Michelle & Graham

Real Weddings

Michelle & Graham

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Michelle Kosta had one important requirement when it came to picking a mate: He had to have a beard. So when a mutual friend insisted she meet Graham Houser, she made sure to let Michelle know that Graham was rocking killer facial hair. The two musicians hit it off right away on their first real date—a jam session at Southeast Portland’s Laurelhurst Park on a summer evening. And it wasn’t long before Michelle asked Graham to marry her. It was Halloween 2009 and Michelle, as she considered Graham, had a revelation. “The more I got to know him,” says Michelle, “the more I thought, ‘This is a rare person. I don’t want to let this one go.’” Graham happily accepted and they set a date for the following fall.

With a truck load of support from family and friends, Michelle and Graham’s wedding came together relatively easily. The couple wanted their guests to have an “experience,” so they opted for a garden party celebration on a friend’s private acres in Corbett. And the planning process was a collaboration of creative minds.

The couple bargain shopped and collected vases for their “vege-tables”—a reflection of Graham and Michelle’s love of gardening, each table was named after a vegetable. The majority of the couple’s 200 guests were from out of town, so Michelle handmade “I think my name is ___” nametags to help everyone get to know each other. They strung colorful tissue paper pom-poms and used a custom-made stamp to imprint their initials on their guest book and also on guests’ wrists as they arrived at the afternoon ceremony.

When the big day came, Michelle proudly wore her mother’s wedding dress down the aisle, while her six bridesmaids toted bouquets of yellow roses and raspberries, and Graham’s seven groomsmen wore brown slacks, vests and fedoras. The same friend who introduced the couple was ordained online and acted as their officiant, and both Michelle and Graham’s mothers delivered heartfelt speeches on love, family, adventure and growing together. After it was official, the newlyweds triumphantly rode a vintage tricycle back down the aisle.

While Michelle changed into a more “danceable” knee-length frock for the reception, a magician entertained the guests, as Nicolette’s Catering prepared a barbeque buffet of ribs, chicken, and veggie skewers. They also enjoyed “The M&G Jubilee,” a specialty cocktail made with whiskey and homemade blackberry syrup.

After Michelle and Graham completed their first dance to a song by M. Ward, the wedding party rushed the dance floor. “We had two friends choreograph a ‘secret dance’ for all of us. We spent hours practicing it,” says Michelle. The party picked up as the autumn sun set, with Michelle and Graham mingling with guests before an intermission to take a whack at pink princess and Spiderman piñatas. They even took the party back to their hotel later that night.

After a kayaking and camping honeymoon in the San Juan Islands, the newlyweds are back home in Southeast Portland, where Graham works in residential treatment for children with disabilities and Michelle is a social worker. And in the end, Michelle got her furry love and more: The newlyweds keep up their jam sessions with their folk band Michelle and the Beards.

Bridal gowns: Vintage wedding gown; reception dress from Anthropologie | Cake and desserts: Eloise Augustyn of Hop & Vine, Helen Bernhard Bakery | Caterer: Nicolette’s Catering | Favors: Requested donations to KBOO, a Portland community radio station | Flowers: Sammy’s Flowers, arranged by friends | Hair and makeup: Bare Esthetics | Invitations: Ander’s Printing | Rings: Custom designed at Kassab Jewelers

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