Seas Kayaking

Friday Harbor Hiking

Wineries & Distilleries

Downriggers - Friday Harbor

Watch the sunset over the water while sipping cocktails

McMillin's Dining Room

Westcott Bay Shellfish Co.

Roche Harbor Resort - Hotel De Haro

San Juan Island Brewing Co

Hop-on hop-off tour around the island

God food with an even better view - Great for breakfast

The Restaurant at Friday Harbor House

Their Third Eye Latte was a 10/10. Their shop burned down in April 2022 so please support their alley storefront on the main drag. Worth the wait.

Brandon & Courtney