<I>Michael Burkett/Chieftain</I>

Darlene Johnson of Enterprise Flower Shop has provided wedding flowers for weddings all over Wallowa County. What she has not yet seen, however, is a real outdoor winter wedding.

It could happen.

“I’m seeing a lot of destination weddings here in Wallowa County,” Johnson admitted. “People are coming up here to get married.”

It seems only a matter of time before Wallowa County will have a full-blown snow wedding (pun intended). Maybe we’ll see a wedding of mushers up at Ollokot after the next Eagle Cap Dog Sled Race. Or a wedding of snow mobile enthusiasts in the Harley Tucker Memorial Arena in Joseph. Or a hockey-themed wedding on Enterprise’s new ice rink.

The churches in Wallowa County are always popular wedding sites, as is Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise, the Joseph Civic Center, and even the gazebo on the Enterprise Courthouse lawn, according to Johnson, but the top two outdoor destinations both have Wallowa Lake in their name.

It’s tough to beat a wedding photo with Wallowa Lake as a backdrop, Johnson said, and couples seem to like both the north and the south end of the lake.

Others like to exchange vows at the top of the Wallowa Lake Tramway on Mount Howard or at the bottom of the tram near Edelweiss Lodge or the old skating rink.

The city parks in both Joseph and Wallowa have seen their share of celebrants, too, as have the Imnaha Church and the Grange Hall in Promise.

But you don’t need to get too fancy to find a beautiful setting, according to Johnson.

“One of our most interesting weddings this year was held in a hay field out in the Leap area in July, right in the hot sun,” Johnson said.

Private weddings also have been held at a number of beautifully landscaped ranches in the area, but wedding organizers will have to “know someone” to arrange those exclusive venues.