Fun-Filled Camping Wedding at Shangri-La On The Green | Kassie and Joe

a groom in a grey suit leans over to hug a bride in a white dress standing in front of a waterfall

Kassie and Joe's casual camping wedding day at Shangri-La On The Green in Washington was a charming and eventful celebration filled with personal touches and unexpected twists. From a dog as the ring-bearer to a dunk tank that had both couples soaked by the end of the night, I loved how fun, warm, and inviting their entire day was! 

When Joe proposed to Kassie, he had a double-surprise prepared! It was her 30th birthday, and Joe brought their whole family together, secretly waiting for the proposal. “We were coming out of Covid, and it had been a while since we'd gathered together as a family,” he said. Then, he proposed on a hike near Mount Rainier, and when they returned to the house, her entire family was there, throwing confetti and celebrating! Kassie was surprised by both the proposal and getting to see her family again after so long. “It was a great day all around,” Joe said. 

Why They Chose Shangri-La on the Green for Their Wedding

They chose Shangri-La on the Green because, as they described it, it’s “a souped-up private campground that allows everyone to camp or glamp with us for the weekend.” I loved how this brought everyone much closer to nature, too. “The owners of the property treat this land as a mini private nature conservancy, which was also an important factor,” they said. 

On the morning of the wedding, Kassie began her day at Studio H Salon to get her hair done in gentle waves before heading back to their home to prepare for the day ahead. However, the morning took an unexpected turn when their makeup artist canceled, prompting a quick run to the store and her friends stepping in to help do her makeup. Meanwhile, I took Details photos, which included knick-knacks collected from their travels around the world and close to home in the Pacific Northwest. 

Kassie got ready in their backyard picturesque garden, which she nicknamed her Anne of Green Gable’s nook. She zipped up her elegant Alena Leena dress assisted by her two sisters, so looking radiant and excited for the day to come! 

Personal Touches Shine Through at Shangri-La Wedding Ceremony

Now, it was time to head to the ceremony venue at Shangri-La on the Green, which was also full of personal touches. The couple's three-legged dog, Haus, walked down the aisle as the ring bearer! With the guests seated on picnic blankets, their close friend Zeeshan officiated the wedding, sharing stories about the couple from when they first met. He also packed them a keepsake box with his script and beverages to open on their anniversary and relive the day. Then, the guests were off to the reception while we took photos! 

We started by taking photos at the “Bridal Suite,” which was the couples’ personal tent cozily set up with blankets and the couple’s favorite pillow pet. Joe wore a classic gray suit and the light green of his tie paired nicely with Kassie’s bright bouquet of flowers from Stocks & Stems. The deep greens of the woods and the sparkling creek behind them made for a truly beautiful gallery of photos! 

Memorable Reception Moments You Won’t Want to Miss

The reception was filled with fun and memorable moments, including a surprise Lion Dance performance, a romantic first dance surrounded by sparklers, and heartwarming dances between the couple and their parents. Guests enjoyed lawn games and food from a local food truck, Buddha Bruddha, with dessert from Raised Donuts and ice cream from Molly Moon’s. As the night came to an end, Kassie and Joe changed into red attire and sat under a homemade dunk tank to raise money for their honeymoon. While the guests were supposed to dunk them by throwing a bean bag at the button, many of the guests ended up just walking up to the button and pressing it themselves! The dunk tank hilariously left them soaked by the end of the evening, making it a fitting and memorable end to their special day.

How Kassie and Joe’s Wedding Celebrated the Best of the Pacific Northwest

“We wanted to show off the best of the Pacific Northwest, spend quality time with those that come all this way for a weekend, and make sure we were supporting small businesses as we pieced everything together,” the couple said before the wedding. “It's going to be a full weekend of comfort camping in a beautiful location on the Green River.”

I loved how remote this location was. The fact that there was no cell service really encouraged everyone to connect and enjoy every moment of the festivities, rather than their phones. Making space for real, genuine connection is very important to me as a wedding photographer, and their day was a great example of that!

the front of a houses, with two red chairs and a red door
a white wedding dress hangs on a gate surrounded by blue and white flowers
a black and white image of a bride getting her lip liner applied
the bridge has her necklace adjusted while getting dressed in her backyard
a bride puts an earring on while surrounded by blue and white flowers in her backyard
the groom stands in a semi-circle with friends drinking and chatting before the wedding day
while standing in front of an RV, a groom takes a shot of alcohol with 4 of his closest friends
a dog in a blue bandana and orange harness is pet by a man in a grey suit
a rock sign says "Welcome to Shangri-La" surrounded by greenery and grass
a wedding ceremony site filled with benches and chairs and tents is in the middle of a forest
a small waterfall is in the middle of a grassy woods
a black dog runs across green grass towards the front of the ceremony site
bride and groom say their vows in front of the picture, surrounded by their wedding party and trees
guests watch wedding ceremony from their camping chairs
bride laughs during wedding ceremony, while outside in front of forest
groomsmen in white shirts, and brown suspenders laugh during wedding ceremony
bride and groom share kiss at the end of the ceremonial aisle in the middle of a grassy lawn near a forest of trees
a bride and groom hold hands in front of their tent, posing for a portrait
a close up image of a bride and groom holding hands
a bride and groom standing in the middle of the woods, laugh while holding each other
a bride and groom walk away from their campsite at Shangri-La On the Green after their wedding ceremony
a groom in a grey suit twirls a bride in a white dress in front of a waterfall at Shangri-La On the Green
a groom in a grey suit kisses a bride in a white dress in front of a waterfall
posed portrait of a groom in a grey suit with a red flower on his suit
bride in a white dress and groom in a grey suit walk through a grassy field with a small waterfall in the background
bridal portrait of a woman in a white dress holding red flowers in front of a waterfall at Shangri-La On The Green
overview image of the reception area amidst the trees at Shangri-La On the Green
a DIY wedding detail on a sign with words on it saying, "Eat Drink Tums, Let's Picnic"
detail photo of a wedding DIY decor item stating, "Good food is so much better when shared with good friends"
a detail photo of a picnic table covered in flowers
the bride and groom pet their three legged black dog before entering their reception
floral detail on a staircase at Shangri-La On The Green
bride and groom ascend staircase into their wedding reception while their black and brown dog looks on
an individual in a red lion costume ascends a stage at Shangri-La On the Green
the bride and groom watch the lion dance
drummers perform for the traditional lion dance at a wedding
a lion from
a bride and groom clap for a lion dance performance at their wedding at Shangri-La on the Green
a bride in a white dress dances with her groom in a grey suit surrounded by guests holding sparklers
a small female child holds two sparklers during the first dance of a bride and groom at Shangri-La On the Green
wedding guests hold sparklers during the first dance of the bride and groom
a wedding guest in a blue dress dances during a wedding reception
wedding guests dance with the bride during her wedding reception
a man in a white shirt with blue glasses dances during a wedding reception
a woman in an orange dress dancing during a wedding reception in the woods at Shangri-La On the Green
the DJ and the mother of the bride in a blue floral shirt dance during the wedding reception
bride and groom dance during their wedding reception at Shangri-La on the Green
the bride and groom pet their black dog in an orange harness
close up portrait of a black dog with brown markings in an orange harness
a woman in a flannel shirt throws a bean bag at a homemade dunk tank
a woman in a red bathing suit gets a bucket of water dropped on her head from a homemade dunk tank
a man in a jersey wearing sunglasses get dunked by a homemade dunk tank
a man in a jersery and a woman hugging him from behind get wet via a homemade dunk tank on their wedding day

I loved documenting Kassie and Joe’s beautiful day at Shangri-La On The Green. If you’re looking for a photographer to document your Washington wedding day, get in touch! Check out some more Washington sessions below!

Venue : Shangri-La On The Green

Floral Design :
 Stocks & Stems
Hair :
 Studio H Salon
Bridal Shop :
 A&Be Bridal Seattle
Bridal Brand :
 Alena Leena
Groom Shop :
 Nordstrom
Wedding Party Attire : Nordstrom & Birdy Grey
Dessert :
 Raised Doughnuts & Molly Moon's
Dinner : Buddha Bruddah
Ring :
 Aide-mémoire & Manly Bands
Entertainment : Mak Fai Lion Dance

xx,

Jennifer Lourie

WeddingJennifer LourieWashington, Shangri-La On The Green, Dog, PNW