A Traditional Autumn-Themed Wedding in Oregon

When Maria Guempelein and Robert Jennings were first set up, Robert was unaware of the situation and spent the whole night watching football on TV. Maria thought he wasn't interested. But a couple of months later, they finally talked -- about football. It was then that the two realized they had a spark, and a year later they became engaged.

Invitations and reply cards are letterpressed with a pinecone motif to reflect the Oregon-in-autumn theme. An illustrated map to the festivities is included.

Below the Cascade Mountains, the town of Sunriver showcases beautiful vistas of hills and its namesake, the Sun River.

Programs are festooned with cedar twigs and bound by brown taffeta ribbon.

Maria's sister and matron of honor, Kristina Pankey, wears a monogrammed bracelet, a gift from Maria; she carries a bouquet of 'Leonida' roses.

William Guempelein walked his daughter down the petal-strewn aisle.

The couple is joined by Maria's parents, William and Kathryn Guempelein.

The groom's parents, Samuel and Carlotta Jennings, share a moment together outside the reception hall.

The bride, in a gown by Barbra Allin, stands with her sister Kristina (in a Serafina dress). Maria's "something borrowed" is a pearl necklace belonging to her sister-in-law, Ericka Jennings. Around her shoulders is a warm blanket that she spontaneously used as a wrap to ward off the cold during the photos.

As an homage to the season, pumpkins line the path from the parking area to the Great Hall, the site of the wedding and reception.

Pinecones separate rows of place cards; each dinner table -- instead of having a number -- was named after a different Oregon coniferous tree. The table is draped with two of the same kind of plaid blanket that Maria earlier used as a wrap.

Handmade woolen sacks bear the bridesmaids' and groomsmen's gifts.

Each of the men received a pair of comfortable leather slippers. Bridesmaids were given plaid blankets.

During the cocktail hour, fruit and cheese arrived on a cross-section of a basswood tree trunk.

In keeping with the autumnal theme, chocolate- and caramel-dipped apples are set out in large copper kettles for departing guests to take with them at the end of the evening.

Rather than signing a traditional guest book, guests are given postcards with the bride and groom's address printed on the back to fill with good wishes during the reception and drop in a copper mailbox displayed in the lobby. The cards are to be mailed the next day by a friend of the couple so that the newlyweds will return from their honeymoon to a brimming mailbox.

The centerpieces -- small terra-cotta and copper pots filled with roses, tiny pinecones, and vanilla-scented pillar candles -- add warmth to each of the reception tables.

Instead of one large wedding cake, Maria and Robert offered a number of choices for their guests. "I wanted a country bake-sale kind of feeling," Maria said. The main cake was a square layered tiramisu decorated with Lady apples dipped in either caramel or chocolate. Other baked delights included (from left) a chocolate sour-cream pound cake with raspberry filling and chocolate ganache frosting, miniature cupcakes with apricot filling and topping, and a round layered spice cake with cream-cheese frosting. Hand-painted, calligraphed signs listed the names of the desserts.

Maria and Robert enjoy a laugh in the amber light.

Location: Sunriver Resort
Dress: Barbra Allin at Anna's Bridal Boutique, 503-636-1474
Throw: Pendleton Woolen Mills
Invitations: Exclamation Invitations
Map: McCabe Karcher, 541-579-2507
Cakes: Cakes by Marcia
Mailbox: smithandhawken.com