A Classic Chic Wedding in Portland, OR

Suzy and Mike both started working out at the YMCA in Bed Stuy,  Brooklyn, New York in 2015. Though they both eyed each other for  years, they never spoke. In March 2020, Suzy decided to revitalize her  Hinge account and then the pandemic hit. She went on the app the  first week of the pandemic to deactivate it, but her Match of the Day  was Mike from the gym! In short, after a few attempts at distanced dating, they eventually quarantined to ensure being  Covid-free and then started having creative dates while in lockdown. Now they have embarked on a new chapter of life as husband and wife! 

Suzy & Mike traveled from NYC to Portland Oregon to get married at Blockhouse PDX, one of Portland’s sought after industrial wedding venues. See more from their classy chic wedding day captured by Sarah Olivia. 

Bride: Suzy Fauria, 32, Clinical Social Worker 

Groom: Mike McDonnough, 41, Clinical Dietitian  

Photography by: Sarah Olivia  

Place of residence: Brooklyn, NY 

Wedding date: July 10, 2022 

Wedding location: Blockhouse  and Pomarius Nursery, Portland, OR 

Wedding theme/motif/inspiration: Muted tones with  some non-traditional notes 

Honeymoon Destination: Paris, France  and Paros, Milos, and Mykonos, Greece

Briefly tell us about your wedding experience and how  the both of you felt on your big day. Include your most  memorable moment. 

We kicked off our wedding weekend with a Suzy vs. Mike kickball game, which was so much fun and truly  brought our guests together. We had a food truck and Suzy’s mom  made hand drawn t-shirts for each team. Wedding highlights include many surprises: I was surprised by Mike’s spoken word poetry vows,  we were both surprised by a guest flash mob that my aunt organized,  and Mike was surprised by his friends playing one of his old songs  that he ended up performing on the spot. The ultimate highlight was  the incredible feeling of love and joy that lived in the space; it was  palpable.  

Wedding song, explain choice for song:  

We chose “Sway” by Majid Jordan featuring Diddy because it was non-traditional and a song that we loved to dance to in our living room. 

What are you most looking forward to as a married  couple? 

We are most looking forward to expanding our family and being by  each other’s side through the many tough and beautiful life moments. 

Advice for a Bride/Groom on their wedding day:

a. Get a wedding coordinator! We could not have done this without  our coordinator, Cherish Simpson. 

b. Carve out at least 30 minutes  together in the morning before the festivities begin. We meditated  together!

c. Let the details go and lean into all the love because that is  what matters most.  

Please feel free to include any other interesting anecdotes  from your big day! 

My uncle built an altar which resembled a cage. We got married underneath it and later ate dinner inside of it. It was spectacular! 

Congratulations to the happy couple! We wish them many years of wedded bliss.