A dark & glamorous Friday the 13th wedding

Offbeat partners: Ryleigh and Eric

Date and location: 10/23/2023, McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale, OR

Our dark & glamorous Friday the 13th wedding at a glance:

We were a Hinge match after we both moved back to our hometown. Eric soon moved in with his three dogs and a cat, in addition to my own two dogs. Our signature cocktails were based on our current menagerie!

We love McMenamins. One of our first dates was at the Elks Temple location. I'd just gotten the pub's “passport” (basically a frequent customer card), and Eric got one too! We've since gone to over 30 of their locations together to collect stamps on both our passports. So we knew we wanted to get married at a McMenamins, and the Edgefield location was the largest one with the most to offer.

We knew we wanted some darker vibes for our wedding – I've always been a fan of black wedding dresses – so when we realized there was an opening on Friday the 13th in October, we snagged it!

I did most of the planning since I had a strong vision – and frankly, Eric has pretty severe ADHD, so I'm generally the default planner. That said, he did decide on the menu, cake, invites, and so forth. The biggest challenge was limiting our guest list to accommodate our budget!

Tell us about your glamorous Friday the 13th wedding ceremony:

I LOVED our vows. We both wrote them and they are so personal. Eric had me bouncing back and forth between laughing and tearing up the whole time.

Ryleigh's Vows
Eric, I’m so fucking in love with you it makes me sick. I didn’t know it was physically possible to love someone this much until I met you. You really do bring out the best version of me.

We are so alike. We have the same values, the same work ethic in whatever we’re doing, and the same dark sense of humor.

Yet we are so so different. Your calm manner balances my wild one. Your introvert nature is opposite my extrovert one. Your go-with-the-flow attitude sometimes at odds with my carefully laid plans.

Eric, you’re also the most sarcastic asshole I know. And the sweetest person I’ve ever met. I wake up with a smile in the morning because of you. And I’m still excited to see you when you come home every day. I think thats pretty special.

And now today I get to make a promise to be with you forever.

So Eric…

I promise to love you, honor you, but probably not obey you.
I promise to make you strong fruity drinks and tomato soup.
And I promise to be your family always.

Eric's Vows
When we first met, you checked every box I imagined in my dream girl. Incredibly book smart (check), the most inviting and warm eyes and smile (check), as a little lotta bit mentally unstable as I am (check), six feet or taller (well, no one's perfect).

I know it won't be picture perfect all the time, but no matter what obstacle we face, we can get through it together with a healthy amount of bickering and not-so-healthy amount of eye rolling and sarcasm (mostly on my part).

From this moment on, with you at my side, I promise to always live by the vows I make today. I promise to give you the best future I can and to be the best father I can when we welcome children into the world. I will love you whether we're rich or poor, healthy or sick, young or old. I pledge to hold these promises dear to my heart for the rest of your life.

Tell us about the glamorous Friday the 13th wedding reception:

Of course, it rained! I'd elected not to pay for a giant canopy, so the weather slightly dampened the mood. It only rained during dinner – the only time everyone had to be out at the outdoor tables – and cleared soon after. Thankfully my mom had the forethought to order a giant pack of umbrellas.

My dad and I spent time a couple weeks before the wedding practicing the “Wednesday Dance” to Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps, so we got to surprise our guests with that.

We weren't planning to even do a cake, but I met the owner of Little Wicked Cakery and loved her black cakes. Eric ended up picking a black textured, red velvet, small cut cake for us.

The older attendees went home after dinner and it quickly turned into a big party. We had hand-selected all the songs for the ceremony, reception, and dancing, but some friends got ahold of the playlist and threw in some classic party bangers.

When we finally had to shut down the venue, a group of about 15 of us left moved into the adjoined house and continued until late.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your dark & glamorous Friday the 13th wedding

We did a lot ourselves to save some money, and it was hard! Our day could have been a lot easier with a wedding coordinator and a DJ. We made it work, but it put a lot of extra stress on us. We're so sad we both completely blanked on setting up a tripod to record our ceremony. We didn't need a professional video but wanted to capture our vows. So maybe weigh the pros and cons of what you want to deal with on your day! Is that extra bit of stress the day of going to make it harder to enjoy? We don't regret any of our decisions because it did help with budget, but I totally see now why some things are worth the investment.

Dark & glamorous Friday the 13th wedding vendors:

Flowers: The Petal Chick
Photography: Vallerina Photography IG: @vallerina.portraits
Cake: A Little Wicked Cakery IG: @a_little_wicked_cakery
Venue: McMenamins IG: @edgefieldmcmenamins

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