While Bandon, Oregon is over a whopping 2,000 miles from where Matt and Angela call home, the wild, wooded beauty of this small coastal town beckoned to them. The couple wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with this destination. In fact, the family who owns the golf course Matt works at also owns the lovely Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. 

On a trip out to visit this sister property, Matt discovered his love for the Oregon coast. Bandon seemed to beckon the couple to a destination wedding far from home in the Pacific Northwest.

“The resort isn’t a wedding venue,” the groom says, “but we knew that it would match our dream wedding style perfectly.”

Like so many brides and grooms of 2020-2021, Matt and Angela were facing planning difficulties from the start due to the impact of COVID-19. When it came to notifying their guests of the decision to wed far from home during a pandemic, the couple knew they would have some pushback.

“We tried to tell everyone that we understood that traveling that far was a lot to ask, especially during COVID,” the couple says. “ We wanted everyone to know that there would be no hard feelings if they didn’t feel comfortable or couldn’t come. It seemed like this let us focus on ourselves and our day and not worry as much about the guest list.”

Full steam ahead, Matt and Angela took to Pinterest and Instagram to gather as many ideas as they could. And although they decided against doing any DIY projects, the couple had ample room to be creative as they would be acting as their own wedding planners. However, they were certainly not alone in the planning process.

“We sent pictures of the ideas we had and they [our vendors] all did amazing and got everything we could have ever hoped for,” Matt tells us.

Travel logistics were made simple with the couple’s wedding website where they listed a total of three potential airports to fly into and the pros and cons of each. They also let guests know that lodging would be on them because there weren’t going to be enough guests for a hotel block. 

“It seemed like everyone had a pretty easy time logistically,” the couple says.

However, one logistical nightmare did present itself when the couple’s officiant missed his flight. Luckily, Matt and Angela got legally married before setting off to Oregon, so it became a matter of finding someone willing to perform the ceremony. 

“We had about an hour of panic after he [the officiant] canceled until we got word that Angela’s brother’s boyfriend would be willing to do it,” Matt says. “So we had our officiant send what he was going to say to us and our new officiant used the bones of that and created his own and it was perfect.”

After exchanging vows surrounded by tall pine trees, Matt and Angela now look back on their nuptials with no regrets. Their advice?

“Things aren’t going to go to perfect. Hire professionals whose judgment you trust. Without our florist and decoration people, we would have been lost. Bounce ideas off of each other and make your day uniquely yours,” the couple says.

Vendors: Photographer: Apaige Photography; Ceremony Site: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort; Reception Site: Trails End; Florist: Humbug Garden; Cake: The Rolling Pin; Hair: Hair by Summer Porter; Makeup: Beauty by Megan Leann; Gown Designer: Ti Adora; Groom’s Clothing Designer: Studio Suits; Event Rentals & Design: Poppies and Top Hats; Rentals: Big Tents Rents and Events